Selling the Future


Book Description

*** Winner of the 2017 ISA Ethics Book Award 2017*** In an age of uncertainty, those who can anticipate revolution, the outbreak of wars, or which states might default are much in demand. The marketplace of ideas about the future is huge, and includes 'wonks', scholars and pundits who produce scenarios, predictions and ratings. The more opaque the future seems to be, so the relation between knowledge and power intensifies, above all the nexus between those who sell their expertise and those who consume it. In his investigation of the paradoxes of fore--casting, Ariel Colonomos interrogates today's knowledge factories to reveal how our futures are shaped by social scientists, think tanks and rat--ing agencies. He explains why conservative and linear predictions prevail, and why the future, especially when linked to national interest, re--flects a systematic search for stability. The notion of a globalised world whose main characteristic is speed, and where predictions have accelerat--ing, self-fulfilling effects, is obsolete. Those who are supposed to know, reassure those who are supposed to act. Their preferences converge, and thus the industry of the future has a decelerating effect on world politics. These 'lords of knowledge' reinforce pre-existing beliefs, create expectations about the future, while obstructing its vision when - inevitably - it diverges from its orderly path.




The Future of Sales


Book Description

A revolutionary guide by renowned sales expert John Asher designed to equip sales professionals with the knowledge and tools they need to excel in today's dynamic sales environment. In The Future of Sales, Asher explores the latest trends, technologies, and tactics transforming the sales industry. Drawing from his extensive experience and insightful research, he presents a comprehensive roadmap to mastering the new landscape of sales using proven neuroscience techniques. More than just a forecast of future sales trends, this guide provides actionable insights and proven methods for adapting to change and capitalizing on opportunities. Whether you're a seasoned business leader or new to the field, The Future of Sales is your playbook for navigating and succeeding in the new age of sales. Key Features: Future-Focused: Discusses the latest trends, technologies, and tactics transforming the sales industry. Practical Strategies: Provides actionable strategies to enhance sales performance and drive business growth. Industry Insights: Offers insights from renowned sales expert John Asher, backed by extensive research. Adaptation: Gives advice on adapting to change and capitalizing on opportunities in the sales industry. For All Sales Professionals: Suitable for both seasoned sales veterans and those new to the field.




The Long Tail


Book Description

What happens when the bottlenecks that stand between supply and demand in our culture go away and everything becomes available to everyone? "The Long Tail" is a powerful new force in our economy: the rise of the niche. As the cost of reaching consumers drops dramatically, our markets are shifting from a one-size-fits-all model of mass appeal to one of unlimited variety for unique tastes. From supermarket shelves to advertising agencies, the ability to offer vast choice is changing everything, and causing us to rethink where our markets lie and how to get to them. Unlimited selection is revealing truths about what consumers want and how they want to get it, from DVDs at Netflix to songs on iTunes to advertising on Google. However, this is not just a virtue of online marketplaces; it is an example of an entirely new economic model for business, one that is just beginning to show its power. After a century of obsessing over the few products at the head of the demand curve, the new economics of distribution allow us to turn our focus to the many more products in the tail, which collectively can create a new market as big as the one we already know. The Long Tail is really about the economics of abundance. New efficiencies in distribution, manufacturing, and marketing are essentially resetting the definition of what's commercially viable across the board. If the 20th century was about hits, the 21st will be equally about niches.




The Future of Selling


Book Description

Question: What happens when the entire sales landscape changes and learning how to think becomes more important than learning what to say?Answer: Declining sales results for those who choose to stay the same and exponential growth for those who choose to adapt.Welcome to The Future Of Selling.




Scenario Selling


Book Description




Sell the Way You Buy


Book Description

While a Vice President at Salesforce, David Priemer had an epiphany during one of the company's high-pressure selling periods: the very sales tactics they were using were not working on him. Yes, the numbers still showed results, but through brute force rather than elegance and efficiency. Priemer also discovered that his sales colleagues were spending far more time on leads that did not convert to sales than on those that did. His company--and his entire profession--was acting with more than enough gusto, but without enough awareness and empathy. They were not selling the way they buy. Sell the Way You Buy is about much more than putting yourself in the customer's shoes. Customers don't always know what they want or need, or they may be seeking a solution for something that isn't their core problem. They suffer from status quo bias, from recency bias, from confirmation bias. And meanwhile, the state of overwhelming choice has most products and solution providers adrift in the "Sea of Sameness." In today's world, almost everyone is in sales, but as Priemer realized, we don't teach it. Sell the Way You Buy will show you how to ask questions, how to listen, how to tell a compelling brand story, and how to talk to customers (how to talk to people). Priemer reveals scientifically supported methods to understand the customer, identify their needs, and move them toward the right solution--all the while teaching you to avoid all the reasons why the average person doesn't like salespeople. In short, to sell the way you buy.




What We Owe the Future


Book Description

An Instant New York Times Bestseller “This book will change your sense of how grand the sweep of human history could be, where you fit into it, and how much you could do to change it for the better. It's as simple, and as ambitious, as that.” —Ezra Klein An Oxford philosopher makes the case for “longtermism” — that positively influencing the long-term future is a key moral priority of our time. The fate of the world is in our hands. Humanity’s written history spans only five thousand years. Our yet-unwritten future could last for millions more — or it could end tomorrow. Astonishing numbers of people could lead lives of great happiness or unimaginable suffering, or never live at all, depending on what we choose to do today. In What We Owe The Future, philosopher William MacAskill argues for longtermism, that idea that positively influencing the distant future is a key moral priority of our time. From this perspective, it’s not enough to reverse climate change or avert the next pandemic. We must ensure that civilization would rebound if it collapsed; counter the end of moral progress; and prepare for a planet where the smartest beings are digital, not human. If we make wise choices today, our grandchildren’s grandchildren will thrive, knowing we did everything we could to give them a world full of justice, hope and beauty.




Reengineering Retail


Book Description

Explores the coming retail revolution, which will affect retailers of all sizes. The author paints a bold vision of the future, where the very concept of what a store is, how consumers shop and even what retail's core revenue model is, will all be profoundly reinvented, and he illustrates the vast opportunities available for courageous brands and business leaders. With real world examples and insights from industry disruptors




Abundance


Book Description

The authors document how four forces--exponential technologies, the DIY innovator, the Technophilanthropist, and the Rising Billion--are conspiring to solve our biggest problems. "Abundance" establishes hard targets for change and lays out a strategic roadmap for governments, industry and entrepreneurs, giving us plenty of reason for optimism.




SPIN® -Selling


Book Description

True or false? In selling high-value products or services: 'closing' increases your chance of success; it is essential to describe the benefits of your product or service to the customer; objection handling is an important skill; open questions are more effective than closed questions. All false, says this provocative book. Neil Rackham and his team studied more than 35,000 sales calls made by 10,000 sales people in 23 countries over 12 years. Their findings revealed that many of the methods developed for selling low-value goods just don‘t work for major sales. Rackham went on to introduce his SPIN-Selling method. SPIN describes the whole selling process: Situation questions Problem questions Implication questions Need-payoff questions SPIN-Selling provides you with a set of simple and practical techniques which have been tried in many of today‘s leading companies with dramatic improvements to their sales performance.