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Top Performer: A Bold Approach to Sales and Service

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We all sell something for a living -- whether it's a brand, a vision, an education, a direction, or a service. We might even be selling a set of numbers to a board meeting, learning to a student, or cereal to an infant. This eye-opening parable is about harnessing natural energy--yours and that of those around you--in order to take your sales, and your satisfaction to the next level of success.

In Top Performer , you'll meet Jim, a disciplined but uninspired sales manager. In London on vacation--his first in years--he meets a gentleman named Top Hat. In an engrossing conversation, Top Hat tells him about a legendary Dublin busker/street performer called the Rat Catcher, who engages his audience and effortlessly charms them into parting easily with their change. Top Hat then gives Jim an envelope to bring to the Rat Catcher as a form of introduction. Jim is incredulous, and even a bit suspicious. But after a trip back home, he's willing to do anything to break out of his rut of good-to-average sales and dogged but unfulfilling perseverance.

Jim travels to Dublin, where the Rat Catcher tells--and shows--him some surprising secrets of his work ethic and his selling style. Jim ultimately realizes that he needs to Claim the Pitch, Mine the Mess, Choose the Close, and, most importantly, Juice the Jam. When Jim returns home, he's re-energized, having learned how to Build a Circle and Pass the Hat where it really counts--in his life, his relationships, and his workplace.

Full of action-packed and sometimes hilarious descriptions of the real like adventures of street performer, this engaging metaphor will appeal to anyone in any position--and in any field, from banking to baking to busking.

In the tradition of the bestselling Fish! series this is a deceptively simple story that contains profound advice--advice that will help make readers into Top Performer themselves.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published December 27, 2006

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About the author

Stephen C. Lundin

42 books60 followers
Stephen Lundin is a writer, entrepreneur and filmmaker with a rich history as a graduate level business school professor and dean. Steve has written a number of books including the multimillion copy best selling FISH! and the simply bestselling FISH! Tales, FISH! Sticks and FISH! for Life.

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
9 reviews
December 28, 2022
Great book! Bit confusing to start with, but the lessons extracted from buskers regarding "natural energy" were quite unique and very much applicable in day to day life. I really enjoyed the short chapters, and the conciseness of the book too.
Profile Image for Nicolle Nascimento.
8 reviews12 followers
April 9, 2011
An unusual book to those who search's new approaches on sales.
Not the best one i read but worth's for the originality.
Profile Image for Rahul.g.a.
34 reviews9 followers
January 30, 2016
Top Performer talks about natural energy, which you should/might derive from the people around you. (People could be your clients, colleagues, friends, strangers, anyone you meet)

It is a story of a Sales Manager, who is having a disciplined approach towards his functional area. However, he is not satisfied or not motivated enough or I would say exhausted his energy and feels the need of changing his approach.

So, Jim (The key character) gets to meet a character called Top Hat, he then guides him to meet Rat Catcher, who is a street performer in Dublin and from there he learns the art of "Natural Energy".

Profile Image for Estevo Raposo.
420 reviews9 followers
December 27, 2015
Relato no muy largo que para explicar como las técnicas de los artistas callejeros pueden servir en el mundo de la venta para ser un "Top Performer" y obtener energía del contacto con otras personas.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews

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