Jill Konrath’s SNAP Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business with Today's Frazzled Customers

Jill Konrath is the acclaimed author of “Selling to Big Companies”, and an acknowledged expert on the new sales strategies that are required in the face of the dramatic changes that have taken place in B2B buying behaviour.  Having enjoyed Jill’s previous work, I was looking forward to reading her latest book, “Snap Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business with Today's Frazzled Customers”, and I wasn’t disappointed.   

The acronym SNAP reminds us that our interactions with our prospects need to be Simple, iNvaluable, Aligned and Prioritised.  Simple, because we have a vital role to play in helping our prospects deal with the complexities that surround any decision making process.  iNvaluable, because in a world where it’s hard for prospects to differentiate vendor offerings, we need to find ways of elevating our unique value through our interaction with them.   Aligned, because we need to remain focused at all times on the things that really matter to our prospects, and Prioritised, because if we’re not dealing with issues that are urgent, we’re ultimately irrelevant.

Jill skilfully explains how these four factors play out through the three key phases of our prospect’s decision making journey, which she identifies as:

1. The decision to allow us access, during which we help our prospect to move from Oblivious (no interest in connecting) to Curious (agreeing to a conversation)
2. The decision to initiate change, during which we help our prospect move from Complacent (will listen to ideas) to Committed (they have concluded that the status quo is unacceptable)
3. The decision to select resources, during which we help our prospect move from Open (they are considering their options) to Certain (they have made their choice)

The book is packed with simple, illuminating insights into why these principles are relevant, and how they might be applied.  Jill highlights the potential pitfalls that sales people can stumble into, and helps them anticipate and avoid the roadblocks that can so often derail the best-intended sales efforts.

Jill has an engaging, easy-to-read style.  I found that my copy was quickly filled with scribbled notes in the margin and that before I got to the end of the book I’d already determined to put many of the ideas into practice.  I’d be surprised if you didn’t find the same.

If you’re involved in complex, high-value B2B sales, and have been looking for a guide to help you navigate today’s challenging buying climate, the few hours it will take you to absorb the ideas in this book will undoubtedly represent time well spent.

You can buy the book on Amazon UK or US.  Once you've read it, let me know what you think... and which ideas you plan to put into practice first.