Be a Sales Superstar: 21 Great Ways to Sell More, Faster, Easier in Tough Markets

These three chapters are the heart of the book, because they deal with the tensest moments of the sales process — the road from the customer saying «it's too expensive», «I can't afford it» or «we don't need it right now» to the signed order. Tracy starts with his own early days: hearing an objection would crush him, and he would move on to the next prospect without arguing. Then he learned that objections signal interest: videotapes of thousands of sales calls reportedly show twice as many objections in successful sales as in unsuccessful ones. It is the chapter's most interesting claim, but the book gives no source for it.

The main tools of the objections chapter are simple and memorable. The «Law of Six» says there are never more than six major objections to any offer, so a salesperson can cluster them and prepare a «bulletproof» answer for each in advance. The «Sweep-Aside Method» softens initial resistance: «That's all right, most of our best customers felt the same way at first.» Tracy recommends treating an objection as a question, hearing it out without interrupting, then asking «How do you mean?» or «Obviously you have a good reason for saying that — do you mind if I ask what it is?» The well-known «Feel, Felt, Found» formula is also explained here.

The price chapter opens with a bolder claim: price is seldom the real reason for buying. Tracy asks his audiences to show a single item they bought only because it was the cheapest, and no one raises a hand. Citing a Harvard study, he says 94% of sales are made on a non-price basis — again without a precise reference. The key rule is «price out of place kills the sale»: never get into price before the customer understands the benefits. Advice such as asking «How far apart are we?», being proud of your prices and waiting in silence for an answer can be genuinely useful in real selling.

But this chapter also exposes the book's weak side. When a prospect asks the price, the reply «That's the best part — if it's not right for you, there's no charge» is presented as clever wordplay, yet it is really a dodge. Telling someone who insists on a price «I don't know» belongs to the same category. Today's readers, especially buyers who value transparency, may see these methods as manipulation. The book was written in 2002, before online price comparison was so easy, and it shows.

The closing chapter sums up the process in five steps: build trust, clarify needs through questions, show that the solution is the best, answer objections and ask for a decision. Three techniques are offered: the «Invitational Close» («Why don't you give it a try?»), the «Directive Close» («Well then, the next step is this…» while starting to fill in the order form) and the «Authorization Close» (ticking the signature line and saying «If you'll just authorize this, we'll get started right away»). According to Tracy, 50% of sales conversations end without the salesperson ever asking for the order, and most sales close only after the fifth request.

In the end, these three chapters capture the spirit of the book well: short, concrete, with action exercises at the end of each chapter and phrases a new salesperson can use immediately. Yet most claims cannot be verified, the tone sometimes slides into a motivational seminar, and the advice to accept «no» only when there is a very serious reason sits on a fine line. It is a useful starter guide, but one to read with a critical eye.

• 21 short chapters that can be read independently
• An epigraph at the start of each chapter and «Action Exercises» at the end
• Ready-to-use scripts and sample dialogues
• Short anecdotes from the author's own sales career