Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way: The 7 Traits of Great Sellers

272 Pages·2009·0.78 MB·English

by  Ron Karr

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Praise for Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way
“StrapyourselfontoasalesboosterrocketandreadRonKarr’snewestbook,Lead,
Sell,orGetOutoftheWay.Karristheexpertwhogivesyouaguaranteedapproach
to growing your company’s sales beyond your wildest dreams. I know, as he has
doneitformine.Ipromiseyouthisbookwillincreaseyoursalesexponentially.”
—DonGabor,authorofTurnSmallTalkintoBigDeals
“Karr’s book, Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way, illustrates what we believe: that
knowingyourcustomers’needsisthesinglemostimportantfactorinbuildingsales.
Businessstartswiththesale.Tomakeprofitablesales,youneedtounderstandyour
customer and create a timely value proposition. This book shows you how to do
both.”
—LarryKellner,chairmanandCEO,ContinentalAirlines
“As CEO and Chairman of the Board of three publicly traded companies, I felt
that Karr’s strategies in Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way absolutely provided the
powerfulresultshepredicted.Inonecase,wecompletelyeliminatedacompetitor
who posed a strategic threat. I guess you can say they ‘got out of the way.’ Karr
willshowyouwhatisrequiredandhowtobeatopproducerinyourmarket.This
bookisamust-read.”
—JamesT.Treace,president&managingmember,J&AGroup,LLC,and
formerchairmanoftheboard,WrightMedical,Inc.andKyphon,Inc.
“Karr captures a lifetime of winning strategies and experiences and puts them in
a practical context for sales leaders and sellers. This book challenges many of the
older paradigms of selling and emphasizes the importance of keeping the focus
on the customers and providing positive outcomes. In today’s challenging market
conditions,wheretheprimaryfocusisonmarketshare,thisisamust-read.”
—BarryS.Goldstein,seniorvicepresident,GlobalSalesStrategy&Operations,
StarwoodHotels&ResortsWorldwide,Inc.
“Karr’sbookclearlyidentifieswhatittakestobeahighlyeffectivesalesleader.The
principlesinKarr’sbookareconciseandilluminating.Followhissystemandyour
salesorganizationwillsucceedinanymarket.Anabsolutemust-read.”
—MikeBeaudry,divisionpresident,UnitedNaturalFoods(UNFI)
“Karr does it again! Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way gives you the ultimate
approachtogivingaddedvaluetocustomersandcreatevalueforyourself...The
seven traits are what’s needed in today’s world, and this book is an outstanding
guidetobecomingproficientinallofthem.”
—DavidPreng,Preng&Associates,TheGlobalEnergySearchLeader
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“Karr’snewbookdriveshomethemessageoflisteningtothevoiceofthecustomer
inordertoqualifytheirneeds,whichinturnallowsyoutotailoranofferingthat
shouldproducethedesiredresults.Thisisapracticalguideforbeingsuccessfulin
salesthatrequiresthereadertounderstandKarr’ssevenprincipalsinordertocom-
pletethecommitmentsectionsattheendofvariouschapters.Itisespeciallytimely
giventhecurrentpressuresofintensifiedglobalcompetitionthatallcompaniesface
today.”
—BruceS.Fisher,vicepresident,GlobalMarketing,HaywardPoolProducts,a
divisionofHaywardIndustries
“Karr captures perfectly what’s challenging sales professionals today—sales profes-
sionalsthemselves.Henotonlyarticulatesthepathtosalesexcellence,butthestate
ofmindnecessarytobesuccessful.Ihavebeentaughtahundreddifferentpathsto
building successful sales. How Karr got it down to seven was impressive. But he
reallygetsitdowntothree:lead,sell,orgetoutoftheway.”
—PatrickH.McEvoy,president&CEO,
Multi-FinancialSecuritiesCorporation
“Ifyouneedtomakerain,youneedtoreadthisbook!”
—DanielW.Sklar,SeniorCounsel,NixonPeabodyLLP
“Six years ago, I formed my own independent financial services company after
a twenty-seven-year successful career with a major life insurance company. Karr’s
coaching was critical to my success. Any regrets? Yes; I only wish that I had met
him ten years earlier! This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to be and
stayatopproducer.”
—JoelN.Greenberg,founder,PrincipalWealthAdvisoryServicesLLC
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LEAD, SELL,
OR GET OUT
OF THE WAY
The 7 Traits of Great Sellers
RON KARR
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright(cid:1)C 2009byRonKarr.Allrightsreserved.
PublishedbyJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.,Hoboken,NewJersey
PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanada
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinany
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representativesorwrittensalesmaterials.Theadviceandstrategiescontainedhereinmaynotbe
suitableforyoursituation.Youshouldconsultwithaprofessionalwhereappropriate.Neitherthe
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData:
Karr,Ron.
Lead,sell,orgetoutoftheway:the7traitsofgreatsellers/RonKarr.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-470-40218-4(cloth)
1.Selling. I.Title.
HF5438.25.K3672009
658.85–dc22
2008045572
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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To My Two Ladies
My wife, Cindy—Thank you for being there at my side as a
friend, supporter, and collaborator. You are simply the best.
My daughter, Amanda—As this book teaches, remember
to always help others achieve the results they are after.
Dedicate yourself to this mantra and you will live a life full
of blessings and riches.
In Memory of Miriam Karr, mother, mentor, friend, and advisor.
You are greatly missed, but your presence will always be felt.
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Contents
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction LeadingtheWay xvii
Two Ways to Grow a Business xviii
Three Choices xix
You Can Lead xix
You Can Sell xix
You Can Get Out of the Way xix
The Integrated DialogueTM xx
1 The Case for Leadership 1
Beyond the Lone Ranger 2
Leaders Don’t Puke 2
The Job of Being a Sales Leader Never Ends 5
You Sell Ideas 6
Lead with the Outcome! 7
Why Wouldn’t You Sell This Way? 9
The Leadership Mix 9
Don’t Waste Time! 11
Leaders Don’t Get Sidetracked by Price 11
“It All Sounds the Same!” 12
You Must Lead the Team 14
Old Sales Model Versus New Sales Model 15
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viii Contents
2 The Five Beliefs of Effective Leaders 17
Belief #1: You Have Everything You Need 17
Belief #2: You Can Improve Any Area of Your Life
That You Choose 18
Belief #3: Everything Is Possible 19
Belief #4: Preparation Maximizes Your Potential 20
Belief #5: Customers Come First 25
Are You Ready? 27
3 The Seven Traits of Great Sellers 29
Trait #1: Visualizing 29
Trait #2: Positioning 32
Trait #3: Building Alliances 33
Trait #4: Asking Good Questions 34
Trait #5: Creating Powerful Value Propositions 36
Trait #6: Communicate Persuasively 38
Trait #7: Holding Yourself Accountable 39
4 Visualizing 41
Visualize Big! 41
Reinventing the Business 43
How to Create a Clear Vision 45
Seven Elements of a Clear Vision 46
Blank Piece of Paper 46
“Think Tank” Method 46
Make It Specific 47
Can You Evangelize? 47
Use Intuitive Judgment 49
Build for the Long Term 50
Element of Time 51
Personal Vision Versus Customer Vision 51
Attract Customer’s Time and Attention 51
Develop Alliances 51
Reduce Your Sales Cycle 51