Do you dream of making a million in the world of telesales? Or perhaps you just want to know what training that salesman on the line has had that’s made him resemble a Doberman with its jaws locked around a postman’s leg. Either way, Coffee’s for Closers, the new sales how-to book by Shenley salesman Tony Morris has the answers.

“There are thousands of sales books out there but I never found one that gave me real answers to problems that I faced every day,“ says Tony, 34. “They were full of great anecdotes and great motivating ideas but had nothing that I could put into practice, no real-life techniques.“

So Tony decided to write his own. “It’s aimed at anyone in sales, whether they’re brand new or have 25 years’ experience. It’s deliberately very light-hearted and humorous. The key message is to have a positive attitude, never give up and there’s no such thing as failure – it’s all feedback.“

Each chapter deals with the seven steps to selling, such as how to do a cold call, building rapport with all different levels of customer, how to get past the gatekeeper, and how to deal with a variety of different objections that salespeople encounter.

“I’ve worked in more than 70 different industries, so I’ve heard them all,“ says Tony, who has 15 years of sales experience. “For example, a customer might say ‘I need to think about it’ to get you off the phone. To that customer I’d say ‘Of course you do, it’s a big decision, we’re here to help you’ and then I’d ask ‘What sort of thing are you going to be thinking about?’ and ‘What are you going to base your decision on?’ to get you talking and revealing things about yourself so I can close you. You uncover the real objection.”

Which is great news for up and coming sales bods, I suppose, though maybe not so much for those of us on the other end of the line. People of Shenley, be careful who you answer the phone to.

  • Coffee’s for Closers is out now. Tony Morris will be giving a book signing at WH Smith, Borehamwood, on Saturday, January 19, 11am-4pm.