Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play: Transforming the buyer/seller relationship Audio CD – Unabridged, October 21, 2008

What sets this book apart is its practical applicability. It's not just theory; it's a guide that walks you through the sales process step by step, with actionable insights that can be implemented immediately. The frameworks and strategies discussed are backed by real-world examples, making the concepts come alive and easy to relate to my own experiences in sales.The book also challenges some of the conventional wisdom in sales, encouraging a shift in mindset from selling to serving. This paradigm shift has been a game-changer for me, altering not just how I approach sales, but how I view my role in the broader business ecosystem. It's an empowering perspective that has not only improved my sales approach but also enhanced the relationships I build with clients.

Regardless of your current selling process, this book will help you improve it. The techniques explained in this book makes sure the deals you are working are the deals you should be investing in.

If you've been in B2B sales for a while and have read a bunch of other sales books already (or studied courses, watched videos, etc), then this book will likely be better than all of those combined. Who knows? It may even be the "godfather" source for a lot of the other content out there. Personally, I dig the concepts in this book and I've already adopted the techniques into my own practice. It's definitely a book I'll reference again and again over time.Now for my gripe... The material's outstanding but I feel like I'm picking the brain of authors who haven't figured out how to explain their expertise to readers who aren't as smart as they are. I had to re-read several pages over and over because the choice of words is confusing and the author uses "client" sometimes to mean a prospect you're trying to sell to, or at other times, a client that's gone through their training program. It's either they're too smart or their ghostwriter didn't fully understand the authors' expertise and couldn't explain the concepts as well. Either way, I feel like the material could have been dumbed down and simplified so much better. And, although super helpful, I shouldn't have to get to the appendix (where the notes are) to see the big picture.With that said, I'd only recommend this book to experienced salespeople (it's really frikkin' good) and suggest new sales people to go with Tom Hopkins's book, How to Master the Art of Selling.

This work is available as both a book, a set of 6 CDs and apparently as a single CD. I have both the book and the 6 CD set.I found the CDs to be absolutely fantastic. The book is a great reference after the CDs, but if I had read the book instead of the CDs, I would have lost out on a lot. When I read the book, it feels, well, typical. But when I listen to Mahan speak, it is riveting. I myself am considered a strong speaker, and am very critical of others abilities, so I do not say this lightly. The first CD is the hardest to listen to, but after that, it is GREAT.The CDs taught me how to go from a problem statement or solution idea and quantify how we will show success against that once we implement our idea. Many of you may have a technique already that can take you from a problem to a set of measures that can show improvement, but I did not.The funny thing is that I am not really into sales. Yet this book is one of my best tools in my kit. Not for sales, but for DEPLOYING solutions and managing complex projects. It's guidance is extremely useful in requirements management and scope management for any project imaginable. It helps the team show the customer we are interested in their success more than in their list of features, and to ensure that what we are building truly adds value. If you have ever experienced scope creep or requirements volatility, these CDs have techniques to help.I strongly recommend this CD set to anyone who needs to prove the value of a solution, especially if they don't yet have a technique to do so.As a final thought, here is a great story:A client had one of the CDs in her car which she had bought on my recommendation. Her husband borrowed the car and the CD came on. He was confused, but immediately found himself sucked in due to Mahan's excellent speaking ability. He got to work with all these ideas in his head and went to a high powered meeting (for which he was the ranking executive). He apparently used the techniques he had just learned and was able to solve some serious problems and close a huge deal that they'd been struggling with for days. When he got home he said to his wife, "what is that CD in your car?" Needless to say, he listened to the whole set too.

This user book looks like new!

Anybody who is trying to be successfull at the buyer/seller relationship needs to read this book. It is a game changer.

It’s not just for sales, but for life.Never guess, find out what they want and move away from the solution.I’ve read a few books now on business and selling techniques, and I’ve never had a book that explains ideas in such a clear and logical way.Less of a novel, and not quite a text book, it’s comfortable to read and provides examples and guides to follow that really will change the way you sell.5/5

For anyone seeking to work off a solid sales platform they should not go past this book.Beautifully written and to the point.

This is a wonderful, wonderful book. It is for you if 1. you want a disciplined approach to B2B selling (especially for complex services or products) that works and 2. you've ever felt conflicted about the ethics of selling. Highly recommended!