REVIEW: Steve Weinberg — Above Quota Performance (BOOK)
Many people think selling is extremely difficult. They view sales as an arena-type profession where gladiators High-Performance Traits fight to an almost fatal finish, culminating in either private or public humiliation. Over the years, when I have told people my profession, many have responded ‘I could never do that.’…This is a no-win situation for all involved and that many buyers have become much more educated more needs to be done to address it.
There is more that companies can do to support their sales professionals, and more the sales pros can do to understand the hurdles they will face and how to address these issues before they become a permanent problem…Sales pros will also tell you that they do not receive enough leadership and coaching from their sales manager, despite the company’s investments. In many cases onboarding consists of one or two days of training on internal procedures, products, marketing, and completing company forms — all of which is insufficient. Companies do own a large part of the problem,” Steve Weinberg writes in his new book, Above Quota Performance. The quote perfectly encapsulates the majority of the read’s topicalities.
There’s a nice sense of cohesion and continuity throughout the read that solidifies the greater point Weinberg is trying to make. Essentially, the titular performative optics a company or business enterprise strives for is determinant on people skills. Personal and private conduct, in the postmodernist workplace, are one and in the same. The conduct in both venues share a symbiotic relationship pivotal to a sense of shared goals. “People frequently ask me what the secret to sales is — as of closing the sale. Sales do not result from a first effort. if there were a single concept that will perpetually lead to repeated success. My answer is that sales is more complex than a single simple secret could provide, and yet it is simpler than many people believe possible,” Weinberg writes in this vein.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Above-Quota-Performance-Techniques-Becoming/dp/1956450270
He adds, “…“While this is up for some debate, I believe (salesmanship) is both…(an) art and (a) science. Think of it like music. There is absolutely a large amount of artistry involved, but the underlying elements to music are grounded in mathematics. The perfect combination. Selling is an art because it involves imagination and creativity and allows each person to be successful with their own, unique styles, tactics, and strategies.
How to influence or persuade people is considered by some to be an art, but I, along with many others, consider it to be more of a science. Selling is also a science because a sales pro needs to understand social psychology and human behavior, product knowledge, basic mathematics, and statistics, while also exhibiting exceptional listening and, speaking skills, and time management abilities. Succeeding in sales is not formulaic…Each cycle is unique and has its own challenges.
The people, culture, needs, sense of urgency, and budget will be different for each sales opportunity. It rarely runs the course that you may have predicted at the onset. The approach that worked well in your last sale may backfire on you on the next opportunity. But you can increase your odds of closing more sales by utilizing the simple tips and techniques that are included in this book.”
Colin Jordan
