Book Review l The Sandler Rules Book

by Adapted David Mattson with Jim Marshall, Sandler Training
Reviewed by Brian Beirl

When this book arrived, I was skeptical of recommending another sales book for our readers, so I broke with the tradition and my rule of reading the book cover to cover and skipped around the chapters to see if it had valuable content. It was immediately apparent that this author was not out to waste anyone’s time. Every Chapter or Rule was focused on some sales challenge that we all have encountered. Each rule addresses universal questions and presents real life answers to help us become more effective salespeople and/or trainers. Each rule follows with a discussion of the topic with meaningful real life examples. At the end of each of the 2-3 page chapters are a self-assessment and question to solidify your understanding of the topic.

To illustrate the strength of this book here are two randomly selected Rules:

Sandler Rule # 14. A prospect that is listening is no prospect at all.

How many times do we do most of the talking when we are “presenting” our product or service? The rule is for us to listen. “Selling is not about Telling.” For each of the important aspects of your product or service, develop a thought-provoking question that is not only informative, but also engages the prospect in a conversation.

Sandler Rule # 46. There is no such thing as a good try.

Do you “try” to stop at a traffic light? No, you just do. Try is what the author calls a “weasel word.” It is really no commitment at all. Example: “I’ll try to get back to the prospect next week.”

Rather than try, make a clear commitment.

If you are like many business people, your bookshelves are filled with numerous books on salesmanship and all its challenges. So do we really need one more sales training book? Yes, make room for this one.

Dr. Brian Beirl enjoys an active general dentistry practice and is also an author, educator, presenter, consultant and business coach. He has published, the bookbinder, a popular business fable regarding the personal challenges of running a business, and the soon to be released, the bookbinder,Janis’ Story, a story of a woman’s struggle to balance her professional and personal life.