Stop Acting Like a Seller and Start Thinking Like a Buyer: Improve Sales Effectiveness by Helping Customers Buy

272 Pages·2007·1.16 MB·English

by  Jerry Acuff

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Stop Acting
Like a Seller
and Start
Thinking Like
a Buyer
Improve Sales
Effectiveness by
Helping Customers Buy
Jerry Acuff
with Wally Wood
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Stop Acting
Like a Seller
and Start
Thinking Like
a Buyer
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Stop Acting
Like a Seller
and Start
Thinking Like
a Buyer
Improve Sales
Effectiveness by
Helping Customers Buy
Jerry Acuff
with Wally Wood
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright © 2007 by Jerry Acuff. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
Wiley Bicentennial Logo: Richard J. Pacifico
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with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically
disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Acuff, Jerry, 1949-
Stop acting like a seller and start thinking like a buyer : improve sales
effectiveness by helping customers buy / Jerry Acuff with Wally Wood.
p. cm.
ISBN: 978-0-470-06834-2 (cloth)
1. Selling. 2. Customer relations. I. Wood, Wally. II. Title.
HF5438.25.A28 2007
658.85—dc22
2006036783
Printed in the United States of America.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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C
ONTENTS
Acknowledgments vii
Section I
S R M -S
TART WITH THE IGHT IND ET
Chapter 1
I P L B , W S
F EOPLE OVE TO UY E HOULD
H T B 3
ELP HEM UY
Chapter 2
E L S I 23
IGHT AWS OF ALES NTENT
Chapter 3
B Y K , M ,
UILD OUR NOWLEDGE ESSAGING
R 47
AND ELATIONSHIPS
Section II
U T , E
SE A ESTED FFECTIVE
S P
ALES ROCESS
Chapter 4
D I C
EVELOP NTEREST SO USTOMERS
W H Y 73
ILL EAR OU
v
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Contents
Chapter 5
E C
NGAGE USTOMERS IN
M D 95
EANINGFUL IALOGUE
Chapter 6
L S , P ,
EARN THE ITUATION ROBLEM
C 123
OR HALLENGE
Chapter 7
T Y S 149
ELL OUR TORY
Chapter 8
A C 169
SK FOR A OMMITMENT
Section III
I P
MPLEMENT THE ROCESS FOR
P P
ERSONAL ROSPERITY
Chapter 9
H B P , P
OW TO UILD OSITIVE RODUCTIVE
B R 195
USINESS ELATIONSHIPS
Chapter 10
Y B D D
OUR USINESS EVELOPMENT RIVES
Y F 233
OUR UTURE
Notes 247
Index 249
vi
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A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
W
riting a book, like most things in life, is best accomplished
by getting help and learning from others. This book would
never have come about if it weren’t for the help of so many. I
will try to recognize as many as I can here although I am certain
I will inadvertently leave someone out.
First, I must thank Laurie Harting at John Wiley & Sons. She
is such a professional and a joy to work with. Her belief in this
book and her constant guidance made this book possible.
My coauthor, Wally Wood, who has become my close
friend now after three (well two and a half) books, deserves a
standing ovation for his contribution. He makes me think, he
knows how to write, and he constantly challenged both of us
to make this the best book we could write. Wally’s wife Mar-
ian also played an important role with this book as she has with
each book we have written, and I am so grateful to her for her
help. Mary Maki did yeoman service transcribing our taped
interviews.
My family has always given me total support and allowed me
the time to devote to this effort when I am certain they would
vii