Critical Selling
ADDITIONAL PRAISE FOR CRITICAL SELLING
“As the sales landscape has evolved, so too have the needs of our customers. The methods, research, and strategies provided in this book have given our sales organization the tools they need in today's market to create a positive customer experience, grow relationships, and improve conversion rates. If you are looking to increase sales, I would recommend this book to any salesperson, sales manager, or executive!”
“Justin Zappulla and Janek Performance Group have been Santander Bank partners for years. Our Corporate Banking senior sales team was trained on the Critical Selling program and it immediately drove real results. The contents in this book have been able to deliver that special ‘click’ to our team here at Santander Bank in a recurrent basis which is something unique in a time of ‘broad brush approach.’”
Copyright © 2016 by Nick Kane and Justin Zappulla. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750–8400, fax (978) 750–4470, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748–6011, fax (201) 748–6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: while the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Kane, Nick.
Critical selling: how top performers accelerate the sales process and close more deals / Nick Kane, Justin Zappulla.
pages cm
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-119-05255-5 (cloth); ISBN 978-1-119-05257-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-05258-6 (ebk)
1. Selling. 2. Sales management. I. Title.
HF5438.25.Z37 2016
658.85–dc23
2015020838
DEDICATION
To my beautiful wife, Megan. My true partner in life. Your love, understanding, encouragement, and unwavering support are what make everything work. I love you. And to my brilliant daughters, Alaina and Aubrey. Always remember the three things.. And lastly, to the memory of my grandpa, Richard Zappulla, who inspired me to work hard, be kind, and always believe in myself. Thank you. I am forever grateful.
To my amazing daughters, Alyssa, Emily, and Sophia, I dedicate this book to you. Your smiles, courage, and enthusiasm keep me motivated every day! Without your unconditional love and support, this book would not have been possible. Remember what I've told you since you were born: You are destined to do great things in this life!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Writing a book is no small feat. It requires time, dedication, drive, and focus. The motivation for Critical Selling came from our desire to provide real, tangible skills, and best practices to all sales professionals who want to improve their performance in today's selling environment. This book was a team effort and there are many people we would like to acknowledge for their support, guidance, and hard work.
First, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to the best team in the sales performance business, our colleagues at Janek Performance Group. Dana, Rudy, Amy, Mindy, Jerry, Brandon, and the rest of the team. Your unwavering commitment to supporting our clients in achieving their sales objectives is second to none.
Next, we would like to thank our confidant and “Chief Book Officer,” Kelli. Your work is truly first class and your zeal, expertise, and insight were paramount in bringing this book to life. We can't thank you enough for the countless hours you invested with us over this past year!
It's important to acknowledge the outstanding publishing team at John Wiley & Sons. A big “high five” to Lia, Shannon, Deborah, Peter, John, Liz, and the rest of the team. Thank you for your patience while guiding a few rookie authors through this process. All of you are true professionals!
Finally, we would like to acknowledge our first true sales family; thanks for giving two young kids an opportunity to be part of and help build a powerhouse sales organization. There is no question; the company changed the lives of thousands of sales professionals both in the United States and abroad, including ours. There was never a dull moment working side by side with who today remain some of our closest friends. Thank you to our personal mentors, Adam, Marty, and Mike. Your leadership and passion for sales excellence still live in us today!
Nick would like to personally acknowledge:
I would also like to acknowledge other people who contributed to this book. To my mother, Helen, and father, Mark, thank you for your wisdom, kindness, and courage. To my brother, Eric, and lifelong friend, Aviv, thank you for always being there for me when I needed you the most. To Brittany, thank you for your unconditional love, support, and all that you do. To my family in San Diego, Mila, Mike, Alex, Cindy, and Stella, thank you all for your kindness and encouragement.
Justin would like to personally acknowledge:
I would like to acknowledge the love and support of my family and those closest to me. I cannot thank you all enough for the steady and positive influence you've given me throughout my life, and this book would not be possible without you. Thank you to my mother, Debbie; my sisters, Alisha and Breanna; my Granny, Audrey; my uncle, Joe; my aunts, Rhonda and Carol; Jeff, Bob, Barbara, and Mark. I love you all!
INTRODUCTION
CRITICAL SELLING: FOCUSING ON WHAT MATTERS MOST
In a day and age when meeting or exceeding