Rating: 
Summary: simple advice that works
Review: i liked this book and thought it offerred advice i'd never heard before re devoting time to fewer clients and finding how many calls it takes to close a client and how to use that info to meet quota obviously a lot of the stuff is common sense stuff that is in any sales book but the book is written well enough that reading those parts aren't bad either
Rating: 
Summary: A Good book for what is it
Review: This book lived up to exactly what is was designed to do. A short, consise list of rules that give the reader tips for keeping customers and clients.
Some of the rules are common sense but others are not. Overall I found this book an interesting read and mostly helpful.
Rating: 
Summary: For stupid salespeople who don't know anything
Review: I've met a lot of stupid people in sales roles. This book is for them. This book has a series of super short chapters that recite inane little "truisms" about how to treat everyone you meet as a potential goldmine, blah blah blah.Becoming a rainmaker takes more than just memorizing where to sit in a restaurant, asking a client if they have their appointment book handy, etc. You would have to learn how to create pain where no pain existed, and build desire to sooth that pain. I didn't find any "how to's" for those needs in this book. No wonder our economy is in the [toilet]. Stick with Solution Selling and SPIN Selling for quality advice.
Rating:
Summary: Read once -- and then refer to it frequently
Review: I was disappointed at first when I received this book. It was too small and slim to be useful, I thought. Wrong! It's full of good ideas and timely reminders for anyone who makes their living from causing and fulfilling other people's buying decisions. As a consultant (rather than a product salesperson), some of the product-oriented advice wasn't applicable to my practice. The advice to "dollarize" customers' benefits are easier with "hard products" than they are with "soft services," but Fox does not address this challenge. Those issues aside, I like the short but intense style, with each of the chapters taking little more than 2-3 pages (500-750 words). I remember watching a friend of mine, an antiques dealer, work with a customer. I thought, "He forgot to ask killer sales question number...," letting the customer leave the store even after expressing specific interest in purchaing an item. The book's style allows one to easily remember snippets like the six "killer sales questions" (each with its own chapter). This is not a huckster's book, either. There's a heavy message of respect for the customer, fair dealing, not wasting time (yours OR your customer's), and attentiveness to the customer's wishes. Rainmakers thrive on relationships, not "quick kill" sales. Fox also discusses this when addressing prospecting. He recommends prospecting a reasonably small number of targeted customers and investing time and effort in each one. PLan repeat contacts progressing toward a sale. Don't scatter your time and talents all over the board, mistaking effort for accomplishment. "Rainmaker" is a valuable addition to my consulting library, and its compact size will make it easy to carry along with me for inspiration and recollection.
Rating:
Summary: Really useful
Review: This book can really help you in your selling activities, and you can read it in one day! I keep this book on my desk, as a useful reminder.
Rating:
Summary: Very good book!
Review: I am new to the world of sales and for beginners like myself, it's really a good book. I believe that the simple principles taught in this book can make you a great salesperson. It's easy to read and I have learnt quite a lot of things. For those reviewers who claim there are not many interesting things in this book, I am just wondering what are you expecting in a good sales book because if you have reached the 'rainmaker' level as described in this book, what else do you need to know more? Share your thoughts! :)
Rating: 
Summary: Good But Basic Advice
Review: The book is a good basic primer but with little depth. While some of the comments can be translated to the selling of services, it is geared at products, not services. If you have no sales experience, I'd recommended it. If your looking to expand on your existing sales skills, this might be too basic for your needs. I was disappointed in the book personally and thought I didn't get my money's worth.
Rating:
Summary: catchy title but they guy can't write
Review: Jeffrey Cox probably gives talks to people and gets mileage from making them feel inept. If you want to be condescended to, read this book. There are hundreds of references to rainmakers as if rainmakers are some sort of ideal persons. And the style of writing is atrocious. Many times three or four sentences in sucession begin with "The Rainmaker..." Just to give an idea of the tone, I have copied a paragraph from chapter 12 on how to act at a restaurant. "Order something easy to eat. Order only one course. Order something inexpensive." Gee... With all these commands on us whimpering salesmen who don't know our our heads from our butts, how did we manage without this book? So if you still insist on reading it, I recommend the following: Keep your head up, and see if you can sift all the tough-guy rhetoric from the good advice.
Rating:
Summary: One of best business books I've read in a long time
Review: A student recently lent me HOW TO BECOME A RAINMAKER
by Jeffrey J. Fox and suggested that I might like it . . . was he ever right! . . . this was one of the best business books I have read in a long time. The idea behind the book lies in the American Indian tradition of employing a Rainmaker to use magical powers to nourish the crops to feed the people . . . updating this, a Rainmaker today is a person who brings revenue into an organization (be it profit or not-for-profit). Even though this premise might sound so basic, it is amazing
how many companies tend to forget it . . . Fox says you
mustn't, and he presents a series of simple-to-follow principles
that can be applied to a wide variety of situations. There were many memorable passages, but so as to not
overwhelm you with all of them, I'll just present the his series of six "killer" sales questions: 1. When you have the customer on the phone, suggest a meeting
and then ask, "Do you have your appointment calendar handy?" 2. The Rainmaker asks the customer, "Will you look at the facts
and decide for yourself if they make sense?" 3. [when a competitor is mentioned] You answer exactly as
follows: "Yes, that is a good company. Would you like to know
our points of difference?" 4. When a customer asks for a product demonstration, the
Rainmaker responds as follows: "We would be happy to give
you a demonstration. If the demo is successful, is there
anything else prohibiting you from going ahead?" 5. To close the sale, to get the final customer commitment, the
Rainmaker might say: "You've looked at everything. Your concerns
have been answered. Time is of the essence. You've heard our
recommendation. Why don't you give it a try?" 6. [always conclude an interview with a customer by asking
one killer sales question] The killer sales question is: "What
question should I be asking that I am not asking." Variants
or follow-up questions, are: "Is there anything I have missed?"
"Have I covered everything?" "Have I asked about every
details that is important to you?"
Rating:
Summary: Basis Personal Sales Management 101
Review: This short concise book contains all the common sense and tactics you never wrote down! A good basic primer on personal sales management 101. Generic, yet applicable to most people. Nothing original, but there are very few original sales ideas out there. Fox does a good job of copying the "homework" of Rainmakers. Easy to finish in an hour or so.
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