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How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients (Hardcover)
by Jeffrey J. Fox
| Category:
Selling skills, Customer service, Motivation, Attitude |
| Market price: ¥ 180.00
MSL price:
¥ 158.00
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 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
Powerfully simple and practical, Jeffrey Fox's book is one of the most pragmatic texts on the art of selling and closing. |
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Author: Jeffrey J. Fox
Publisher: Hyperion
Pub. in: May, 2000
ISBN: 0786865954
Pages: 192
Measurements: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00012
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- Awards & Credential -
An all-time bestseller on sales and customer service. Jeffrey Fox is also the author of the internationally bestselling How to Become CEO. |
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- MSL Picks -
The subtitle suggests that Fox explains "the rules for getting and keeping customers and clients" and that is true. However, he accomplishes much more than that in this book. True, he provides a series of what he calls "Killer Sales Questions", most (if not all) of which are now asked by the most successful salespersons. He also devotes substantial attention to the entire cultivation and solicitation process, suggesting all manner of dos and don'ts. Throughout the book, he correctly insists that the every effective "rainmaker" (i.e. one who brings revenue into an organization) has impeccable integrity, at all times and with all people manifests good manners, has a sincere commitment to the best interests of each customer or client, and seizes upon each rejection as a welcome opportunity to understand how she or he can be of assistance to (literally) anyone encountered, whenever and wherever that may be.
It may not have been Fox's intention but I think this is a book which should be read and then periodically re-read by anyone within any organization, not only by those which have contact with customers and clients. Think about it. If the objective is to create as much "rain" (i.e. revenue) as possible, why not involve everyone, including family members and friends, their family members and friends, etc. What about vendors? What about services providers (third-party centers of influence) such as attorneys, accountants, insurance agents, staff members of trade and professional associations, chambers of commerce, etc.? It is not sufficient to think of everyone within your organization as a "rainmaker." You must also help them to understand what rainmaking is, how to do it effectively, and (most importantly) why. Each should be provided with a copy of this highly-readable book and urged to share it with their spouse.
Everyone within each organization should have an attractive business card which includes his or her name (of course) but also some indication of what the organization offers. For example: "Lots of people have problems selecting the most appropriate (whatever). We help them solve those problems." Or a briefer version: "We solve problems with (whatever)." Have all employees carry their business cards with them wherever they go (e.g. dining out, shopping, athletic events, social gatherings) and encourage them to distribute the cards as widely and frequently as possible and appropriate. I highly recommend this book to those who are responsible for generating revenue as well as to those responsible for others who do. But I also recommend it for distribution among everyone else within the same organization (regardless of its size or nature) who can - and should - become involved in creating an on-going need for sturdy umbrellas.
(From quoting Robert Morris, USA)
Target readers:
Sales and customer service managers, salespeople and customer service representatives, entrepreneurs, executives, managers and MBAs.
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Jeffrey J. Fox, an MBA graduate from Harvard Business School, is the founder of Fox & Co., Inc., a premier marketing consulting firm serving over sixty industries. Mr. Fox has held senior executive positions at a number of companies, including Pillsbury and Heublein, Inc., and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Business Marketing, and numerous other publications. He lives and works outside Hartford, Connecticut.
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From the Publisher:
Filled with smart tips given in the Fox signature style, counter- intuitive, controversial, and practiced, this hard-hitting collection of sales advice shows readers how to woo, pursue, and finally win any customer. In witty, succinct chapters, Fox offers surprising, daring, and totally practical wisdom that will help readers rise above the competition in any company in any field. A terrific resource for CEOs, as well as anyone looking to distinguish themselves in sales, be it books, cars, or real estate. How to Become a Rainmaker offers the opportunity to rise above the competition in any company, in any field.
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V. Always Precall Plan Every Sales Call
Appointments with decision makers are relatively rare events. Meetings with decision makers are crucial to getting the sale. Because of this, meetings with a decision maker must be carefully preplanned. Precall planning is particularly important when making the first call on a new customer and when making the last call - the one that concludes with an order.
Ninety percent of all sales calls are won or lost before the salesperson sees the customer. This is because so few salespeople actually plan the call. Too manay salespeople believe experience is a substitute for precall planning; they think they don't need to. Other salespeople do their precall planning on the way to a call. Others don't even know how to precall plan. Some don't know they should.
Rainmakers never waste a sales call: They always precall plan. It is typical for a Rainmaker to spend three hours planning for a fifteen-minute sales call. Planing and practicing for two days to two weeks for a single sales call is not uncommon.
One Rainmaker spent fifteen straight eight-hour days researching and planning a fifteen-minute sales call. The call was on the CEO of a leading company in a new industry. If this company adopted the Rainmaker's product, almost certainly the other companies in the industry would follow. The Rainmaker made the sale and successfully used it as a case istory to close other customers. This single sale saved the Rainmaker's company and led to years of success.
NFL coaches spend countless hours reviewing game films in preparation for their next opponent. It is said that if Joe Paterno, the heralded head coach of the Penn State football team, is given two weeks to develop a game plan, his team is nearly invincible.
