Many of the areas that salespeople struggle with these days have long been the domain of marketers, according to bestselling author John Jantsch. The traditional business model dictates that marketers own the message while sellers own the relationships. But now, Jantsch flips the usual sales approach on its head.
It’s no longer enough to view a salesperson’s job as closing. Today’s superstars must attract, teach, convert, serve, and measure while developing a personal brand that stands for trust and expertise.
In Duct Tape Selling, Jantsch shows how to tackle a changing sales environment, whether you’re an individual or charged with leading a sales team. You will learn to think like a marketer as you:Create an expert platformBecome an authority in your fieldMine networks to create critical relationships within your company and among your clientsBuild and utilize your Sales HourglassFinish the sale and stay connectedMake referrals an automatic part of your processAs Jantsch writes: “Most people already know that the days of knocking on doors and hard-selling are over. But as I travel around the world speaking to groups of business owners, marketers, and sales professionals, the number one question I’m asked is, ‘What do we do now?’
“I’ve written this book specifically to answer that question. At the heart of it, marketing and sales have become activities that no longer simply support each other so much as feed off of each other’s activity. Sales professionals must think and act like marketers in order to completely reframe their role in the mind of the customer.”