Selling to Zebras

Book excerpt: Even the most competitive companies only close about 15 percent of the deals in their sales pipelines. That means that salespeople spend time with prospects who, 85 percent of the time, aren't going to buy. Wouldn't those salespeople rather spend more time pursuing prospects they knew they could close? Or spend time with their prospects where it matters most at an executive level? Readers who are ready for exceptional results for themselves and their companies need "Selling to Zebras". The Zebra way can help salespeople identify the perfect prospects for their companies--their Zebras--and develop a sales process that will help them close deals 90 percent of the time. The Zebra method of selling will: Increase close rates; Shorten sales cycles; Increase average deal size; Reduce discounting and increase margins; Make better use of scarce resources; Make customers happy, creating a stable of great references. Jeff and Chad Koser don't just offer theories and concepts. They give readers specific tools, models, and spreadsheets they can customise to make the Zebra way the best way for their companies to do business.