The Art of War Plus the Art of Sales

Book excerpt: Two books in one! The complete text of the only award-winning English translation of Sun Tzu's " The Art of War " PLUS a special adaptation for competitive sales success. This was Gary Gagliardi's, one of America's most award-winning authors on strategy, first adaptation of Sun Tzu, written for the salespeople of his own software company that became one of the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies in America. The sales methods presented in this book follow Sun Tzu's principles line by line, with the complete text of The Art of War. " The Art of War" is on the left-hand pages, and the sales adaptation, Sales Warrior, on the facing right-hand pages. Readers get both the proven philosophy that has survived 2,500 years and a practical sales adaptation of those ideas. Below we offer a brief description of each of the sales chapters. 1.Sales Analysis covers Sun Tzu's basic sales concepts and the five factors that determine success in sales. 2.Choosing to Sell analyzes the investment you must make selling and the way you generate income quickly and easily. 3.Planning Your Territory discusses the importance of focus, using your time well, and the five ingredients you need to win customers. 4.Sales Position talks about how to use the six steps in the sales process to avoid losing customers while you patiently discover how to win them. 5.Persuasion explores the way you combine standard and creative techniques to sway customers, and the timing necessary to close them. 6.Disadvantages and Advantages shows you how to build a dominant position with the customer and how you manage different types of customers. 7.Sales Contact explains how to control the sales situation and how your efforts alone determine its outcome. 8.Adjusting to the Sales Situation emphasizes flexibility. It explains how to respond to the circumstances in which you find yourself. 9.Moving Sales Forward concentrates on sales to businesses. It covers the different types of organizations you have to sell to and how to deal with them. 10.Customer Relationships discusses the different types of customers. It reveals how customer nature determines your relationship with both them and the competition. 11.Sales Situations is the longest and most detailed chapter. It analyzes the nine common sales situations and shows you how to respond to them. 12.Using Customer Desire concentrates solely on getting you to think about what the customer wants and how to address those desires. 13.Using Questions focuses on mastering the five types of sales questions. In Sun Tzu's view, your success comes from knowledge and knowledge only comes from asking the right questions. Sample Text "Sun Tzu said: This is war. It is the most important skill in the nation. It is the basis of life and death. It is the philosophy of survival or destruction. You must know it well. " The sales warrior hears: 1 This is selling. It is the most valuable skill in any business. It can bring you fortune or poverty. It is your path to success or failure. You must study sales seriously. "Your skill comes from five factors. Study these factors when you plan war. You must insist on knowing your situation. 1.Discuss philosophy. 2.Discuss the climate. 3.Discuss the ground. 4.Discuss leadership. 5.Discuss military methods." Five factors determine your skill. Consider these factors when you analyze a sale. You must know your strategic sales position: 1.Talk about your sales philosophy. 2.Talk about the changing trends. 3.Talk about your customers and prospects. 4.Talk about your sales talents. 5.And talk about your sales process.