Laugh as You Learn

As customers we know a thing or two about sales, although we may not have thought about it that way. We know that some purchasing decisions are a lot easier than others. We know that we feel relatively confident buying things that we have bought before. We know that sometimes we are helped (and other times hindered) by the efforts of sales people. We know that we sometimes remain loyal to a brand even when we cannot articulate the reason why. We know that in some circumstances we should expect to haggle to obtain a discount. We know that in other circumstances we will not make a purchase until we have been assured of warranties and after sales support. We know we like to feel that we have got a bargain. We know we hate to feel ripped off. We may not have stopped to analyse how much we know, but of course we know that if we are the customer then we must be right at all times!

Organisations need sales strategies that serve their business needs, and these needs change over time. This is the central theme of the book “Selling the Wheel”, a very approachable book on the subject of sales strategy. It is the outcome of a remarkable collaborative effort between Howard Stevens, a founder of the H.R.Chally Group, and Jeff Cox, author of a number of popular business books. The HR Chally Group have undertaken and continue to undertake research with salespeople, corporate sales forces and customers into the perceived quality of sales service. Since the 1970’s they claim to have collected and analysed data from 250,000 sales people, 8500 corporate sales forces and over 100,000 customers. Jeff Cox’s task was to come up with a way of presenting the essence of this material in a creative and approachable manner.

The tale is told in a humorous way (with a lot of creative licence to bend history as and when required). The first time I read it, I laughed out loud many times, but I was astonished by how much insight I had gained by the end and how immediately applicable it was. Although the various sales characters are stereotypes of sales personalities illustrating particular sales approaches, they are soundly based in real world observations and I found it easy to relate back to reality and identify issues in the business context in which I was working at the time. The cariacatures are very memorable: Cassius the Closer picks his customers incisively; Toby the Wizard immerses herself in customisation; Ben the builder invests time getting to know all about potential customers; whereas for the Captain and his crew efficiency of customer service at the point of sale is paramount. Each can be used to good effect when the business climate is right but not all are compatible as events in the tale demonstrate. At the end of the book is an 8-page summary of the sales strategy model that incorporates these approaches into “The Wheel of Sales”, a form that can be used for reference. Throughout the book the various words of wisdom received from the Oracle are also highlighted in a manner that makes it easy to refer back to them without having to re-read the surrounding tale.

“Selling the Wheel” is published by Simon and Schuster and is available in both hardback (current Amazon price £10.39) pictured here, and paperback (current Amazon price £6.39 ISBN 0-671-03310-7) which is purple in colour.