Sales Survival Handbook

Ken Kupchik is a writer and the creator of Sales Humor, a popular social media account with over one million followers across Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. His first book, The Sales Survival Handbook: Cold Calls, Commissions, and Caffeine Addiction--The Real Truth About Life in Sales, was published by AMACOM (now HarperCollins Leadership) in 2017. He lives in Boston, MA.

• Foreword ix INTRODUCTION 1 1. WELCOME TO SALES 3 Is Sales Right for You? (Quiz) 5 Sales Terms and Definitions 8 What to Expect: The Good, the Bad, and the Crazy 11 Coming to Terms: The Five Stages of Sales Grief 15 Picking the Right Company and Spotting Red Flags 17 2. EVERYDAY LIFE IN SALES 21 Coming Out to Your Family and Friends As a Salesperson 23 The Different Types of Salespeople 25 The Different Types of Sales Managers 30 Comp Plans, Sandbagging, and How to Deal with Inconsistent Income 34 Getting Along with Your Coworkers in Sales 39 The Sales Diet 43 Mission Impossible: Dating While Working in Sales 47 Dealing with the Long Hours 50 3. PROSPECTING 57 Irrational Optimism: The Truth About How to Succeed in Sales 59 Leads and Why Most of Them Suck 63 How to Beg for Referrals 67 Cold-Calling 70 Business-to-Business Sales 75 Business-to-Consumer Sales 82 Door-to-Door Sales 90 How to Get Out of a Sales Slump Without Breaking the Law 96 4. CUSTOMERS 103 The Different Types of Customers 105 Are Buyers Really Liars? 110 Building Rapport 114 Listening: The Most Important Sales Skill 118 Objections and How to Overcome Them Without Tears 122 Dealing with Rejection 132 Closing the Deal 136 5. AFTER THE SALE 143 What to Do/Not to Do After the Sale 145 Spending Your Commission Checks 150 Going from Hero to Zero 154 Sales Management: Getting Promoted 156 Sales Trainers and How to Spot the Con Men 161 How to Switch Sales Jobs 165 Rules for Quitting Your Sales Job 168 Writing Your Letter of Resignation 170 PSSD (Post-Sales Stress Disorder) 172 CONCLUSION 177 Acknowledgments 181 Notes 183 Index 185