Sadly Chet Holmes died in August 2012 but in this book, he has left behind a fine legacy for people to understand how he helped so many big and small businesses around the world.

The author believes people over-complicate what is needed for business success. Instead you just need to focus on 12 key strategies and implement them with pigheaded discipline and determination.

The Key Business Growth Strategies Covered In The Book

1 – Really effective time management

2 – Instituting higher standards and regular training

3 – Effective meetings

4 – Becoming a brilliant strategist by taking a strategic approach by educating your prospective customers so that you set the buying criteria. Why play the game to someone else’s rules if you can change the rule book by having a better understanding of the opportunities and threats that your customers face. I like the idea of the stadium pitch. What would you say if you had the initial attention of all the possible buyers of your product or service but they could walk away at any time? It’s a powerful question on its own but Chet also introduces us to a pyramid of potential customers – some are actively looking to buy, some are thinking about buying but not doing anything about it yet, some are not thinking about it, some don’t think they are interested and the last category know in their own minds that they are not interested. It could mean 90% of the audience are ready to walk out as soon as you say “Hi my name is Joe and I sell…”. Instead he explains an approach to keep those who didn’t know they were interested to stay and listen.

5 – Hiring superstars – There is some fantastic advice on hiring superstar sales people in this chapter that will knock your socks off.

6 – Targeting your best buyers – More excellent advice about focusing your marketing on the target customers that you believe really matter with tips on how to do it.

7 – The seven musts of marketing – You can’t rely on just using one marketing method to attract new customers.

8 – Better presentation skills – Some good advice in this section including some common mistakes that presenters make. If you are a sales professional, you may have heard it before and I have a problem with “death by powerpoint.”

9 – Winning the best buyers – Picking up on the theme of chapter 6 on the importance of targeting your best buyers, the book reveals practical advice on how to make it happen including tips on getting past the gatekeepers.

10 – Sales skills – For Chet Holmes, selling is a seven stage process which is good sensible advice but nothing startling.

11 – Follow-up and client bonding – The first stops what is known as buyer’s remorse and leads to order cancellation. What seems like a good idea with the sales person, no longer seems a good idea when you are on your own. The second correctly identifies that as a general rule, you don’t make the bulk of your money on the first transaction but on the subsequent business which relies on developing the relationship.

12 – Goals and measures – Standard material done well.

You will find it an easy to read, powerful and inspiring book that puts the emphasis on continued, focused action. This is one of my top 12 business books I recommend to business owners.

About my book reviews – I aim to be a tough reviewer because the main cost of a book is not the money to buy it but the time needed to read it and absorb the key messages. 5 stars means that I think that overall it has some vital messages in it.