The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, Revised Edition

Pros: Real Life, gritty no nonsense tips, techniques and advice that anyone can follow and use. And keep using that same advice and get excellent results. This book WILL change your career and increase your income. It will pay for itself in just a couple hours. If YOU do what YOU are supposed to do, it will do what it is supposed to do, embrace it, practice it. And though you will see results right away, keep going! Gitomers real results come when you master the techniques and can use them calmly, casually, with confidence. It will pay off. This book was initially recommended to me a long time ago. At the time I thought "I'll never be in sales so I don't think I should waste my time... besides, 'a bible, a bible I already have a bible'". Fast forward a few years and I finally read it out of desperation - I am now in sales - and I find that I missed out on years of learning & productivity even before my sales career. I learned quite a bit about how to not only sell but really how to be a good friend. As with most of Gitomer's books, The Sales Bible is read in a list format which, I am learning, is meant to be digested in small bites and then put into practice slowly over time. This is no exception. Each step (including the ".5's") could be it's own book and contains a wealth of information and creative ideas. I will revisit this one several times. If this review helped will you thumbs up?

Are you new in the field of sales? Then read on! This book provides you with almost anything on sales except for the latest technology tricks. Selling a product isn't easy and if you're inexperienced selling is even harder because you're probably insecure. That's why you need books like this. Being new in the field of sales myself when I read this book five years ago, this book gave me a head start. Motivational and inspirational writing is being combined with common sense and it really makes you act. Several ideas can be implemented at once when a new or existing customer rings you on the phone, that's great about this book. You don't like to be a salesman? Then at least pick up 'Integrity Selling' by Ron Willingham (available through my reviews). For all you out there who can't wait to start selling, buy this book!

Okay - full disclosure - I know the author and consider him a friend. He's also a client, and I've used his techniques to sell to him! That may be the only thing you need to know about this book. Jeffrey Gitomer may not be the greatest salesman of all time - St. Paul, Zig Ziglar, Earl Nightingale, Dale Carnegie - there may be a few others who rank above him. Time will tell. But Jeffrey has written a book strictly devoted to selling which synthesizes the combined wisdom of all of the published salemen who have gone before him, with the practical knowledge that he has gained from a lifetime selling anything and, eventually, everything. I believe Jeffrey's position in the business world is similar to Ted Williams's in baseball. As a kid, I remember reading Ted Williams's classic book, "The Science of Hitting." Hitting a pitched baseball is the most difficult skill in all of sports. Williams' book explained that the toughest part of hitting isn't the hand-eye coordination, it is the disciplined approach to preparation and pitch selection - the mental game, that counts. Williams' classic graphic of the strike zone filled with 77 baseballs, each baseball containing a batting average, was worth the price of the book, and an enduring image for baseball lovers. Williams was a great hitter - maybe not as significant as Babe Ruth, or with as high an average as Ty Cobb, but his most enduring legacy was the best book ever written about hitting. And, it's not about fancy tricks, it's about repetition and discipline. I believe selling is the toughest skill to learn in business. The art of persuasion doesn't come naturally to most people, and some prospects give you more late breaking movement than a Papelbon "slutter" or a Rivera cutter. Jeffrey Gitomer's book helps you perfect the skills that you need to survive and prosper in what could otherwise be a difficult and discouraging world. Are you just getting started? Read the book of Rules. Do you need to cold call? There's a chapter that will give you steps to follow. Need a refresher - the principles are all summarized on handy flash cards and a computer disk. The 72 questions are like Ted Williams' 77 baseballs - designed to get you to focus on what you need to do to raise your average. I've read the reviews already posted and I can't believe the handful of people who gave this book 1, 2 or even 3 stars - they must be ex-girlfriends or jealous husbands. Those looking for fancy tricks and clever schemes don't get it - that's too complicated, and, worse, destined for a one-time-only sale, or embarrasing failure. Learn the basics, and this book distills the best selling advice of hundreds of other authors, as well as Gitomer's years of Sales Moves columns. Note - The Sales Bible distills those columns, and doesn't just reprint them as some authors with a regular newspaper gig are prone to do. This is a book that is intended to be USED, not just read. If you're looking for the "History of Great Sales," keep looking. If you're a saleman or an entreprenuer (which means you're that and more) buy this book, and learn from a true Hall of Fame salesman!

This Sales Bible was published in 2003. At the beginning of the book Jeffrey said that in 10 years, he'll update it and create a new edition. This book has been out 11 years and now it's time for a new revised edition. Still, the book has timeless sales advice in terms of cultivating positive mental attitude, knowing your product inside and out and serving your customers in a way where you can match your products and services to what they need and desire. People sell different things to different people or organization and what specifically may work fabulously with one customer may not necessarily work with another, so Jeffrey appropriately suggests at the beginning of this book to use what is appropriate for your particular sales situation. Some tips and suggestions in this book may fit your circumstance, some won't, but since there are plenty of tips and suggestions, you can definitely find some that can help you to improve your sales. Jeffrey begins by sharing very good suggestions for cultivating your mental attitude. He emphasizes the need to asking good sales questions. He shares ideas on how to overcome objections and how to network. This is a generic book and it has tips related to different aspects of selling which will give you an overview of those skills and if you want to develop any particular skills in greater depth, you could benefit by getting books that relate specifically to those skills.

Being in search of basic sales knowledge, I figured the Sales Bible would do the trick. This book IS packed with lots of techniques, "standard" lines and useful tricks. But the delivery is quite confusing. This book has little to no structure (completely lacks a sales process for example). Some tips are repeated from one chapter to another. It feels like an aggregate of unrelated publications. The style is enjoyable to really funny, when it is not for the abusive usage of bold, italic and oversized fonts which only add to the confusion. However, it still deserves 3 stars for being a good reference on specific stages in the sale process. Gitomer knows his stuff and it does show in the content. You might want to check the Accidental Sales Person for a more structured approach.

Gitomer provides his special philosophy on selling that really hits the nail on the head. The book does not go into the old-style manipulative selling, but instead is customer-focused. The author loves large, bold print that jumps out at you and emphasizes important points. All-in-all, it is a great book on sales. Although some may not like his style of writing, I still rate it as one of the best sales books that I have.

I'm not a salesperson, though I occasionally get peripherally involved in the sales process. For a person of my profile, this book is certainly useful; for people who've been in the field, I'm not sure if there's a lot here. There's something warm and earthy about the way Gitomer makes his points, and his humorous style makes it easy to go through the book. At times the book comes across as a motivational guide with the author cheerleading the readers through the sales techniques. Judging by the structure of the book (the name of the first chapter is Genesis!) and his style of writing and introduction, one can see why he is successful at what he does.

This book provides anything and everything someone in a sales position needs to know. I have the audio book already and I'm waiting for my hard copy to arrive. I have implemented his strategies and I am seeing results. Our entire sales force is going to use this book and I'm excited to watch our sales and service soar!! Thank you, Jeffrey!

Great book. A must have for a salesperson!

This book was exceptional. I've been selling for three years now, but this has still introduced many new tactics and strageies in a fun and easy to read fashion.

Wirkt eher wie eine Sammlung von dumpfen Ratschlägen, keine tatsächlichen Referenzen oder tiefergehende Infos. Zudem wirken viele Vorschläge extrem "amerikanisch" - kann man in Europa nicht so machen.

Good interesting read lots of little stories to highlight the message, pick up put down re read. take away what works for you.

Not the best book on sales I have ever read, but its still great. Jordan Belfort's books still remain the best I have read on the subject, but Gitomer does a much better job exploring the nuance of selling.