The introduction chapter starts with a quote by Napoleon Hill stating:
The imagination is literally the workshop wherein are fashioned all plans created by man.
– Napoleon Hill
This isn’t the first time I’ve come across the idea of “imagination” being the basis for the events we experience in life. Our experiences first come to us by means of thought. Raising the question: “What activity is taking place in an individual’s own mind?” What an individual imagines for themself corresponds to the fashioning of plans for their life, like Hill has been quoted.
Tracy makes it known that this book was written to give ideas, strategies, and techniques that readers can immediately use to make sales, faster and easier than before. He claims its possible to learn to quadruple sales and income in a few months, or even weeks.
Follow-ups made on graduates of the audio program, which precedes and allowed this book to be birthed, states that more salespeople have become millionaires by applying the ideas than any other training process ever developed. More than 500,000 salespeople worldwide have been trained by Tracy.
The Turning Point
The hard way is struggling through trial and error without any guidance. After 6 months of struggling in sales, Tracy went to the most successful salesman in his company and simply asked him what it is that he does differently. Learning from people proven to be more successful than where an individual currently is, can drastically propel said individual towards their goals over “stumbling in the dark” figuring it out on their own.
Training Makes the Difference
Tracy’s successful coworker had previously worked for a Fortune 500 company that spent 16 months training him intensively on professional selling. With the skills he developed, he could work for any industry and sell products in virtually any market.
These skills allowed him to work less hours than other salespeople while earning more sales.
One nugget is in the Sales Presentation. The successful salesman asked prospects a series of logical questions; from general to specific that were ideally suited to a genuine prospect. At the end of the questions, it had become clear to the prospect that they could use and benefit from the product. The final question was to close the sale.
Take Action Immediately
Tracy says when calling prospects, instead of talking – ask questions. Focus on learning about the prospect’s situation and how to best help them. Sales went up following this method.
- Read about selling: Read as much on the topic of selling as possible. Ex: Spending 2 hours daily on studying and taking notes on the material
- Audio learning: Listen to audio on the topic morning and evening. Rehearsing the best sentences and phrases from the best salespeople
- Sales seminars: Traveling to attend sales seminars for the sake of learning and boosting sales