Daily Thoughts 8/5/2009 ( How You Make The Sale )

J. Sheridan LeFanu, Irish writer of ghost and mystery stories.

Daily Thoughts 8/5/2009

Every couple weeks we have a reference meeting to discuss reference books. I chose Jane's Vintage Aircraft Recognition Guide by Tony Holmes for the next meeting. It has lots of pictures of old airplanes in an A to Z guide. This book covers the period from World War I to the 1970s. Janes is known for its coverage of military and civilian vehicles all over the world. If you want to know specifications for submarines, commercial aircraft, military aircraft, naval vessels, and many other vehicles, Janes provides excellent concise and accurate information about vehicles Jane's is often the best place to turn.

I did some weeding in the 700s this afternoon. Right now, we are shifting the audiobooks to make room for the fiction books. Things are moving along nicely.

I am changing the books from the Current Events display with more recent books. Right now, I looked up books on Iran, North Korea, and Iraq as well as healthcare. These seem to have a lot of news coverage right now in the United States.

I finished reading How You Make The Sale What Every New Salespersn Needs to Know by Frank McNair. This book is a book on how to do consultative selling. This book is not about how to write scripts, hard sell, or be combative.

It follows the idea that every customer has a problem which they are seeking to solve and it is the salesmans job to find the solution to that problem. This book focuses on how to listen to the customer, ask the right questions, and taylor the sale to the customers need. Frank McNair uses automotive sales for many of his examples.

There are no secrets in this book. The book describes a step by step process; meeting the customer, listening to them, clarifying their wants, determining what problem needs to be solved, knowing your product, presenting the solution with a benefit, completing the transaction, and followup. This book describes each step with examples, end of chapter questions, and chapter summaries.

The book exudes common sense. It is very easy to follow. It is the kind of sales pitch which would make me comfortable; one based on service, feedback, and research.

Daily Thoughts 7/24/2009 (Golden Rules For Managers )

Tatyana from Evgeni Onegin, by Elena Samokysh-Sudovskaya. 1900-1904

Daily Thoughts 7/24/2009

I had some time to do some weeding in the oversize books and the sports section. I still have quite a bit to do. They are still shifting the 700s as well.

I took some time to look for award books. I looked at the Edgar Award for mysteries, the RITA award for romance, and also looked at the Horror Writers of America association. I picked out the 2008 Pulitzer prize for poetry book, The Shadow of Sirius by W.S. Merwin.

One of my favorite young adult adventure series of novels is the Montmorency series by Eleanor Updale. It just reminds me so much of Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Louis Stevenson. The writing is truly intriguing. It is a tale of a gentleman thief with a very dark side.

I have been reading Golden Rules for Managers 119 Incredible Lessons For Leadership Success by Frank McNair. It reads like a management book for people who like to read motivational business titles. The book reminds me a little bit of Who Moved My Cheese. We have a few people who come in regularly for authors like Norman Vincent Peale or Og Mandino.

The book has lots of acronyms, business fables, anecdotes, maxims, and sayings. It would be excellent for a salesperson or gregarious customer service person to pull pithy quotes from. Unlike many other motivational titles it also includes a number of recognizable business terms like SMART targets, participatory management, and performance appraisals which are listed in the index. Frank McNair rolled many loose business ideas into one coherent book. This book is a 2009 reprint of the 2000 edition. The book itself is very presentable. The typeface is very clean and the page layout is vey readable.

Frank McNair has an MBA from Wake Forest University and a certificate in Presbyterian theology. He also runs a well respected consultancy, http://www.mcnairandmcnair.com/ He does not make any direct religious statements though except for the Golden Rule . It is the kind of book a company might bulk order for their whole sales department as part of a motivational seminar.