Strengths Based Selling

by Brian Brim, Gallup

Sales expert Brian Brim delivers a compelling new perspective on building better sales forces by using the strengths of each salesperson more effectively. Includes access to Gallup’s StrengthsFinder assessment.

The key to success, salespeople are constantly told, is to follow specific steps and techniques. Just heed the advice of this guru or that speaker, and you’ll be the best!

Well, that approach just doesn’t work for most salespeople. And it probably doesn’t work for you either. The most successful reps, Gallup has determined from decades of research, understand their innate talents and strengths and use them to sell more effectively.

The truth is, no two great sales reps are You might thrive on fierce competition, while a colleague wins by being a super-analytical problem solver. Or maybe you have a tremendous talent for building relationships, while your fellow top performer is a brilliant strategist. What’s most important is that you win business your way .

Strengths Based Selling explains sales talent and how to identify and maximize it. You’ll receive a code to take the world-renowned CliftonStrengths assessment, which reveals your unique talents and strengths. Armed with this information, you’ll follow this book through the entire selling process — from assessing opportunity and cold calling to retaining and growing accounts — learning how to apply your talents at each step. The book also features action items that will help you make the most of your strengths in sales.

There’s no one right way to sell. Salespeople get the best results by building on who they already are . This lively and liberating book will teach you to do just that.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Finance

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Amy Bobryk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this for diving deeper into StrengthsQuest as an entrepreneur and salesperson. My favorite section though was the appendix where it goes into each strength with specific actionable items to help you hone your skills - I’ll definitely keep this one on the bookshelf for reference.

[Ryan Barretto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book with a lot of helpful sales tips. What's interesting to me, since I'm a Strengths Strategy Coach, is that each tip is linked to strengths as defined by the CliftonStrengths (formerly Strengthsfinder) Assessment.

There are great points made for each aspect of the sales process. There's also a section that talks about the sales based action you can take for each strength.

While I like the strategies shared about managing weaknesses, the authors haven't mentioned how the overuse of a strength can result into a weakness. That's why I give it 4 stars instead of 5.

I would definitely recommend it for sales trainers, sales people at all levels, and HR and L&OD people.

If you haven't done your CliftonStrengths Assessment, you will find it a bit difficult to make sense of the ideas in the book

[Soon Chuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“知己知彼，百战百胜。” - 孙子
“Know your enemy and yourself, and you shall win a hundred battles without loss.” - Sun Tzu

This book highlights the importance of playing to one's talents - and by extension strengths. The learning in this book can be applied to various fields beyond sales and selling, such as in daily life and work.

My takeaway: know thyself, work on innate talents, develop them into strengths, apply to everyday work and life.

[John Hoeft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Play to your strengths, don't try to be someone you are not. In general, buyers appreciate genuine people. This book demonstrates that we are salespeople in various forms and they can all be effective if you play to your strengths and acknowledge/avoid your weaknesses. Too many salespeople focus all their energy on trying to fix their weaknesses... in most cases that's a waste of time. What are your strengths?

[Schnitzer Ang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book with selling strategy based on your personality profile. If you are not into personality profile selling you will not like it.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the book, took the test, and I think it will tell me a lot about myself. Good for any salesperson to know. I look forward to going over the results with my team in two weeks!

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on the "Strengths Finder" test, this spin-off book is about using your 5 Strengths to help you in a sales position. This book is non-stop anecdotes, with some good principles along the way. Unless you are in a traditional sales role, some of the tips will be hard to apply.

The back of the book has every Strength listed, with Action Items under each Strength.

I have taken the "Strengths Finder" test three times, and had three slightly different results each time. Just for fun, here are my Strengths, organized by year I took the test:

July 2010:
1 - Belief
2 - Intellection
3 - Harmony
4 - Input
5 – Futuristic

September 2011:
1 - Connectedness
2 - Learner
3 - Intellection
4 - Harmony
5 - Input

September 2014:
1 - Connectedness
2 - Achiever
3 - Learner
4 - Belief
5 - Positivity

[Matt Gwynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the approach that Tony Rutigliano and Brian Brim took on this book. It is incredibly important, from my experience, to identify one's strengths, focus on creative ways to utilize them, and consistently use them from day-to-day (especially in sales). There were a number of great insights that were included in this work. That being said, there were also a few things I found myself disagreeing with as well. Perhaps you will have a similar impression.

[Hugo Messer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the strength finder and the books of markus buckingham. This sales book didnt stimulate me much. It gives some useful tips on best practices for sales people and tries to link the gallup strengths to each sales process stage. But it is hard to put into your brain and hard to see ow to apply this in practice.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Useful to spark some new ideas about effectiveness in selling.

[Ray Padron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very Practical. Particularly valuable for those who already understand the source book: Discovering Your Strengths.

[Gaurav Mishra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reader will get the gist of the book in first few chapters, after that it's the same theory said in different stories.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Talent + Investment in Time = Strength

TITS :p

[Jon Port]

So so.

[Melissa Michelle]

It's pretty good. I think I read his other book and this book was yet another good one. I learned a bit more about my strengths and how to use them.