The concepts and recommended actions are simple, honest, without gimmicks, contemporary and practical. The best part is that they work!

For example, I adapted "the letter" to my situation (new enterprise with zero name recognition & letters going to complete strangers). The first wave resulted in 100% appointments. One prospect, so anxious to learn more, called me before I could call him. Subsequent waves have also resulted in very high appointment rates - better than any other approach I have employed over the years.

Lytle advocates for a systematic approach that creates much-needed structure and discipline for people who by nature resist it with a passion. Following the system is easy. The time invested yields dividends.

I highly recommend this book for the novice or the grizzled veteran.

11 of 13 found the following review helpful:


It Really Works!!  Jan 21, 2004 By John Doe "John Doe"
I have found I have been getting much better responses from this book when working on specific prospects, and the "Endless Referrals" book when I am in a networking situation.

Forexample, I met a prospect at a social function, I listened while asking questions about him, it seemed to going great. I tried to follow-up afterwards, however, he was not taking my calls. I then used the lottery ticket method, and the next time I called he took my call. I now have an appointment with him.

Additionally, I have been getting great response from prospects that I send seeds to.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:


Manage Your Expectations, then Reap the Benefits  Oct 27, 2010 By DrDeb
When I worked at a Fortune 500 bank, our team would marvel at the number of us who grew up wanting to learn about the banking industry: zero! The Accidental Salesperson fully grasps and addresses the fact that many people find themselves in sales without aspiring to become salespeople.

This book offers a full range of techniques from developing a healthy attitude about sales, to writing succinct emails, to answering phone calls, to sending Lottery Ticket Letters, to writing winning sales proposals, and more. My only suggestion for readers is to manage their expectations about a book promising to teach "how to take control of your sales career and earn the respect and income you deserve." Readers will learn about a wealth of ideas that they can implement immediately, but they're still on their own in determining how to synthesize and apply the ideas most effectively.

The book offers two excellent examples of top-notch salespeople who are fluent in the language of persuasive selling. One is a real-world selling scenario between the author and a high-level decision maker (pp. 25-28) and the other is real-world story about a retail salesperson who brilliantly overcomes objections to make the sale (pp. 126-129). The more that people hear/read that language, the more they start picking it up themselves. This is why the organizations bringing in the most revenue are typically the ones who relentlessly train and re-train their staff in sales.

Here are some memorable quotes from the book:

1. "Life is one big seminar and lifelong learners get more out of life." (p. 14)

2. "Early sales training was essentially a boot camp for professional stalkers." (p. 22)

3. "Here are the three secrets of success: "know what you're doing... know you know what you're doing... [and] be known for what you know." (p. 40)

4. "Many companies have sales departments. Fewer have sales FORCES." (p. 52)

5. "Although making more calls seems to be a reasonable solution to any sales problem, many misguided sales managers mistake a flurry of activity for real productivity." (p. 79)

6. Instead of saying, "Thanks for returning my call," say "Hello, ________. I was expecting your call." "The best thing about saying, `I was expecting your call' is that it's different. It implies that a lot of important people return your calls because you have something of value to offer." (p. 106)

7. "Whatever you do, don't apologize for being there or say, `Thank you for your time.' Your time is just as valuable as the prospect's." (p. 117)

In short, this book offers many invaluable hands-on tools (e.g., a Proposal-Writing Template) and insights (e.g., understanding and acting on the salesperson-prospect relationship as one of equals). Just manage your expectations at the beginning so you can reap the benefits at the end!

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


very rare five-star review!  Sep 05, 2011 By Will K
Look at the rest of my reviews of business titles and you will see that I almost never give five-star reviews. Even books that I really like, I tend to give four stars. My belief is that if we give five stars to books we like...even a lot...there is nothing to separate those books from the all-time classics.

To me, THIS is an all-time title. I work with smaller businesses and start-up entrepreneurs. Frequently, business titles only apply tangentially. I this case, I tell darn near every entrepreneur that will have a sales element to his or her business that this book is a MUST READ.

Lytle does a great job of spelling out the process involved with making a sale. For small business people who think that they can just place a few ads and wait for the phone to ring so they can start getting rich, this book is a GREAT look at what it REALLY takes to get somebody to spend money with your business.

I'll read it again and again.

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