Selling the Wheel

Book excerpt: Selling the Wheel is a fascinating story about sales and marketing written in the form of an ancient parable: Once upon a time, long ago, a resourceful fellow named Max came up with a brilliant idea and invented the Wheel. But human beings, who had been getting along without the Wheel for thousands of years, did not instantly appreciate their need for this clever invention.... This is the challenge facing Max, as dramatized by Jeff Cox, coauthor of the bestselling business novels Zapp! and The Goal, Selling the Wheel is based on the pioneering research of Howard Stevens's employment-testing and customer-research firm, the H. R. Chally Group. In the story, Max and his wife, Minnie, learn what it takes to market the Wheel. With the help of Ozzie the Oracle, they discover four essential selling styles -- Closer, Wizard, Relationship Builder, and Captain & Crew -- and come to understand how each style is suited to a different type of salesperson. They learn that as markets evolve, selling styles and strategies must change. There is no single right way -- and no company can be all things to all people. This critical lesson is as valuable to salespeople as it is to sales managers. Writer Jeff Cox has the amazing gift for translating technical ideas into creative, engaging stories, and his collaboration with sales and marketing expert Howard Stevens is based on empirical research collected from 250,000 salespeople, more than 1,500 people in corporate sales, and interviews with more than 100,000 actual customers who rated the strengths and weaknesses of the salespeople serving them. Packed with practical tips for salespeople, entrepreneurs, marketing managers, and business students, Selling the Wheel is an irresistible guide to sales styles, strategies, and markets.