Bookclub: “Sell or be sold” – Grant Cardone

No matter what you do for a living, whether you’re a real estate agent, a lawyer, a copywriter, a doctor, a news anchor or anything else, the sales process is inevitably part of your life. In every life situation you face, it all depends on your ability to sell something to someone.

When you think about selling something to someone, it’s not just about the physical products or the change of money, it’s more than that: you can influence others to do what you want them to do or to think like you do, all of which are forms of selling.

Did you know that there is another dimension to selling that we all encounter every day? That is, of course, selling ideas. Things like comfort, luxury, simplicity, security, these are all ideas and all of them can be sold.

Today’s book comes from a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, businessman, and a leader in his field of expertise: sales. The book is called Sell or be Sold, and its author is Grant Cardone.

These days, you can sell anything: content, food, clothes, natural resources, household appliances, technology. Anything you think has value and anyone else who finds value in it can be sold.

However, as mentioned above, selling is about more than the experience of buying products.

The first and most important thing the author talks about in this book is this: to be a great sales person, you have to know how to sell yourself extremely well when selling something.

In short, you have to be 100% convinced that you, your product, your service are the best thing for your customer and there is no doubt that you are the best solution. If you don’t believe you are the best, not only will you remain a mediocre salesperson, but your quality of life will visibly suffer.

Some of the rules and tips that the author presents in the book regarding the sales process are as follows:

1. Always agree with your customer! – You want a customer to buy from you, not negotiate with you, don’t you?
2. Price is never the problem for not selling something – you are the problem. If someone were dying and what you offer would save their life, they would buy, no matter what price you ask. Always remember that 2 of the main reasons people buy something are either love or that what you’re selling them solves their problem.
3. People are the seniors of your products. You are in the service of people, so put them first if you want to sell.
4. To build a trusting relationship with your customer, always give them something in writing. People believe what they see, not what they hear.
5. The essence of selling is a sincere desire to help the customer, to make them feel special and understood.
6. You must be convinced that what you are offering is the right thing for your customer.
7. Be prepared to deal with all situations, no matter what: emotional reactions, objections that customers may have.
8. Work hard for what you want to achieve.

Next, the author outlines the steps you need to follow in the selling process:

1. Introduction
2. Determining your customer’s wants and needs. At this stage, you don’t sell, you ask and listen.
3. Choosing a product based on your customer’s answers and presenting it as a solution that will benefit them
4. The sales proposal
5. Preparing responses to any excuses or objections from the customer

Finally, the author presents the 10 traits that every successful salesperson has:

1. Unwilling to take no for an answer
2. Asks for orders
3. Listens selectively, does not believe everything he is told
4. Stays focused on own goal
5. Asks personal and direct questions without hesitation
6. Gets answers to questions
7. Knows that price is not an issue for the customer
8. Is willing to push and be persistent
9. Believes that the process of selling is a great thing
10. Is constantly training, preparing, practicing and learning

If I’ve piqued your curiosity and you’d like to order the book for further reading, you can order it from HERE: