An interesting overview of which approaches works for some of the most consistent top-performers in sales, selling very different products and different types of clients, showing that while some truths are universal for top performers, other approaches are individual.
As a sales manager myself, I picked up several ideas and concepts that can be implemented immediately and others that with some tweaking can be applied as well.
A worthwhile book.

This was a book I had low hopes for, since there are no shortage of books offering secret guides to this and that, accompanied by a mass of hyperbole. This one was different, boy was it different! It is a research-backed, deep dive into how some of the top sales talent in the United States work, distilled into 21 key take-away points or messages.

The author unashamedly says that they are not secrets per se, but it drew you in! What they are, however, can be ‘common’ key factors that are especially beneficial to these high-roller sales leviathans. For over three decades the author has been working with sales talent to help motivate, shape, coach and boost their performance, and this book could be viewed as a rational distillation of what he has seen work. Maybe some of the points came as a surprise at the same time when the analysis was latterly conducted!

The approach of conducting the research was particularly interesting and appropriate, allowing the talent to direct their own testimony and speak freely. The result is their considered view of what works and why, rather than a pre-formulated closed series of questions that may be revealing on one hand, but limiting on another! There is a lot more than 21 data-points or ‘best practices’, however, to accompany it – one of the side-benefits or side-effects of interviewing 175 top-performers from seven different industries.

It is a highly enjoyable, engaging and giving book. The more you consult it and consider it the more you potentially stand to get from it. Of course, then the hard work still falls onto your shoulders, but you may be able to attack the task with the power of a superstar effectively by your side. Don’t just skim the key findings and assume you can implement them: such as the advice to keep things simple. The advice is a lot deeper and more comprehensive than you may imagine, but the power can be very, very strong. Read carefully, several times even. Even then after that, maybe read it again and then consider your own company and how you could amend each finding to your operations. The effort could easily pay for itself!

You don’t even have to be involved in sales to get something out of this book. Elements can work in other business areas and, of course, your private life. A powerful all-rounder!


21 Secrets of Million Dollar Sellers, written by Stephen J. Harvill and published by Touchstone. ISBN 9781501153457. YYYYY