Frank Bettger Can Teach Us A Lot
Why you should Read this book no matter what your work: If you would like to read one of the best books on salesmanship ever written, read Frank Bettger‘s book, How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling. This book was first published in 1949, but the practical advice about human interaction and self management has never been explained better. His simple plan of work preceded all the popular tools such as day timers, computers and blackberries that sales people use today.
Reading Bettger’s book in its down to earth style will make you feel as if you knew the man.
If your desire is to become an expert at human relations, whether as a sales professional or a top performer in another field, you will profit from reading this book. Bettger attended the university of hard knocks which means he was self-taught. He said that the book recalls his stumbles and mistakes on the way to becoming successful. Reading this book will help you avoid the mistakes he made.
In this book you will find many ideas that are applicable in today’s work world.
One area that especially impressed me is Bettger’s detailing in chapter four of his self designed way of getting organized. As mentioned above this was written and experienced long before the great tools we have today. The main point here is simply get organized to do our jobs. Like Bettger, if we do not know what we did yesterday and last week and what worked then how will we plan next week? Bettger found that by setting aside a day each week to evaluate that week’s results, make plans and prepare future presentations, he could accomplish much more. Having this track to run on greatly improved his productivity.
If we follow the principles laid out in this book we can turn most of life’s challenges into success stories or at least success lessons. A wise person said ” I have learned more from my mistakes than I ever did from my successes.”
Frank Bettger’s Secrets to Sales Success
1. Set activity goals and stay with them.
2. Track your activity and keep records
3. Examine your performances and improve them
4. Know your sales process !
5. On- going study to improve your knowledge
BOOK CONTENTS
PART 1
THESE IDEAS LIFTED ME OUT OF THE RANKS OF FAILURE
1. How One Idea Multiplied My Income and Happiness
2. This Idea Put Me Back Into Selling After I Had Quit
3. One Thing I Did That Helped Me Destroy the Biggest Enemy I Ever Had to Face
4. The Only Way I Could Get Myself Organized
PART 2
FORMULA FOR SUCCESS IN SELLING
5. How I Learned the Most Important Secret of Salesmanship
6. Hitting the Bull’s Eye
7. A $250,000 Sale in 15 Minutes
8. Analysis of the Basic Principles Used in Making That Sale
9. How Asking Questions Increased the Effectiveness of My Sales Interviews
10. How I Learned to Find the Most Important Reason Why a Man Should Buy
11. The Most Important Word I Have Found in Selling Has Only Three Letters
12. How I Find the Hidden Objection
13. The Forgotten Art That Is Magic in Selling
PART 3
SIX WAYS TO WIN AND HOLD THE CONFIDENCE OF OTHERS
14. The Biggest Lesson I Ever Learned About Creating Confidence. A Valuable Lesson I Learned About Creating Confidence From a Great Physician
The Quickest Way I Ever Discovered to Win Confidence
17. How to Get Kicked Out!
18. I Found This an Infallible Way to Gain a Man’s Confidence
19. How to Look Your Best
PART 4
HOW TO MAKE PEOPLE WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU
20. An Idea I Learned From Lincoln Helped Me Make Friends
21. I Became More Welcome Everywhere When I Did This
22. How I Learned to Remember Names and Faces
23. The Biggest Reason Why Salesmen Lose Business
24. This Interview Taught Me How to Overcome My Fear of Approaching Big Men
PART 5
STEPS IN SALE
25. The Sale Before the Sale
26. The Secret of Making Appointments
27. How I Learned to Outsmart Secretaries and Switchboard Operators
28. An Idea That Helped Me Get Into the “Major Leagues”
29. How to Let the Customer Help You Make the Sale
30. How I Find New Customers and Make Old Ones Enthusiastic Boosters
31. Seven Rules I Use in Closing the Sale
32. An Amazing Closing Technique I Learned from a Master Salesman
PART 6
DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL
33. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail!
34. Benjamin Franklin’s Secret of Success and What It Did for Me
35. Let’s You and I Have a Heart to Heart Talk
