Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman—America's #1 Salesman Shows You How to Sell Anything

"Ralph Roberts is a dedicated and passionate professional. He lives by the words he writes." -Danielle Kennedy, speaker and author of How to List and Sell Real Estate, Double Your Income in Real Estate Sales, and workingmoms.calm "Roberts has tapped into much more than selling. This book is a great instrument for the business community. It details how to become successful in life regardless of the challenges. Ralph is teaching us how to make certain that we are well organized, focused, and on target. I highly recommend this text for all types of people. A great book, easy to read, and full of solid information, Roberts is offering us something that will really make a difference." -Carl S. Taylor, Professor, College of Social Science, Michigan State University "Sales is more than just selling something-it's a process and a total image! Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman is more than a book-it's a success blueprint for anyone involved in any type of sales. Ralph is the master madman!" -Chip Cummings, CEO, Northwind International Corp. "Novice to veteran, no matter what industry, every salesperson will gain new ideas from this book. Don't miss out; your competition won't!" -Lance N. Avery, President, Greyhound Technologies, Ltd. "Last year, I spent $12,000 on sales coaching. I could have saved myself a fortune by simply buying Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman. Ralph Roberts is an expert salesman who knows the ropes, and he generously shares his secrets in this must-have guide." -Eric Pruitt, Realtor, Home Selling Team

Ralph R. Roberts is one of the nation's top real estate salesmen, a recognized authority on real estate and mortgage fraud prevention, and anaward-winning speaker,sales coach, and consultant. He is also the author of several books, including Advanced Selling For Dummies with Joe Kraynak and Mortgage Myths with Chip Cummings, both from Wiley. For more information, please visit www.ralphroberts.com and www.aboutralph.com.

