What a perfect book to pick up when it’s pouring out- Jeffrey Gitonmer’s Little Red Book of Selling.  I must admit, I bought it about 1.5 years ago and did what I usually do when I buy non-fiction books. I flip through several pages to look at the layout, read the table of contents, one chapter, the testimonials and then put it away. It’s because I don’t think I’ll learn anything new and who else could possibly write one new thing about selling.

This book resurfaced for me today and gave me the attitude adjustment I deserved. I am humbled and want to commend Jeffrey for his brilliant creative writing. After training thousands of salespeople, I can honestly say that very few of them admit to not knowing anything and most of them are tough-skinned. Jeffrey knows this too and writes for this group. He is ahead of his time on personal branding and claims, it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you.  So true and applicable in today’s social networking atmosphere.

Chapter titles such as Kick your own ass and If you can’t get in front of the real decision maker, you suck are direct and insightful. He also has the cutest icons floating on the left and right side of the page. The left side is the Red Whine which always finds the typical loser whiney things to say such as “my boss won’t motivate me” or “the prospect just say there” and on the right is his Red Selling Response which takes action and recommends the positive such as “If you ask compelling questions it’s impossible for the prospect to just sit there.”

Gitomer has written tons of sales books, columns and is known as the sales guru. His packaging and branding are spot on and the best part of this book is that it’s in the form of his “bible” strategy which encourages you to take it where you go and open it and refer to it. How can I beat that when I want my book on the same shelf- actually Feigon would get filed before Gitomer so I have to have lots of extras to keep my audience from buying his. They need to buy his because they will be ready for mine.

It’s been 18 months and 388 blog posts since I first ventured into the blogsphere. Today, my writing life is full and my blog is my business partner, my confidante, my inspiration and my mirror. 

Why do I blog? Mainly because I love to write and communicate my thoughts, ideas and values to the world.  I like to get up close and personal with inside sales people as well as field sales, service and support teams.

Sometimes I think I’m moving very slow on a highway that is racing. Other times, I feel I’m speeding in a 25 miles per hour zone. Today I am going at exactly the right pace.

I want to dedicate this blog posting to YOU. Thanks for stopping by and reading a post or two, thanks for the time you take to read and comment, thanks for your kind words of support and most of all, thanks for being my inspiration. 

I have compiled my top 50 list of favorite blog post- here is the best of the Life in the Telebusiness Blog:

1. Setting Appointments.

2.  Get More Live Voices

3. Change up your messaging

4. Oops, when you realize you’re in the wrong place

5. When someone goes radio silent on you

6. 5 ways to set your non-negotiable time

7. The Dynamic Duo

8. Keep in shape

9. Clues we lose

10. Telestressed?

11. 8 reasons to test your phone courage

12. Email rejections

13. Changes lead to uncertainty of power

14. Listening for red flags

15. Are any No-Po’s lingering in your forecast?

16. Learning your No-Po lacks power before they do

17. Betrayed by No-Po’s?

18. I just have one more question

19. When a No-Po has to protect their turf

20. Winning coaching qualities

21. Are you avoiding being coached?

22. Sales intuition

23. The cancelled sales appointment

24. Is voice mail in or out?

25. Key words and phrases that lack influence

26. Trend talk

27. Sales training is like going into rehab

28. The first few times it’s tough and then it gets easier

29. Are salespeople happy?

30. Notes on motivation

31. Mr. Unavailable is a No-Po

32. Sales yoga

33. Tuesday conversation with a No-Po

34. You finally get the appointment, now what?

35. Let’s talk about trust

36. Different messages= different titles

37. End of quarter sales stats

38. Watch out- it’s the No-Po entourage

39. You sound busy so I’ll let you go

40. 10 tactics for engaging a gate-keeper

41. Looking for motivation in all the wrong places

42. Unavailable power

43. When was the last time you…..

44. Sales 2.0 prospecting

45. Opt-out of desperate discounting

46. The 3 C’s of social networking

47. Sales 2.0; A Report from the front lines

48. Top 7 responses impatient salespeople hate to hear

49. What’s on your wish list?

50. Why do we can people who have no power?