The Contrarian Effect

Take the traditional sales model, which is outdated and needs a serious makeover, and turn it on its head by applying the advice in The Contrarian Effect: Why It Pays (Big) to Take Typical Sales Advice and Do the Opposite. Find an entirely sound approach to building better client relationships and closing more sales by doing the exact opposite that conventional sales advice dictates. Re-examine the most well-worn sales tactics in the business and discover specific and actionable strategies and principles that will help you close more sales today.

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction

From the Old World to the New 1

Section 1: Two Left Feet

Typical Tactics Are Out of Sync with the Market 25

Section 2: Center of the Universe

Typical Tactics Are Focused on the Wrong Person 55

Section 3: One-Night Stand

Typical Tactics Damage Relationships and Long-Term Potential 87

Section 4: May Cause Headaches, Dizziness, and Internal Bleeding

Typical Tactics Harm Reputations and Create Unintended Consequences 111

Contrarian Primer 137

Pendulum Swing 145

References 151

About the Authors 155

Index 157

MICHAEL PORT is the author of the Wiley titles Book Yourself Solid and Beyond Booked Solid. He has been called a "marketing guru" by the Wall Street Journal and is one of the best professional speakers around. For more information, please visit www.MichaelPort.com.

ELIZABETH MARSHALL is Director of Sales for Michael Port Companies. While working at the nationally recognized firm of Merritt Hawkins and Associates, she was awarded Research Recruiter of the Month five times. Also, she is founder of AuthorTeleseminars.com, which hosts interviews with top business authors such as Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Keith Ferrazzi, and others. For more information, please visit www.highenergycoach.com.

The Contrarian Effect is not for wimps.

If you're one of those Neanderthal salespeople who doesn't want to adapt to the changing times, buy one of those books that will tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear. Certainly don't buy this book. It could make you uncomfortable. It could suggest you change the entire way you and your organization approach selling. But, if you do buy this book, you'll make more money and you'll even be more popular. Plus, you'll be a better salesperson—and person—for it.

"I've made a career out of challenging conventional sales wisdom, and I can tell you that very few writers have done this effectively. It's not demolition that's hard; anyone can say that everything you've ever read is wrong. The trick is building something better in its place. The Contrarian Effect does this well. It's filled with true stories about what works and what doesn't. It's fun to read and will challenge your thinking."
—Neil Rackham, author of SPIN Selling