Book of the Week: How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger

Frank Bettger's How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling is one of the best-known narratives on how to become successful in sales. Published originally in 1947, Bettger tells the story of how he went from a professional baseball player to a well-regarded insurance salesman, sharing his failures and what he learned from them as he matured. The format of the book is highly anecdotal. Betteger tells story after story about his experiences and sales, offering lessons he has gleaned on each occasion. Below are the top 10 takeaways from his enduring classic.

1. Enthusiasm overcomes fear. Bettger tells the story of how, before he even got into sales, he was fired from one of his baseball teams. His coach had considered him lazy while, in reality, he had just been too scared of failing and making a fool of himself. For his next team, Bettger made up his mind to be enthusiastic about his performance and, consequently, he did outstanding. When he got into sales, he applied the same principle. "When I force myself to act enthusiastic, I become enthusiastic," he says.
2. Never exaggerate outcomes. Sales people may be tempted from time to time to over-promise, telling a customer that something can be done when, in fact, in cannot. Bettger tells the story of a sale he made simply because he could show that his competitor was clearly being deceptive. Sharing another story in which he was the one doing the deceiving, he warns us about the lost credibility from over-promising. "I shall never again want anything I'm not entitled to; it costs too much!" He says.
3. Praise your competitors. Slinging mud will never move the sales process forward. Betteger shares the story of how his extensive knowledge and admiration of competitors actually helped him to get a sale. Praising a competitor that a customers is considering (or is currently purchasing from) is, ultimately, praising the customer for his or her wisdom in considering those competitors.
4. When you're scared, admit it. Hiding fear just makes it worse. Confession is liberation. Bettger tells of an occasion in which he gets, for the first time, to see a very prestigious client. When he finally gets into the man's office, he is visibly terrified. Not knowing what else to do, he admits to the client his fear of speaking with such an important man. The client is flattered and listens attentively to Bettger. His admission enables him to relax and, at the end of the meeting, he gets the sale.
5. Find out what the other person wants and help him to get it. For Bettger, this statement is what sales is all about. Betteger tells the story of a man who sold magazine subscriptions. His most frequent objection from the business executives he sold to was that they didn't have time to read magazines. At one point, the man decided to alter his pitch. He obtained a referall from a prominent figure, stating that the magazine actually saved him time, giving him all the important information in one short sitting. The man began selling, not magazines, but time, and it turned his sales around.
6. Be an encouragement to everyone you meet. Bettger tells the story of a group of young businessmen that he met and talked with on one occasion. Though they were depressed at the time due to the economic conditions, he did nothing but praise them for the success they had attained throughout the years they had been in business. They invited him back for another "pep talk." He went back to see them many times over the years and they became some of his most important clients. "Some of the best ideas I've ever learned," says Bettger, "have come from the men I have done business with and the friends I have made. As I profited by their ideas, I have made it a point to tell them about it. I find that people love to hear that they have helped you."
7. Failure eventually leads to success. Bettger talks of the law of averages. He mentions Babe Ruth, who once said that he was never worried when he striked out. Ruth reasoned that his batting average would prove true in the long run so, each time he struck out, he got closer to hitting a home run. Bettger, applying the concept to sales, says, "Nobody will remember the times you struck out in the early innings if you hit a home run with the bases full in the ninth." It takes many failures to arrive at success; all you have to do is keep swinging.
8. Become an assistant buyer for your customer. Bettger advises to psychologically sit on your customer's side of the table and act as if you too are making the buying decision. Treat yourself as if you are a member of his organization in charge of buying whatever product it is that you are selling. It will instill confidence and credibility in you as you deliver your pitch.
9. Unleash the power of why. Bettger gives the most effective way of handling any objecton: simply asking the prospect, "Why?" It turns the objective around and makes the prospect defend his or her position. Bettger tells of an occasion where a customer convinces himself that he needs to buy simply because Bettger had asked him, "Why?" when he had declined. "Instead of launching into a long argument like the other salesmen did, you merely asked, 'Why?' The customer says, "The more I talked, the more I realized that I was on the wrong side of the argument...You didn't sell me. I sold myself."
10. Use "in addition to that..." to handle objections. Bettger reveals his most common and effective script in handling objections. The first objection the customer raises is rarely the real objection; it's simply one that he feels comfortable discussing. When you say, "in addition to that...," you find out whether or not there is something else that is holding back the sale. More often than not, the customer will reveal the real reason that he or she is hesitant to buy.