When Jeffrey created the proposal for the paperback edition and took it to Wiley, he asked me for a quote. When the book came out, I was shocked they had taken my words:

"Every once in a while ONE book defines a category."
--Jack Covert, 800-CEO-READ

and pasted them across the top of the book.

A new, new edition of The Sales Bible is being released today and you won't find my quote on the front cover anymore. The book has been redesigned to match the other titles in his "The Little Book..." series. The folded over info piece on the book still contains my quote, it's just on the back now.

One other note: if you order the book today from Amazon, Jeffrey has put together a whole pile of free giveaways from other authors.

The books mentioned thus far include:

• You Can Negotiate Anything by Herb Cohen
• NO: The Only Negotiating Strategy You Need for Work and Home by Jim Camp
• Humanitarian Negotiation: A handbook for securing access, assistance and protection for Civilians in Armed Conflcts by The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (free download)

Jack Nicholson's famous negotiation in Five Easy Pieces is also mentioned.

There is another important axis on which to view your CEO. One of our experts termed this as "evolved" or "unevolved." A CEO, like any unevolved manager, is limited by a narrow scope of interest. One could argue that the primary focus for Carly Fiorina during her days as HP's head was, well, Carly Fiorina. In her later book, she blamed her woes on the machinations of others. Apparently, she remains unevolved.

Mark Hurd next assumed the reins and was swept into the HP Board scandal early in his tenure. He could have blamed others, but instead ceaselessly uttered mea culpa. Obviously, he demonstrated an emotional maturity that he was a team player who could be counted upon to shoulder his own share of the burden. He did not look for a scapegoat. This demonstrated that Hurd was an evolved player whom his managers could trust. Hurd and Fiorina are archetypes of the CEO behaviors just discussed.

Here's a direct link to the excerpt: http://800ceoread.com/excerpts/archives/007521.html#more

The Five Rules of One

1. The "One Item of 'Carry-On-'" Rule
When seeking to differentiate your brand, no matter how much information you offer, when you've finished pitching:

People only remember one thing.

So when you feel that irresistible, amateur force moving to list every product feature in every brand message--get over it. It's not that we don't have the brain capacity, it's that we also have a brain reflex that synthesizes details, images, and feelings on any subject into single thought packages for easy storage and retrieval from our mental "overhead bin." You can give people long lists of features and benefits. But when they walk away, their minds morph it down to that one piece of mental "carry-on." A key corollary is that this salient idea, once carried aboard, preempts all others and will stubbornly remain in place, virtually forever, until a more compelling idea physically dislodges it.

A reporter once asked a woman what a senate candidate had said in a campaign speech. The candidate spoke passionately for nearly an hour covering every point on his platform. "What did he say?" the man asked. She replied, "He was against taxes."

Here's another classic. The O.J. Simpson prosecution spent nine months and millions of dollars laying out a case that was so scientifically detailed, so obsessively logical that no rational group of people could possibly fail to convict on the weight of the evidence. Except the jury. For them, it all became a blur, erased by "the one thing to remember" defense lawyer Johnny Cochran shrewdly suggested on day 1: You can retain ten thousand bits of evidence, or save the trouble and just retain this: O.J. was framed by racist cops. Cochran even provided a famous tag line to make it even more convenient: "If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit." The jury "carried on" the one item it chose to remember, and left ten thousand valuable bits of information at the curb with the skycap, minus a tip.

In the introduction to Why Johnny Can't Brand, authors Bill Schley and Carl Nichols, Jr. explain that because only one thing about your product or service will stick with consumers, it has to be a Big thing. They call it the "Dominant Selling Idea" (DSI), and the second half of the book is dedicated to what they deem DSI University. You'll go through a step-by-step, 40-day process of figuring out the "one" most important selling idea, and then putting that idea to work for your company.

And, as the author told me, "this stuff applies to anyone who wants to communicate--not just businesses."

1. The Elegant Solution Interview with Matt May
2. Marketing and Sales for Big Complex Selling Interview - Part 1 with Brian Carroll
3. Marketing and Sales for Big Complex Selling Interview - Part 3 with Brian Carroll and Jill Konrath
4. Everyday Greatness Interview with Stephen Covey
5. The Difference Maker Interview with John Maxwell
6. Confessions of An Economic Hitman Audio Excerpt
7. Made To Stick Interview with Dan Heath
8. Growing Great Employees Interview - Part 2 with Erika Anderson
9. Purpose Interview with Nikos Mourkogiannis
10. Growing Great Employees Interview - Part 1 with Erika Anderson

I am sure you already received your November/December issue of Selling Power. Seth is on the cover (ten times).

