Charles Barrett, a catering and event sales veteran of Marriott International, shares a blueprint to not only survive but thrive in sales. Whether you are a newcomer to sales, a veteran or thinking of switching careers, you will find value in this manual that covers the all-important very basics of selling. Barrett counters the myths, misconceptions, and self-imposed limitations salespeople place on themselves --and reveals how to overcome them. He also addresses such issues as: ¿ Why you have to be a risk taker in sales. ¿ The one big mistake many make when they sit down with a potential customer for their first face to face meeting and how you can avoid it. ¿ The most taken for granted/overlooked part of a proposal and yet, in the end, it is the most important piece. He provides the answer with examples to turn that all around. ¿ What you can do to engage or re-engage buyers who are locked into a "it's all about the price" mindset. ¿ How to negotiate with difficult negotiators or the person who is constantly stalling. ¿ How using pro-active selling skills will always lead to much more value based, not price based, conversations-and how value based conversations will always be where you want to play the game. Barrett highlights the four pillars of selling as well as the six critical habits that form the must-have foundation for succeeding in sales. Other topics include prospecting and solicitation, networking, conducting well thought out and strategic first meetings and site reviews as well as creating customer focused and customer friendly proposals. How to manage your most important resource-your own time and how to successfully acquire the "gold keys" of sales-customer referrals and testimonials round out the picture. Filled with real-life examples, inspirational quotes and insights on securing customers trust this manual is an essential resource for anyone who wants to succeed in sales.