Rethinking the Sales Cycle: How Superior Sellers Embrace the Buying Cycle to Achieve a Sustainable and Competitive Advantage »

John R. Holland is cofounder and principal

of CustomerCentric Selling®. His articles

have been published in Sales and Marketing

Executive Report, Selling Power, and American

Salesman.

Tim Young is CEO of CustomerCentric

Selling®. Earlier in his career, he served as

president of Harte-Hanks Marketing Services

before founding TECHMAR Communications,

which became one of the fastest-growing

private companies in America.

Align your selling methods with their

buying habits for a win-win relationship!

“The digital age has dramatically changed the selling profession.

John Holland and Tim Young will bring you up to date on their new

rules for a customer-centric approach.”

—Al Ries, bestselling coauthor, War in the Boardroom

With the proliferation of social networking and other online platforms, you are no

longer in control of customers’ perceptions of your products or services. Only by

focusing on buyer behavior can you keep your competitive edge fresh and sharp.

Rethinking the Sales Cycle reveals how buyer behavior has changed and explains why traditional

sales approaches don’t work. You’ll gain critical insight into:

• The unprecedented power customers wield for

  building—or killing—your business

• The psychology of buyers and how it changes throughout

  the buying process

• Developing an organization-wide strategy that aligns your

  selling techniques to buyer behavior

With Rethinking the Sales Cycle, you will enjoy not only increased sales but, more

important, provide superior buying experiences—the foundation of a healthy, lasting

seller-buyer relationship.

John R. Holland is cofounder and principal

of CustomerCentric Selling®. His articles

have been published in Sales and Marketing

Executive Report, Selling Power, and American

Salesman.

Tim Young is CEO of CustomerCentric

Selling®. Earlier in his career, he served as

president of Harte-Hanks Marketing Services

before founding TECHMAR Communications,

which became one of the fastest-growing

private companies in America.

Foreword Neil Rackham vii

Introduction Why Read This Book? xi

Part 1 The Power Has Moved to the Buyer 1

Chapter 1 The Odd Couple 3

Chapter 2 Buyer's Revenge 27

Part 2 The Five Stages of the B2B Buying Cycle 43

Chapter 3 Stage 1: Awareness and Urgency-Initiating the Buying Cycle 45

Chapter 4 Stage 2: Research 67

Chapter 5 Stage 3: Preferences 89

Chapter 6 Stage 4: Reassurance 105

Chapter 7 Stage 5: Risk-The Go/No-Go Buying Decision 123

Part 3 Fostering a Sales Culture That Facilitates Buying 139

Chapter 8 How Traditional Selling Conflicts with the New Buying Process 141

Chapter 9 Getting Product Marketing Right 155

Chapter 10 Managing Sales to Facilitate the Buying Process 177

Chapter 11 Magic Moments: Creating a Great Customer Experience 199

Chapter 12 Using a Sales Process to Achieve a Sustainable Competitive Advantage 215

Index 231