How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling

Rating:
Summary: No Question The Best Sales Book Ever Written
Review: Bettger gives practical time tested priciples and poses real life examples from sales calls he made as a life insurance salesman in Philadelphia during the 1920s & 1930s. Despite the advent of technology, you will find these principles never change. It will certainly improve your personal and professional life by reading and following Bettger's advice. Great book ranks with "The Richest Man In Babylon", "How To Win Friends And Influence People" and "The Greatest Salesman" as being the top self improvement books. A must read.

Rating:
Summary: Success from Success
Review: Book review

Frank Bettger describes profoundly experiences to succeed in selling.

Bettger's book, How I raised myself from failure to success in selling, is deserving of a

five-star rating, because he explains and shows the real facts in salesmanship, the

impediments and the success in the same time. Bettger relates his own experiences as a

salesman; his intentions are that every new salesperson should take his book as an advice and

should follow all the rules he gives. The author relates about enthusiasm in job,

confidentiality, how to remember and to not forget costumers, and how to be organized.

Furthermore, Bettger increases a hope for those who believe that salesmanship is their

vocation and gives them more interest to continue this career.

Frank Bettger was a baseball player at his 20's; one day he had a big accident at one of

his arm and from that moment he ended his career as a baseball player. After that he decided

to do something different, so he started to sell life insurance. This job did not make him happy

until one day he heard a poem which made him to continue this career. One of the things was

that he started to put more enthusiasm in his work and to see things differently. He's routine

at work was to call people and to convince them to buy life insurance. Unfortunately this was

not enough; to make people to believe him he started to talk with more enthusiasm, to put

more questions, and to be organized. These changes raised his income, but more than

that he started to sell life insurance more than he did before. He believes that working with

enthusiasm is one of the biggest steps in a sale career. "Force yourself to act enthusiastic, and

you'll become enthusiastic!" (15)

After a while when his experience grew Bettger discovered and learned, in the

same time, that to be confident is what most of the people like. Asking questions made him to

believe that the interviews are more productive and consistent. The author found that asking

a question "is the only way to get people to think!" (62) Some of the questions that he used, in

one of the biggest contracts of his life, where what ambitions, hopes and objectives from that

interview the costumer is expecting. All these questions made his business to be

prospering and to grow as he wanted. The author knew that people like to make business, but

they also like that some questions to remain without answers. In his book Bettger gives six

things that salesmen should learned to approach the question method. The most important is

"Enables you to help the other fellow recognize what he wants. Then you can help him decide

how to get it." (62)

Equally important from Bettger's experience is to remember names and faces in many

cases. The best way to memorize these is to remember three words: impression, repetition,

and association. He is convinced that if a salesperson memorize these things will be much

easy to remember names and faces avoiding the salesman to talk too much. Impression is to

get a clear interest in someone's name and if is hard to be memorized do not be afraid to ask

the person again. Repetition is when having a conversation with somebody that person's name

is repeated at short intervals to make sure the brain is going to catch it. Association is when a

face is associated with a picture or with the person's business. Sincerity and honesty make

a businessman to be believed and to increase his reputation. "If you want to be welcome

everywhere, give every living soul you meet a smile, from down deep inside." (128)

Again Bettger shows that costumers are the main point to make a sale; sometimes just

using the business card can make the business to prosper. If a salesman is remember and is

calling a costumer after a wile is a good way to make that man to do not forget the new

business that he made. Many costumers like to share their happiness and success in business

with other friends or neighbors; they will not forget, and they will tell to the other people

about their new friend and about what he did for them. "New costumers are the best source of

new business...new costumers." (164)

Similarly important is to be self-organized; making appointments and keeping them in

a note book makes a salesman to be more organized and to have everything in the right place.

The time is very important in this business, not only for the salesman but especially for the

costumers. Many businesspeople are too busy to accept a strange visitor without to have an

appointment and without to know what it his business about. Bettger's suggestion is to make

appointments with a week before, to make sure a confirmation will be received in the

meantime. The author said that the following rule is good to memorize "First, sell the

appointment, second, sell your product." (144)

Otherwise Bettger became a good salesman after he had reading The

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. This book was his inspiration to act with enthusiasm,

to be confident, to remember names and faces, to be self-organized, and to not forget his

costumers. All those people who not have success in their work should read Bettger's book;

he relates everything they need, not only how to succeed but more than that how to not be

afraid to fail when a sail does not work. To be a salesman is not easy it just needs enthusiasm

and power to succeed in this business. Bettger said "take one thing at a time, and give a

week's strict attention to that one thing; leaving all the others to their ordinary chance." (191)

Rating:
Summary: A SUCCESS CLASSIC from a proactive business leader!
Review: Frank Bettger has played a huge role in helping me to be successful in business. Although he has been gone for years, his ideas live in us through putting his ideas into practice. I consider him a success mentor because his wisdom is easy to follow - but more than that it is right on! I started out as an engineer and a very timid salesman. Bettger has helped to change that. I guarantee that if you read this book you will be a changed person - it's that incredible. Even before you finish it the first time (you will probably read it several times) you will have a clear vision on how to be successful.