We tend to talk about Seth alot and thought we should take a moment to get the new folks caught up. There is a short vocabulary list of Seth-isms from the article. Take a shot at what you think the words mean and then highlight the area next to the word to see the definition.

Interruption Marketing -> Broadcasting messages people don't want to see or hear; message that "interrupt."

Permission Marketing -> Narrowly delivered message that are anticipated, personal, and relevant.

Remarkable -> Anything the consumer believes is worth remarking on.

Megaphone -> When customers choose to promote you by talking to their friends and colleagues.

Edgecraft -> The process of digging deep and being bold to come up with edgy, remarkable ideas

Marketing -> Telling authentic stories that customers want to hear and believe in.

[Hat Tip: Chris Anderson for the answer hiding idea]

One of our pow-wow-ees was John Moore. A takeaway from him is what he dubs "The Ehrenfeld Principle." [You may recognize the name from one of our regular contributors.] What's this principle?

That’s my name for something I learned from business writer Tom Ehrenfeld at the recent 800 CEO READ Author Pow-Wow. During one of the sessions, Tom outlined his "WHAT? | SO WHAT? | PROVE IT!" system to identify effective business writing.

The WHAT? is the content. The SO WHAT? is why the content matters. And the PROVE IT! provides the credibility.

It's a great way to simplify the selling of anything -- for authors, marketers, entrepreneurs, etc., etc. John used the principle to explain the new book The 12 Elements from Gallup Press.

Think about what happens when you have the opposite of your Ideal Customer. Have you ever had a PITA customer? You know, Pain In The Ass. What happens? They drain you, waste your time, the time of your staff, and you don’t make any money. They are never good referrals, because PITAs hang out with other PITAs. So, fire them before you start.

Not always easy to do, because we see the dollar signs and think if we don’t take this customer, we don’t know where the next one will come from. I maintain that you are in big trouble if you take the PITA. It is a glaring Opportunity Cost—and Opportunity Lost to attract your very best customers. Say NO! It is one of the best decisions you can make.

Putting in that extra effort. Look at what Sam Parker has to say about a little bit of extra effort on his blog, Just Parker. Sam is one of the founders of Just Sell. If you haven’t signed up for their daily quotes, be sure to do that right away. They’re magical!

Recently I met a salesperson who was selling insurance. I thought she was terrific, but I was already covered. I went out of my way to help her and to refer her. The flip side is also true. If you don’t like a salesperson—even if she has the perfect product—you will never refer her. Take the time to make the personal connection and build the relationship.

If you’re at a headquarters office, you have the opportunity to be in direct contact with the people who influence decisions, and you begin to know who to count on and who to avoid. It’s much tougher when you’re in the field. You need to ask specific questions about who is responsible for what, and take the time to build relationships on the phone. However, there is nothing more important than a personal visit to headquarters. If you are new to a company, make sure that you have in your hiring agreement that you will travel to headquarters within 60 days of your hire.

Networking is about connecting with people. Period. We can network one-on-one or in groups. It’s obviously important to network to build relationships which then could turn into referrals, but networking is not the same as referral selling. If you want to learn how to network, check out Susan RoAne’s books. She is the country’s expert on networking and a phenomenal speaker!

Check out opportunities to network in your city. Metropolitan Chambers of Commerce have excellent events. Check out www.bni.com. Here are some women’s groups that are excellent: www.nawbo.org, and www.nafe.com.

There is no way to make cold calling more effective.. Here is my definition of a cold call: Calling someone who does not know you and is not expecting your call. That’s it. A call is either Cold or Hot. There really is no such thing as a warm call. A Hot call is when we have an introduction, and that is the only kind of call I make. When you have an introduction, you are pre-sold, your competition fades or disappears, and you already have credibility. Your sales cycle is shortened and now you have the time to ask for and receive even more referrals!

Check out Tom Snyder’s article Prospecting: What Winners Do—and Losers Don’t and read the first paragraph.

The way to get in front of the right people is to be crystal clear about the person you want to meet. Most of us begin by saying “Anyone who…� No, it is not anyone, and that is way too broad for people to think of someone to refer to you. What I am suggesting is counter-intuitive. The more specific you are, the easier it will be for a person to think of someone to refer to you. Think of yourself as an artist. The more color and lines you put into your picture, the easier it will be for someone to understand.

Recently, a young man who sold insurance, called me for advice. I asked him who his clients were. He said: “Anyone who has assets to protect.� I told him that was the universe, and it was way too broad. After several minutes of discussion, he told me he was looking for young couples starting a family and buying their first home, and dry cleaners. (His company underwrote drycleaners.) It was now much easier for me to think of someone to refer.

In my business, I ask to meet vice presidents of sales or people who run sales teams in North America. These are my clients. There is really no reason for me to talk to anyone else. Guess the people I meet?