Sales is challenging, right? Well, I think we often over complicate it. So does Craig Andrews.
I purchased this book because it was written by a fellow member of a mastermind community I have participated in for the last number of years.
That should be a hint by the way -- we are more inclined to give patronage to someone we find similar in some fashion.
I was disappointed that the book was not available on audio, which has become my primary way to read books. I guess you could say that I am "audible-first" these days.
The book is a quick read and I found myself eager to "finish it" as I was engaged in the story both from the author's life experiences which are conveyed as well as the learning.
In short, we need to become adept at crafting "First Time Offers", or FTOs.
An effective FTO is essentially borrowing from the Lifetime Value, or LTV, of a client relationship in order to establish that relationship.
An FTO should be high-value and low-commitment.
As a seller, we're redeploying future LTV dollars to a current Marketing expense, or rather *investment*, in the form of an underwritten discount on service, or simply an introductory offer that works for everyone.
You might hear this referred sometimes as a loss-leader, but I don't think that label does this approach justice.
Andrews relates the process of engaging with a new client to the way in which romantic relationships are (typically) formed.
In sales, we are often proposing marriage before we've gone out for an ice cream cone date. That is an unreasonable expectation.
We gain trust through delivering value in a relationship, often over multiple interactions.
In time, this matures to that multi-year contract, not unlike personal relationships.
Simple, right?
Read the book, it's worth the small time investment.
And, in case you're interested, my favorite ice cream flavor is cookies and cream. Or, better yet, an orange frozen custard cone like the ones you get at the boardwalk at the Jersey shore.