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Sales Intelligence: A Smarter Way to Sell
“Jam-packed with interesting ideas and appealing stories, Aijo’s book is a highly useful reference for new salespeople and sales managers.” ˗ Kirkus Reviews
Intelligence, both in information and smarts, is an essential tool for every salesperson. Based on data accumulated from hundreds of actual sales cases, Aijo lays out a straight forward strategy to understand customer behavior, predict the chances of closing a sale, and stop wasting time. Written in a conversational style, and backed by stories from the trenches of a real life selling career, Sales Intelligence is a quick and easy read.
Intelligence, both in information and smarts, is an essential tool for every salesperson. Based on data accumulated from hundreds of actual sales cases, Aijo lays out a straight forward strategy to understand customer behavior, predict the chances of closing a sale, and stop wasting time. Written in a conversational style, and backed by stories from the trenches of a real life selling career, Sales Intelligence is a quick and easy read.
212 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2015
4 people are currently reading
770 people want to read
About the author
Timo Aijo
1 book20 followersHi, for the most part of my career I have been in B2B sales. I enjoy learning new things and I guess that is the reason for constantly going back to school.
I have a Bachelor's degree in engineering, MBA in Finance and Accounting and now going for my advance law degree, LLM in Contract law. I am not a lawyer, just a sales trainer with deep understanding of the engineering, finance and accounting, and law.
I enjoy helping companies develop their sales department as well as sales people in the area of customer interaction, reading customers, pricing, KPI (Key performance Indicators) and sales force compensation.
I am a firm believer that a good sales person rarely gets paid "too much" as they are so very difficult to find.
My book is all about actual advise, with good old KISS -principle, believed to have been developed by the US Navy. I believe after all these years I can describe difficult concepts in layman's terms.
I do not see much value in telling people to "get more customers", and then not telling exactly how to do it.
I am a proud member of the worldwide Mensa Organization and available to help anyone in a sales pickle.
I have a Bachelor's degree in engineering, MBA in Finance and Accounting and now going for my advance law degree, LLM in Contract law. I am not a lawyer, just a sales trainer with deep understanding of the engineering, finance and accounting, and law.
I enjoy helping companies develop their sales department as well as sales people in the area of customer interaction, reading customers, pricing, KPI (Key performance Indicators) and sales force compensation.
I am a firm believer that a good sales person rarely gets paid "too much" as they are so very difficult to find.
My book is all about actual advise, with good old KISS -principle, believed to have been developed by the US Navy. I believe after all these years I can describe difficult concepts in layman's terms.
I do not see much value in telling people to "get more customers", and then not telling exactly how to do it.
I am a proud member of the worldwide Mensa Organization and available to help anyone in a sales pickle.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 3, 2015
Excellent read. Gives tons of new ideas and helps you to reflect things in a new way.
I received a advanced read copy and was amazed by the book. Soon to start my own small company after graduating from Law School and already have Masters degree in Finance. The book contained lot of good ideas and had major impact on how I view things going forward.
The book contains lot of good examples which are entertaining yet always include lot of good advises. Theory was well connected with practice.
The chapters were well structured and the presentation of ideas was clear.
Will definitely read this again especially Chapters 2 & 3.
I received a advanced read copy and was amazed by the book. Soon to start my own small company after graduating from Law School and already have Masters degree in Finance. The book contained lot of good ideas and had major impact on how I view things going forward.
The book contains lot of good examples which are entertaining yet always include lot of good advises. Theory was well connected with practice.
The chapters were well structured and the presentation of ideas was clear.
Will definitely read this again especially Chapters 2 & 3.
January 29, 2016
No nonsense, no BS, no pussyfooting around: the reader is treated to a fairly direct, in-your-face look at the sales process and how they can better manage it. It is a book for doers rather than for dreamers.
Written in a fairly open, strident, conversationalist style, the author looks at the entire sales process, building around customer behaviour, psychology, customer handling and even post-closing activities. The author describes the process as sales intelligence, both information and smarts, and says that over time he has been able to predict whether a sale will occur or not by closely analysing the entire process and the interaction behind it. Yet it more than just what the salesperson says or how they handle things. It is a much bigger picture.
Your company and its products can play a big part – here there can also be scope for change and refinement – and it is a lot more than just grab as many sales as you can and hope for the best. The author gives advice that may appear heretic, but on closer reflection it can make rather a lot of sense and can lay out a much brighter future over the longer-term rather than a short-term high or risk of total rejection.
This is a book you can read many times and new observations, experiences and information points may emerge with every review. It can appear to be an unconventional book on many levels, yet it gives a lot of great advice and will have you thinking about things in an entirely different light if you let it. What you might have been doing to date is not necessarily bad, yet the author believes that his advice will let you fine-tune your approach and be better placed to react to the needs of your customers, the right customers, which in turn should translate into managed, profitable and potentially long-term customers. What is there not to like?
It was an enjoyable read, packed with humour and a generally positive vibe that streamed out throughout. A book worthy of strong consideration, even if (or should that be especially?) you believe you know it all already and could sell sand to the Arabs.