Bettger covers all of the proactive bases: smart thinking, system thinking, futuristic thinking, and positive thinking. If you are truly seeking the kind of success and abundance that makes your life 100% livable - you must read this book. Many of his ideas are found in SUCCESS BOUND, another book built on learning how to live a proactively life that is God centered and fulfilling.

Everything that I have put into practice that Bettger has recommended in his books has worked. He has brought me success by focusing on what is important in selling and using my God given talents and my thinking ability to be a better salesman.

You will find that this exciting book becomes a part of you. Don't hold back - let it happen. In fact, spend 10 to 15 minutes every morning for the next several days focusing your thoughts on the truths of this book, thereby allowing them to seep deep into your subconscious mind. If you do this I guarantee God's wisdom will most assuredly bring you the success and abundance you deserve.

Enjoy this book and your new proactive and successful life!

Rating:
Summary: Yes, You Can Sell!
Review: Frank Bettger's classic motivational book speaks to the Zen saying, "when the student is ready, the teacher appears."

I have read, as a business book reviewer for 18 years, literally hundreds of books of how to sell well. None of them can touch the accessible wisdom of Bettger. Of course, I loved it even more because I came from Philadephia and know all of his references.

I have put my sales points on a card and I am off and running to be a famous artist/writer in my lifetime.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Ever
Review: Frank Bettger's personal struggle with success is set out for all to see. Though in a dated writing style, Bettger clearly outlines the steps necessary to turn failure into success. He also points out that anyone who is successful at anything, is first of all a salesman.

Rating:
Summary: A timeless classic!
Review: Frank's book is a timeless classic. I heard a lot of good things about this book in a mastermind group meeting in NYC with Mike Litman.

The book lived up to it recommendations.

There are many ideas in this book that anyone in any field can relate to. Even if you are not a salesman, there are many ideas in this book that are about "how to achieve success."

If you are interested in achieving success I highly recommend you reading this book and applying the principles within. Wishing you best of luck and much success,
Your devoted life coach,

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works: How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated

Rating:
Summary: If your in sales , you need to read this book!
Review: Hi Folks I just finished the book and I just wanted to say that
if you are in sales and you want to sell, you need to own , read, and refer back often, to this book. This is one a rookie might want to carry with them for the first year of their selling career and refer to. Mr. Bettger, even though written in 1947, lays it down simply and to the point in how to get the sale done. I am a life inurance agent and I have put all of Mr.Bettger's advise and instruction into my daily work and, believe me, him being "DA MAN!" is timeless. I have met all bonuses and I have been agent of the month and I've seen, in my clients, some of the very things he saw in his back in the day when he was doing the job and I have had great success. The book is timeless and a great resourse for rookie sales staff, as well as the folks that have been doing the job for a while and need a fire lit under their behind. It's a great read.
As one of the other folks said, it would also help you if you were not in sales. On top of the fact as he talks about all the experiences he had in life insurance sales, there is a historical value as he talks of knowing Dale Carnagie and some of the people and places and names of that era....It's an amazing book!
If you want to get this thing done right,learn from the master... get the book! God Bless.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST SALES BOOK IN THE WORLD
Review: I got into the sales line recently. Badly needing advice on how to succeed in it, I have read a couple of sales books. But I don't seem to learn much and was not at all inspired by them. Until, I discovered this book by Frank Bettger. Reading this book, I found Frank a very sincere person, one happy to pass on all the successful sales experiences he had garnered to readers.

No doubt about is. This is the best sales book in the world. Any reader will benefit tremendously from it.

Rating:
Summary: "Awesome"
Review: I have been in sales and now I am responsible for the sales training for our field force. This is by far the best book on selling next to the Bible that one could put their eyes on. One would think that it was written yesterday, not 40 plus years ago...Everything is so applicable to today's selling...A MUST READ BOOK..

Rating:
Summary: In Sales or Life? Page 18 of this book is all you need.
Review: I have given away hundreds of copies of this book to my employees. If a new salesman could or would read only one page of one book ever, page 18 is it. In essence it says you can't track your performance if you don't track your efforts leading to performance. I read this at the age of 18 when I started at Merrill Lynch, and by the age of 20 I was the Sr. VP of Bear, Stearns. I thank this book for all my success and none of the failures!