Brian G. Burns

Have you ever wondered what it takes to sell to large companies? If you thought is was all about having a compelling value proposition or thought provoking questions you would be wrong. To close large deals with the biggest of customers requires the understanding of how they make product selections.

Based on an exhaustive study of thousands of eight, seven and six figure deals across several industries and geographies, what we have discovered is that the majority of vendors and… Show more

Have you ever wondered what it takes to sell to large companies? If you thought is was all about having a compelling value proposition or thought provoking questions you would be wrong. To close large deals with the biggest of customers requires the understanding of how they make product selections.

Based on an exhaustive study of thousands of eight, seven and six figure deals across several industries and geographies, what we have discovered is that the majority of vendors and salespeople are Selling Backwards. Selling Backwards means that the focus is on the outside looking in. Instead of obsessing on messaging, positioning, presentations and demonstrations, what is really effective is matching what customers want and guiding them through their own mysterious decision making process. What we have found is that the salespeople that still embrace the old-school dogma of relying on relationships and aggressively pushing their prospects are as obsolete as palm pilots.

We have for decades been selling backwards, not knowing what really works and struggling to help customers who also do not completely understand how to execute change within their own organization. What we have documented in this book is the unravelling of the mystery of how large companies determine which product is best for them. The answers are both surprising and counter intuitive. It will be the salespeople who understand these issues who will win and thrive in the years ahead, leaving their competitors wondering why no one is returning their calls. Show less

What Crossing The Chasm was for Marketing this book is for Sales. The book focuses on selling new products into new b2b markets. It is not just focused on sales but how the company as whole should be focused on winning. The research behind the book is based on over 70 companies and includes several case studies.

The Maverick Selling Method is the #1 best selling audio book on the complex sale. The method has been adopted by over 500 companies worldwide. The results of adopting the method has increased new revenue by over 311%, deal size by 27% and shorten sales cycles by 17%.