Written in a fairly open, strident, conversationalist style, the author looks at the entire sales process, building around customer behaviour, psychology, customer handling and even post-closing activities. The author describes the process as sales intelligence, both information and smarts, and says that over time he has been able to predict whether a sale will occur or not by closely analysing the entire process and the interaction behind it. Yet it more than just what the salesperson says or how they handle things. It is a much bigger picture.
Your company and its products can play a big part – here there can also be scope for change and refinement – and it is a lot more than just grab as many sales as you can and hope for the best. The author gives advice that may appear heretic, but on closer reflection it can make rather a lot of sense and can lay out a much brighter future over the longer-term rather than a short-term high or risk of total rejection.
This is a book you can read many times and new observations, experiences and information points may emerge with every review. It can appear to be an unconventional book on many levels, yet it gives a lot of great advice and will have you thinking about things in an entirely different light if you let it. What you might have been doing to date is not necessarily bad, yet the author believes that his advice will let you fine-tune your approach and be better placed to react to the needs of your customers, the right customers, which in turn should translate into managed, profitable and potentially long-term customers. What is there not to like?
It was an enjoyable read, packed with humour and a generally positive vibe that streamed out throughout. A book worthy of strong consideration, even if (or should that be especially?) you believe you know it all already and could sell sand to the Arabs.
September 19, 2015
I have been in middle management at retail supply sales for 30 years.
This book caught my eye at bookstore shelf and at very first glance noticed that the author has many of the same principles I have gravitated towards over the years. This book does not give empty promises of increase of millions of Euros at sales for me tomorrow, but rather goes over different challenges and more importantly, gives actual advise to overcome those challenges making it clear that it will take some time.
Book heavily concentrates in describing the sales person’s job description, companies behind them, challenging (read-difficult) customers, and how to win them over by gaining their genuine trust. It is very evident that the author has lots of experience in the field.
My favourite chapter was no. 11, where author describes the basic knowledge and the importance of listening my customer, according to him, there is a good reason why we have two ears and only one mouth: “You must also listen to your customer, not just talk, talk, talk yourself” he says. Also the chapter on time management is a powerful chapter for anyone to study, as so often our time is spent where it should not.
His sarcastic view of sales people who can sell anything to anyone, is very much in line with how I view those often narsistic people. After 30 years of experience, I know better.
Book is written in layman’s terms to “Average Joe”, it is well structured and even easier to understand and remember.
This book caught my eye at bookstore shelf and at very first glance noticed that the author has many of the same principles I have gravitated towards over the years. This book does not give empty promises of increase of millions of Euros at sales for me tomorrow, but rather goes over different challenges and more importantly, gives actual advise to overcome those challenges making it clear that it will take some time.
Book heavily concentrates in describing the sales person’s job description, companies behind them, challenging (read-difficult) customers, and how to win them over by gaining their genuine trust. It is very evident that the author has lots of experience in the field.
My favourite chapter was no. 11, where author describes the basic knowledge and the importance of listening my customer, according to him, there is a good reason why we have two ears and only one mouth: “You must also listen to your customer, not just talk, talk, talk yourself” he says. Also the chapter on time management is a powerful chapter for anyone to study, as so often our time is spent where it should not.
His sarcastic view of sales people who can sell anything to anyone, is very much in line with how I view those often narsistic people. After 30 years of experience, I know better.
Book is written in layman’s terms to “Average Joe”, it is well structured and even easier to understand and remember.
September 4, 2015
A must read for anyone with an eagerness to sharpen their wits in sales and further their business plans in a positive direction.
My knowledge in sales before reading was slightly above average at best. I've sat through lectures in sales, have worked my way through financial troubles, even handled the challenge of buying and selling my product, but I needed more. I didn't have much to work off except some basic sales knowledge and personal experiences. The knowledge I had did not feel like enough knowledge for someone to compete with the competition of today. I came to realize that anyone can sell a roof to a man in the rain, the challenge in sales comes when you need to sell that same roof to a man that already has one over his head. That is where this book pushed me beyond my previous limitations and into a more comfortable and more knowledgeable outlook on my business plans. Where I needed guidance to better my problem solving skills and my overall knowledge in sales, this book delivered.
After closing the book, I felt more confident in my abilities to not only sell, but sell with confidence and conviction. The customer mirrors the salesman, each are looking for a good price and a loyal partner. I found a great price for knowledge you can't find anywhere else!
My knowledge in sales before reading was slightly above average at best. I've sat through lectures in sales, have worked my way through financial troubles, even handled the challenge of buying and selling my product, but I needed more. I didn't have much to work off except some basic sales knowledge and personal experiences. The knowledge I had did not feel like enough knowledge for someone to compete with the competition of today. I came to realize that anyone can sell a roof to a man in the rain, the challenge in sales comes when you need to sell that same roof to a man that already has one over his head. That is where this book pushed me beyond my previous limitations and into a more comfortable and more knowledgeable outlook on my business plans. Where I needed guidance to better my problem solving skills and my overall knowledge in sales, this book delivered.
After closing the book, I felt more confident in my abilities to not only sell, but sell with confidence and conviction. The customer mirrors the salesman, each are looking for a good price and a loyal partner. I found a great price for knowledge you can't find anywhere else!
