Books on Salesmanship

Whether it’s “door-to-door” or “cold-calling”, sales is not a practice for the faint of heart. To be truly effective, your genuineness and love of selling must be evident. Recently, I was visiting with a young man who sells a device that allows the homeowner to see just how much electricity is being used, and depending upon the utility rate, how much per hour it is costing.

I was so impressed with his enthusiasm and belief in his product that I now have that device in my home and I’m paying a lot of attention to it in an effort to reduce my electrical consumption. With hardly any appliances on, it appears that there is a phantom usage of about 3 cents per hour. He explained that phantom electrical drains include the plugged in TVs, VCRs, DVDs, computers, cell phone chargers, electric clocks (we must have a dozen in the house.), etc.

While he was telling me about the device, the heat pump switched on and the meter began registering the consumption at $1.30 per hour. Just to make it more interesting, I tuned on the electric clothes dryer. Another 24 cents an hour was added. Why not turn on the oven at the same time? Oh, wow, I couldn’t bear it, the electrical usage was almost $2.00 an hour.

I had to have this meter-reading device to learn how I could reduce my energy consumption. According to my new friend, what I would save by reducing my electric usage would pay for the machine in just a few months. He had the product and he showed me how much I needed it. What a salesman!

The library has several new books to help salesmen and sales managers become all the more creative and dedicated to their trade. “Cold Calling Techniques That Really Work” by Stephan Schiffman is in its 20th edition and promises to provide “…all the right tools for turning prospects into meetings, and meetings into big sales.”

“The Fisherman’s Guide to Selling, Reel in the Sale---Hook, Line, and Sinker” by Joe DiMissa compares sales with saltwater fishing. He offers key tips and strategies to guarantee success. DiMissa brings to the reader fifteen years of experience in direct sales, marketing management, training, and telephone sales.

Another new book is “The Art of Woo, Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas”. The author, G. Richard Shell, believes that a sale isn’t just about you, but rather it’s about the connection you establish between yourself and your client. The book, “The Art of Woo,” describes how to pitch for, gain, and maintain the long-term client relationships that are the keys to success. This book is essential reading for anyone trying to get ahead of the pack in our competitive, global marketplace.

Recent donations to the Library Foundation includes those in memory of Ray Wiseman from Mr. and Mrs. Robin Keller and Mr. and Mrs. Gary Puetz. The memory of William Fox, Sr. was honored by a memorial from Mr. and Mrs. William Ferguson. Also received was a donation from Mr. and Mrs. Gallagher in recognition of the dedication and work done on behalf of the Library by Diane Klug. These memorials and donations are gratefully accepted and will be used for the benefit of our library patrons.