About the Authors.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
Chapter One: Taking The Seven Steps To Sales Success.
Step One: Be a Salesperson, Not an Order Taker.
Step Two: Get All The Education You Can.
Doing It My Way.
Easy In, Easy Out.
Read, Read, Read!
Step Three: Spend Money to Make Money.
Invest In Yourself.
Borrow If You Must.
Step Four: Follow in the Footsteps of Success.
Success Stands Out.
Mentors: The Essential Ingredient.
Following in the Footsteps Of Zig Ziglar.
Success Leaves Big Footprints.
Don't Be Too Proud to Ask for Help.
My Shadow Program.
A Million Questions a Year.
Step Five: Nurture Relationships.
Know Your Product or Service.
Sell the Benefits.
Your Client's Success Is Your Success.
Step Six: Master the Tools Of Your Trade.
Identify the Best Tools and Technologies.
Adopt New Technologies Gradually.
Seize Change.
Step Seven: Stick to It.
Your Chapter 1 Checklist.
Chapter Two: Motivating Yourself With Goals and Rewards.
Setting a Goal.
Keeping It Realistic… or Not.
Setting Deadlines.
Breaking Down Your Goal into Milestones.
Choosing A Reward.
Envisioning Your Future Achievement.
Share Your Goal with Others.
Create a Goal/Reward Collage.
Evolution of My Goal/Reward Collage.
Rewarding Yourself in Advance.
Your Chapter 2 Checklist.
Chapter Three: Becoming Accountable through Personal Partnering.
Choosing a Partner.
Identifying Areas for Improvement.
List Your Lesser Strengths.
Obtain a Sales Skills Assessment.
Obtain Input from Fellow Salespeople.
Ask Your Clients for Input.
Ask Your Boss.
Prioritize Your Areas for Improvement.
Writing a Partnering Plan.
Meeting with Your Partner.
Agree on the Ground Rules.
Keep Each Other on Track.
Review One Another's Performance.
Celebrate Your Mutual Success.
Your Chapter 3 Checklist.
Chapter Four: Stop Hunting, Start Farming.
Choosing Your Farm.
Leveraging the Built-In Customer Base.
Research Potential Farms.
Get To Know Your Farm.
Press the Flesh.
Sowing the Seeds of Future Business.
Build a Robust Database.
Keep in Touch.
Give Memorable Gifts.
Support your Communities.
Surviving the Transition from Hunter to Farmer.
Your Chapter 4 Checklist.
Chapter Five: Catering to Marketplace Diversity.
Exploring Different Demographics.
Identifying Generational Differences.
Selling to the Physically Challenged.
Green Is the Only Color You Should See.
Breaking the Gender Barrier.
Letting Your Customer Take the Lead.
Getting Curious.
Your Chapter 5 Checklist.
Chapter Six: Hiring Your First Assistant.
Everyone Needs at Least One Assistant.
Why We Hesitate.
Start Small, Grow Large.
Adding More and More.
Knowing Whom to Hire.
Visual or Virtual?
Hire The Best You Can Get.
Avoid Snap-Judgment Hirings.
Assign Meaningful Job Titles.
Train Them, Then Trust Them.
Pay Them to Keep Them.
Be Kind to Them—They're Only Human.
Your Chapter 6 Checklist.
Chapter Seven: Assembly Lines Selling.
Breaking Everything You Do into Steps.
Identifying Procedures.
Break Procedures into Tasks.
Break Tasks into Steps.
Delegate the Work.
Tracking Transactions: A Case Study.
Green Folders, Red Folders.
Keeping Me Out of It.
Expanding Your Business with Systems.
Plan The Work; Work The Plan.
Beginning to Change.
You're a Business, Not an Employee.
Not Perfect, but Good.
Your Chapter 7 Checklist.
Chapter Eight: Hosting Your Own Hour Of Power.
Hour of Power Origins.
The Goal: Pearls Called Referrals .
No Selling!
No Interruptions!
Make the Commitment.
Keep a Tally Sheet.
Just Do It!
Force Yourself into the Zone .
Extend Your Hour of Power to Other Tasks.
Focus On Dollar-Productive Activities.
Your Chapter 8 Checklist.
Chapter Nine. Dating Your Leads before Someone Else Does.
It Takes Five to Seven Contacts to Make a Sale.
Implement a Foolproof Lead Follow-Up System.
Receiving Leads.
Categorizing Leads.
Importance of Being First.
Launching a Drip Campaign.
Remain Persistent without Being Overbearing.
Your Chapter 9 Checklist.
Chapter Ten: Building a Brand through Shameless Self-Promotion.
The Emphasis Is On Self .
Comprehensive and Unrelenting.
Comprehensive.
Unrelenting.
Discovering Your Unique Brand Focus.
Designing an Attractive Marketing Packet.
Doing Regular Press Releases.
Prepare Your Press Release.
Release Your Press Release.
Establishing a Strong Internet Presence.
Generating Free Publicity and Positive Press.
Make Yourself Available to Reporters.
Earn a High Profile in Your Communities.
Investing in Paid Advertising.
Marketing through Professional and Personal Networks.
Market through Professional Networks.
Market through Existing Clients.
Your Chapter 10 Checklist.
Chapter Eleven: Blogging Your Way to Credibility.
Understanding The Basics.
Add a Style with Design (Presentation) Templates.
Build Community.
Understand the Two Main Components.
Test Driving A Blog For Free.
Choosing a Blog Host and Platform.
Free, Hosted Platforms.
Keep It Simple With Turnkey Solutions.
Do It Yourself with a Standalone Platform.
Get the Best of Both Worlds with Remote Hosting Options.
Avoiding the Temptation to Advertise.
Earning Higher Search Engine Rankings.
Post Fresh Content with Key Words and Phrases.
Add SEO Title Tags to Blog Entries.
Add Links to and From Your Blog.
Register Your Blog with Blog Directories.
Contribute to Other People’s Blogs.
Your Chapter 11 Checklist.
Chapter Twelve: Tapping The Power of Social Media Marketing.
What Constitutes Social Media?
Grasping the Pros and Cons of Social Media Marketing.
Taking Advantage of Social Media Marketing.
Your Chapter 12 Checklist.
Chapter Thirteen: Creating and Maintaining Your Own Web Site.
Securing Your Own Domain.
Planning Your Web Site.
Hiring a Professional Web Designer.
Promoting Your Web Site.
Your Chapter 13 Checklist.
Chapter Fourteen: Blasting Out of Your Sales Slump.
Hold Yourself Accountable.
Figure Out What's Changed.
Set a Goal and Reward.
Surround Yourself with Positive People.
Focus on the Fundamentals.
Pick up the Phone.
Grow Out of It.
Ramp up Your Marketing Efforts.
Shadow a Top Producer or Hire a Coach.
Start Now!
Work on Today's Business, Tomorrow's Business, and Future Business.
Your Chapter 14 Checklist.
Chapter Fifteen: Building and Managing Your Own Sales Team.
What Is a Sales Team?
Taking a Lesson From Your Dentist.
Identifying the Benefits of Sales Teams.
Knowing When You Need a Team.
Drawing up Your Team Roster.
Keeping Your Sales Team on Track.
Honing Your Team Management Skills.
Your Chapter 15 Checklist.
Chapter Sixteen: You're Fired! Firing Your Worst Clients.
Identifying Your Best Clients.
Retaining Your Best Clients.
It's Not You; It's Me—Letting Them Down Easy.
Adding Better Clients.
Your Chapter 16 Checklist.
Chapter Seventeen: Becoming A Lifelong Learner.
Attend Industry Conferences.
Read Industry-Related News and Reports.
Read a Book.
Listen to Audio Books.
Take a Class.
Explore New Technologies.
Obtain Advice From a Mentor or Coach.
Spread the Word.
Your Chapter 17 Checklist.
Chapter Eighteen: Partnering Your Way to Unlimited Success.
Tapping the Synergistic Power of Business Partnerships.
Forming Partnerships to Fill the Gaps.
Three Steps to Partnering Your Way to Success.
Drawing Up a Partnership Agreement.
Forming Unique Business+Business Partnerships.
Your Chapter 18 Checklist.
Chapter Nineteen: Scaling Your Business with Virtual Assistants.
What Is a Virtual Assistant?
What Can an Experienced Virtual Assistant Do for You?
Advantages To Having a Virtual Assistant.
How Do You Know You Need a Virtual Assistant?
Deciding What to Delegate to Your Virtual Assistant.
Finding a Qualified and Experienced Virtual Assistant.
Gathering Information from Your Virtual Assistant.
Providing Your VA with Essential Information.
Communicating with Your Virtual Assistant.
The Times, They Are a-Changing—and So Should You!
Your Chapter 19 Checklist.
Chapter Twenty: Making Rain: Taking on the Role of Rainmaker.
Embracing Change.
Changes in What Customers Buy.
Changes in How Customers Shop.
Changes in Your Industry.
Viewing Problems as Opportunities.
You Are The Visionary.
Keeping Track of What Works and What Doesn't.
Maintaining a Steady Rainfall.
Final Thoughts.
Your Chapter 20 Checklist.
Index