A quiet woof from below, as the dog calls for her morning expedition.
Last night I was paging through Secrets of Closing the Sale [buy at amazon] . by Zig Ziglar, a very enjoyable book about selling. If you sell for a living, or are considering it, you owe it to ourself to read this book. Zig (if that really is his name) points out five reasons that people don't buy: lack of need, desire, hurry, money, or trust. But the real value of the book is in the stories, and the questions. He has a zillion stories of human nature at work as he tries to sell people stuff, or when people try to sell him things. One of my favorite stories is his encounter with a shoeshine man in St. Louis. Not only does he end up buying the highest-price shine, but he even convinces himself (at the shoeshine professional's suggestion) to get his shoes out of his suitcase, and have them shined, too. A very warm, gentle, and correct treatment of the most important part of the sale, this book has every right to be referred to as The Salesman's Bible. It's a good book, although I must admit that just like the real Bible, I haven't read the whole thing.