A precall plan for a Rainmaker is like a preflight check for an airplane pilot. The great pilots never miss a single checkpoint before taking off or landing. If a pilot misses something, that pilot may be missing. If a salesperson misses something, the order may be missing.
A precall planning checklist should include:
1. Written sales call objective.
2. Needs analysis questions to ask.
3. Something to show.
4. Anticipated customer concerns and objections.
5. Points of difference vis-a-vis competitors.
6. Meaningful benefits to customers.
7. Dollarization approach; investment return analysis.
8. Strategies to handle objections and eliminate customer concerns.
9. Closing strategies.
10. Expected surprises.
And plan to be flexible. If aftersixty seconds into your two-hour painstakingly prepared presentation the customer says she will buy, stop talking, take the order, and gracefully leave. If the customer wants to do business with you, but in an entirely different manner than you expected, anjust to the change. Don't be so intent on following your plan that you miss a customer's cue. Be flexible.
A Rainmaker never calls on a decision maker without a written precall plan. |
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| View all 10 comments |
Barbara Jacobs, USA
<2006-12-22 00:00>
This is an afternoon read, pure and simple. And chances are good that once readers accept Fox's hard-hitting yet commonsense approaches, they'll accept his sales process, which applies, by the way, to selling widgets, promoting intangible services, or selling yourself. Every one of the author's 50 two-page to four-page chapters contains just one nugget of information more than the preceding section, enough to keep the momentum and the attention. A sad story about the hazards of drinking coffee (it spilled - and the prospect was then distracted by a second crisis) is followed by a notice not to eat a major meal during a sales lunch, which is promptly followed by "no pen in the shirt pocket" advice. Fox's seemingly disparate hints and tips, in short, comprise a very logical and memorable way of rainmaking, and a short tome that will show anyone the how-tos. |
Blaine Greenfield, USA
<2006-12-22 00:00>
A student recently lent me HOW TO BECOME A RAINMAKER by Jeffrey J. Fox and suggested that I might like it… was he ever right! This was one of the best business books I have read in a long time.
The idea behind the book lies in the American Indian tradition of employing a Rainmaker to use magical powers to nourish the crops to feed the people… updating this, a Rainmaker today is a person who brings revenue into an organization (be it profit or not-for-profit).
Even though this premise might sound so basic, it is amazing how many companies tend to forget it… Fox says you mustn't, and he presents a series of simple-to-follow principles that can be applied to a wide variety of situations.
There were many memorable passages, but so as to not overwhelm you with all of them, I'll just present the his series of six "killer" sales questions:
1. When you have the customer on the phone, suggest a meeting and then ask, "Do you have your appointment calendar handy?"
2. The Rainmaker asks the customer, "Will you look at the facts and decide for yourself if they make sense?"
3. [when a competitor is mentioned] You answer exactly as follows: "Yes, that is a good company. Would you like to know our points of difference?"
4. When a customer asks for a product demonstration, the Rainmaker responds as follows: "We would be happy to give you a demonstration. If the demo is successful, is there anything else prohibiting you from going ahead?"
5. To close the sale, to get the final customer commitment, the Rainmaker might say: "You've looked at everything. Your concerns have been answered. Time is of the essence. You've heard our recommendation. Why don't you give it a try?"
6. [always conclude an interview with a customer by asking one killer sales question] The killer sales question is: "What question should I be asking that I am not asking." Variants or follow-up questions, are: "Is there anything I have missed?" "Have I covered everything?" "Have I asked about every details that is important to you?" |
Wing-Tze Tai, Hong Kong
<2006-12-22 00:00>
Rainmaker, as defined by Fox, is a person who brings revenue from customers and donors into an organization, be it profit or not-for-profit. And rain refers to customers' money. It is good to use "rainmaker" as the metaphor since the book is about how to get and keep customers, which is directly related to the revenue of the organization. And people bringing revenue to the organization can really help it to survive, just like the importance of rain to life. However, some people may think that the use of "rainmaker" is not suitable. No matter it is suitable or not, it can, at least, arouse my interest to read it!
How to become a rainmaker? The answer is to focus on customers. It is true that salespeople should put themselves in the customers' shoes. They need to tell the customers what economic benefits the product will give them and the consequences of not going with the recommended product, rather than how good their products are. It is also important to precall plan for every sales call, talk to customers who want your products, treat everybody you meet as a potential client, try to make the selling attempt?
Many ideas in the book seem to be common sense or quite minor. However, these ideas are really important that people are in general ignorant of. For examples, many salespeople neglect the importance of taking the best seat in a restaurant so as to reduce distractions and make the customers focus on them. They waste time on trying to "break the ice" in just a few minutes for sales. They forget the aim of the appointment: it is not a time to focus on eating lunch.
To be a rainmaker, just read it and put it into practice! |
Paul Baker, USA
<2006-12-22 00:00>
The pro and con of this book is that it appears to be a list of useful insights for acquiring and maintaining relationships with clients. It is useful in the sense that one need not read the previous 25 rules to implement rule 26. However, a reader desiring a more structured, comprehensive approach might want to look elsewhere. I personally found it to be a good book for reading for a few minutes every day, because I didn't need to necessarily remember all the previous items I had come across. |
View all 10 comments |
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