Agile Selling

March 24, 2014
Sales strategist Konrath (Selling to Big Companies) believes that a salesperson’s ability to rapidly adapt to changing conditions is the most important determinant of success. The good news is that sales agility can be learned. A fundamental part of sales agility, according to Konrath, is adopting a mindset that helps you improve quickly, prevents you from failing, and prepares for success. Chapters on how to absorb new information at a fast pace are worth the price of the book. With companies regularly adding new product offerings and clients with increasingly complex needs, all sales professionals must be able to tackle a wealth of new information. To help, Konrath offers up six rapid learning strategies that help sequence, connect, and prioritize. In addition, she shows how to upgrade skills, identify and adopt the habits of agile sellers, and maintain momentum. Showcasing tools and techniques that can shift sales thinking and results, Konrath highlights the path to sales success. Agent: Ethan Friedman, Ethan Friedman Media.

May 1, 2014

Konrath's (SNAP Selling; Selling to Big Companies) latest book describes factors beyond sales skills that have contributed to her success, such as her approach to fear and failure, her ability to learn quickly, and her capacity to take the customer's perspective. This content will appeal to those engaged in selling or promoting a product, regardless of their job title. The strategies and habits the author recommends address a particular aspect of the sales relationship, a method for self-improvement, and techniques to become informed speedily on any topic. Stories and example salesperson-customer conversations illustrate many of the lessons. While much of the material is common sense and summarizes other authors' work (e.g., Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit), readers will appreciate having it all pulled together in short (two- to five-page) chapters. For the truly time-crunched, each section concludes with a summarizing maxim. Occasionally, Konrath refers readers to her website (jillkonrath.com) for additional supporting resources such as worksheets. VERDICT Since practitioners are the target audience and all of the recommended readings are nonacademic, this work is best suited to public libraries.--Heidi Senior, Univ. of Portland Lib., OR

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
Any author who presents a dedication that reads may you live an abundant life is clearly someone to listen to. Multibook author (Snap Selling, 2010, and others), speaker, and sales consultant Konrath addresses a subject that impacts everyone in business. Hers is commonsense advice, made much more valuable through real-life stories and highly simplified procedures. Her premise is that continual learning differentiates an individual and leads to success, which she substantiates in each of the 63 chapters. Instead of setting specific revenue-generating goals, for instance, concentrate on getting better. Segment your focus by looking at the big picture and priorities. To uncover why a prospect isn't buying, research all aspects of the why buy to articulate the business case. Consider developing cheat sheets on your top prospects to best remember their issues and industries. Chapters are short, conversational, and summarized in one sentence. Examples punctuate her points, whether it's her personal admission about something or other or a concept held by someone else (for instance, the 90-day plan and Charles Duhigg's The Power of Habit, 2012).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)