This one is a bit of a cheat because I read the original edition almost 10 years ago and didn’t even realize that there was now an updated 2nd edition. I must say that the team improved and updated the content for us and it makes a difference. I’m in a Call Center environment and on a daily basis I’m trying to adapt former face to face sales people into over the phone professionals. It’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks but this book makes a difference and helps the transition without a doubt.

52 Weeks of Book Reviews. Week # 4 – Selling to anyone over the phone – Renee P. Walkup

This book is money. Many people in the world sell face to face.I get it, those professionals learned a skill and can read a customer’s body language to determine what the best course of action is. Imagine if you are selling cars though, and you were suddenly blind. Imagine if you were suddenly limited to only the pictures you could see in your mind. Would you still be able to sell to anyone?

I’ve heard stories of people going blind or deaf and being able to enhance their other senses to compensate. The same thing goes for sales skills. Selling over the phone is considered a disadvantage to most, but this book will help you turn it into an advantage. “Selling to Anyone over the Phone” is worth the price over and over again. If you work in a world where you close deals over the phone you need this book yesterday. I’m not a natural sales person, I’m not an extrovert and I can’t stand touching people and I certainly don’t want to look at you for half an hour. I can talk on the phone though.

I can create an image and I can paint a picture with words now. I can determine if the words you say are genuine and I can tell what motivates you to buy. I can hear pitch, tone, pace and still have time to listen to the actual words you are saying, which say so much more between the lines. I do a large part of what I do because of this book. I used to sell face to face which was a total disaster, but the original version of this book helped me close 1000’s of deals over the phone and this 2nd Edition is even better.

It takes time to implement the ideas in the book and it takes lots of practice. You’ll need to record your calls and take the time to really focus on your speech patterns but it can be done. You’ll be able to mirror your clients in a way that will allow you to get your true meaning across. I hear conversations every day where Party A says something with a particular meaning, but Party B interprets the meaning of the exact same words in a completely different way. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever said, ” No, I didn’t mean it that way.” The words you said were heard in the exact way that you said them, but the meaning taken from those words was completely different from what you intended. Does the intention of the word matter or does the interpretation? Even when there is clarification, the emotional residue from the 1st false interpretation is still there. If you put the practices of this book to good use you will limit the number of false interpretations, your meaning will be clear.

I’m a fan of this book. I’ve never read anything else by Renee Walkup or Sandra McKee, I’ve never even read their bios. I imagine in my minds eye that one is in sales and the other is in psychology because that is what the book feels like. It feels like smarter sales skills. If feels like an elegant dance when most sales people just trudge through the dance hall. After you read this book you’ll have a smirk on your face because you will know things that will make you seem like a super sales hero. Try it. I recommend it.