Anthony Iannarino is a very disciplined guy. For five years he woke up at 5AM every day (maybe 7AM on weekends) and wrote, which is why he has such a large body of work on his blog, The Sales Blog. I am quick to recommend it to sales reps and leaders who want to learn and grow. Anthony is also a top sales speaker, podcaster (In the Arena) and now author of The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need.
In reading his book I noticed a couple of things.
The first thing was that I couldn’t put it down. I read a lot of sales, presentation, psychology and communication books and most are dense – I get through them, but in multiple (sometimes many) sittings. The OSGYEN has a flow to it, and great questions at the end of each chapter.
The second thing was that Anthony’s style and the focus on attitude and mindset made me smile because so many books are about tactical skills and tools that it is refreshing to see the first half discussing important self-management topics.
When I say self-management, I’m talking about Anthony’s first nine chapters about self-discipline, optimism, caring, competitiveness, resourcefulness, initiative, persistence, communication, accountability, and mindset – all critical traits for top sellers, sales leaders, and leaders in general. Anthony calls these the mindset elements. They are the foundation for your success in sales or leadership.
This book is not for a small niche of sellers – it is really for anyone who wants to lead a sales team or be a sales rep knowing what is most important for personal success. I liken it to reading Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich or Dale Carnegie – these are foundational books for those in professional sales – your attitude and how you act each day will determine your success.
There are recommended books at the end of nearly every chapter. I enjoyed the prospecting chapter and this “First Move – Do This Now!” tip at the end:
"Pick up the phone and call your top three dream clients. That’s it. Win or lose, prospecting requires you to take action, and this is the fastest, most reliable way to schedule an appointment with a prospect. Do the work!"
Go to Anthony’s website or to Amazon and pick up his new book – and read it. You will be glad you did. If you’re not, and you put the principles of the book into place for 90 days and don’t see at least 10% improved sales results, Anthony offers a 100% money-back guarantee (which I LOVE seeing). It is a great challenge, because it will get some of you to actually do some of the things Anthony recommends for 90 days.
Lori Richardson helps mid-sized companies grow revenues by solving key issues in their sales department - like recruiting, retention, diversity hiring, process, pipeline and leadership. She speaks at CEO groups on topics of sales growth. Clients include companies in the technology, telecom, manufacturing, distribution, and professional services industries. Subscribe to the award-winning blog, follow her on Twitter
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