Mastering the Complex Sale: How to Compete and Win When the Stakes are High!

In my 25+ years selling (computers), I have read hundreds of books on selling. For the most part, they're written by people who have lucked-out selling in very "up" markets, selling consumer products such as life insurance, or came-up with their sales theories looking back on their "wins" and blocking-out their "no-wins". Prior to Thull's book, the ONLY sales book based on real fact-based studies was the breakthrough SPIN Selling by Rackem. It showed just why people bought - and didn't buy - using admirable stats from over 30,000 sales calls rather than the anecdotal recountings of "successful" salesmen. You all know the names.Thull's book goes way beyond SPIN Selling by showing - conclusively - why customers BUY rather than be sold. Thull's point is that people buy only when they realize the impact of not-buying; that continuing the on current path will lead to (or is currently creating) problems that far exceed the cost of the solution being offered. And, it is the salesman's/woman's job to find and develop these issues and bring the customer to realize the larger effect of the problem.These days, the emotional triggers/pain-points so sought after by "professional salespeople" are screened-out very early in the process, esp. with buying committees or extended financial reviews by higher management. The critical issue is to bring the customer to quantify (determine the direct and indirect costs of the problem) the impact that he/she/they will be sufficently motivated to move. This is far different from the salesperson "showing" the "value" of his/her product which in almost ALL cases is a scripted (canned) "solution" and has limited relevance to the specific problem the customer is facing. I've read and re-read "Mastering the Complex Sales" many times, there is so much worthwhile material in this book. It is absolutely ... the BEST BOOK on Selling EVER!

I generally don’t read an author more than once. With Thule I’ve ordered his other two books. I’m always seeking a different way of thinking and Thull has got some gears churning so we’ll see…

This set ( Mastering , The Prime Solution, Exceptional Sales) of books which detail the Complex Sale process from the point of view of delivering value, are easily the most completely thought out approach I have read to date on selling value.Thull starts with a a simple idea, that sellers /solutions need to tie their offer into solving valuable real measurable business problems , from the customers point of view to enable real measurable value outcomes . Like any simple idea, the details of delivery have far reaching impacts on sellers and customers. He has many phrases which stick with you, like always going for the no, spectacular success comes from unspectacular preparation, no problem/pain no sale, no surprises, the salesperson is like a doctor.Thulls four separate steps areDiscoveryDiagnosisDesignDeliverBut the devil is in the details. Thull provides the details needed to fill in this framework. This approach has the potential to set any seller far away from the pack of competitors as well as making customer relationships very competitor proof. Of any approach, this one truly recognizes the uniqueness of very customer and how to ensure the customer gets that value as well as recognizes it. This is a trans formative process not only for the customer but the sellers organization as well. A must have for if you are the complex sales marketplace.

Thull has written a magnum opus on selling to the enterprise here. Quantifying the financial impact and differentiating ones approach are two aspects that stand out to me. This book is so good I listened to Jeff narrate it on Audible and now I'm going to read it again on Kindle. This book has changed my thought process, sequence and strategy for closing deals and I am grateful for it. The world of selling has changed but no matter how great the Era II sales techniques used to work, they break down in Era III where there is increased complexity and commoditization. The concept of a value hypothesis and the level of collaboration that is possible with multiple stakeholders to build consensus to an investment in the right tailored solution, are just incredible facets of the diamond that this book represents. I'm already sharing it with a mentor in Australia who's primary thesis is "value creation" versus "value proposition."

This is another one of those "office" books that is used for reference from time to time. Amazon was fast and I love the download version of ANY book with rare exception. Downloaded content should be priced very low due to the fact that there is no paper, no printing, no binding, no shipping, no warehousing, no middle men and no retail structure to deal with. One would think that the sellers would catch on to this reality and price all downloads very reasonably because of it. One has to look around to see that prices do vary for the same book. Amazon was the best for this one. Authors be aware... thinking people don't want the physical book, they want the content without the book requiring shelf space in the home or office to collect dust and seldom gets thrown away because the content is in the book.

With the myriad of sales methods out there, The Complex Sale offers a fairly practical solution. The author regularly inserts commentary to display how much better he thinks his method is over other methods, which for me takes away from his process.In my view, SPIN, VITO, Challenger, Conceptual Selling ... add whatever your method of choice is ... all offer some nuggets. Nothing is a one-size-fits-all approach. Take the pearls from each and make them work for you!

The bible of complex selling.You may take years to read this but you can keep going back to it and learning more.It is excellent

This is an excellent book and sales process. Highly recommended

Helpful, direct and different!

Aber wie viele dieser Bücher nicht "Sehr gut". Insbesondere die Beschreibung der ERA 1-3 Salesman ist als Vertriebler sehr gut, da bekommt man seinen Spiegel vorgehalten insbesondere wenn es um die Präsentationen geht.Ist insgesamt halt sehr amerikanisch geprägt.

A good update on a classic. All salespeople for B2B should read this book as well as M&A types. Its worth a re read from time to time.