September 13, 2015
Intelligent selling
Read this book, understand the message and make your dreams come true in sales.
This excellent book gives loads of intelligent information about how to tackle the whole sales process analytically and then succeed better than your competitors or your colleagues.
The language is chatty, easy to read and has lots of good and funny examples from the real life.
The only thing that made the reading a bit slow was that I started constantly reflect my own career and the situations that I’ve have had with the customers and also how I could use the presented information in the future.
Isn’t that exactly what the excellent book should do?
Using the methods described in this book your selling becomes second nature and you don’t have to try to force your customers with hard selling. Know your customers, competitors and your products and you are prepared to any situation that comes along.
With price like this, grab your copy immediately and go make it in sales.
Note: I read the early e-book version with iPad & Mac iBooks software and I have already ordered my own hard copy.
Read this book, understand the message and make your dreams come true in sales.
This excellent book gives loads of intelligent information about how to tackle the whole sales process analytically and then succeed better than your competitors or your colleagues.
The language is chatty, easy to read and has lots of good and funny examples from the real life.
The only thing that made the reading a bit slow was that I started constantly reflect my own career and the situations that I’ve have had with the customers and also how I could use the presented information in the future.
Isn’t that exactly what the excellent book should do?
Using the methods described in this book your selling becomes second nature and you don’t have to try to force your customers with hard selling. Know your customers, competitors and your products and you are prepared to any situation that comes along.
With price like this, grab your copy immediately and go make it in sales.
Note: I read the early e-book version with iPad & Mac iBooks software and I have already ordered my own hard copy.
September 11, 2015
When I pre-ordered this book last month I had no idea that I would be purchasing such a potential key to my future success. I have always wanted to start my own guitar shop so i became a Business major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. However, I soon realized that there were many topics of marketing that confused me. I ordered 'Sales Intelligence' as a supplemental reading to prepare me for this year's classes and soon found that this book was much more than that. Topics that I had, until recently, struggled to understand were explained in detail yet easy to follow. The strategies and techniques that I learned from this book will surely be helpful in the near future. I have been inspired by my new understanding in finance and marketing and have since been considering business plans about starting up my company for when I graduate college.
September 18, 2015
As a recent college graduate who is just entering the workforce, this book has been a valuable tool to me. After securing a job opportunity in sales I looked to broaden my knowledge in the field. After some Googling this book caught my eye. I'm glad I decided to follow through and invest my time in it. This book was a perfect starting point to my education. Personal anecdotes do well to teach intelligent strategies in all facets of sales. The language is easy to follow and Aijo does a good job of breaking down complicated concepts. Through my first months of employment this book has truly impacted my ability. I feel that I have gotten somewhat of a headstart on my career. If there is someone in your life considering an opportunity in sales, do not hesitate to recommend this book.
April 10, 2016
If you want to be a good seller you might want to read books by those who are that tell you how. This author has the track record of success and simply shares his useful knowledge and experiences in this quick read book. I was given this book to me by Goodreads Giveaway and was able to read it during just a few lunch breaks. If you are new to sales you need this book to help you lay a good groundwork from the get go and if you are experienced you could probably use some reminders of things you use to know and may have lost sight of in the hectic world of sales.
November 30, 2015
I won an advanced copy of Sales Intelligence and have just finished reading it. I learned a lot about what goes into a sales consultant's job and just how difficult it can be. The author explains principles and ideas clearly and backs many points up with stories from his life. While I don't have a strictly sales role there are enough tips to help me with my start-up.
August 21, 2015
Was fortunate to have received an advanced copy and after 20+ years in the sales force I would highly recommend this as a must read to anyone entering the sales field. The Author understands and conveys the effectiveness of the principle of soft selling. Know your product, respect your customer and there is no need to push the hard sell. More need to follow this approach!
December 7, 2015
This book "Sales Intelligence: A Smarte4 Way to Sell" is very informative. You start to understand the customers, knowing just when to offer your services & when not. I gives you ideas on the approach to better yourself & your profits. Tomorrow Aijo had some interesting stories that made you understand the job better.
October 31, 2015
I won this as a giveaway and probably wouldn't have otherwise picked it up. That being said it was actually interesting to read and kept my attention. The best thing about winning it was the fact that I have a buddy that is seriously into sales and this is totally going to be a great present for Christmas.
November 1, 2015
Copy received through GoodReads First Reads for review.
Very interesting book on all aspects of dealing with sales and how to improve your approach. By giving many different examples the author's points are made clearer, along with indications of how to avoid the many pitfalls in this business. More importantly it's not arrogant or talking down at us the reader. Found it very useful.
Very interesting book on all aspects of dealing with sales and how to improve your approach. By giving many different examples the author's points are made clearer, along with indications of how to avoid the many pitfalls in this business. More importantly it's not arrogant or talking down at us the reader. Found it very useful.
August 1, 2016
I won this novel in the Goodreads giveaway! Timo Aijo provides new ideas to some of the most relentless questions I've heard before. I would definitely recommend to people looking to start their own business.
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April 4, 2016Really enjoyed this book.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews