Lessons From
the
Concrete Garden
Copyright: 2011
Self-published: Outskirts Press, Inc.
67 pages
Includes: Acknowledgments, Letter to the Reader, Diagrams, About the PSSE Training Program and the K-Method Group, Program Information
ISBN # 978-1-4327-6426-5
Source: Supplied by the author for review without compensation to me
(from the back cover) "Over a decade has been spent in research, development and field testing in order to identify and document the specific skill sets, characteristics and knowledge of a highly skilled and professional salesperson. Lessons From the Concrete Garden is a by-product of this work and is packed with insight and ideas that will explain why many salespeople struggle and most fail. It shines a spotlight on the struggling automotive industry and its selling practices and asks the question: how is it possible to spend billions of dollars on R&D, manufacturing and marketing to produce some of the most technologically advanced and complex products, then miss the mark when it comes to educating the individuals responsible for selling them? It drives the point home that salespeople are the first and last to touch the actual buyers of these products and they are probably the most important spoke in the business development wheel and are deserving of a quality and proper education.
This exciting book provides real answers and proposes real solutions for businesses and selling professionals that are struggling to find a plan of action that actually works. It discusses what to do, when to do it, how to do it and why it needs to be done. Lessons From the Concrete Garden is a Gem! This is a must read for anyone involved in selling, training or business development."
"The Concrete Garden is a metaphor for the automobile dealership sales lots. This is where all the cars are neatly arranged and salespeople are standing at the doors or looking out the windows as if to watch them grow, while waiting for the next customer to show up."
"The Concrete Garden is a metaphor for the automobile dealership sales lots. This is where all the cars are neatly arranged and salespeople are standing at the doors or looking out the windows as if to watch them grow, while waiting for the next customer to show up."
My Review: Kurtis Smith once worked as a car salesman, He quickly surpassed the other salspeope in sales but then found no further assistance to keep his momentum. No training. His sales manager was of no assistance. Kurtis recognized the need for a program, some training that would provide a template for a standardized education for all inidviduals involved in sales and sales management. He wrote "it is virtually impossible for the average person in the workforce to learn and retain new information, especially if they are expected to apply it immediately. ...without the ability to repeat the training over and over again, the learner is forced to try to remember the content, the nuances, and even the finer points of the subject matter in order to apply them, which is quite difficult." Kurtis then outlines the things necessary to make the learning curve easier to accomplish.
Within the book, Lessons From the Concrete Garden, Kurtis uses the comparison of puppy training to that of teaching new and desirable behaviours within the workplace. Quotes from fantastic leaders reinforce Kurtis Smith's theory that salesmanship isn't something you're born with, it is something that can be learned. He has put together a program that will educate, set guidelines and includes a monitoring system to achieve success. This book touches upon those components. Take a moment to check out his website, http://www.kmethod.com/.
Kurtis Smith writes with clarity and assurance. If I were a proprietor of a business, I would seriously want to use his methodology. He is, by the way, available for public speaking engagments too. I would have liked to have some in-depth teaching within this book but that would detract from his program. Perhaps in the future he will develop a manual with The K-Method fully outlined for entrepreneurs that can be purchased separate from the program. At the very least, one is aware of steps that can be taken to strengthen their sales personnel by reading and implementing some of the ideas touched upon here. As he recommends, put the salesperson together first, and then his or her sales will come together too.
This book is not limited to sales personnel. There are some valuable ideas here to help the average person to reach beyond their current limitations to succeed.
Rated: 4/5 (reference)
For more information, visit the author's webpage www.outskirtspress.com/lessonsfromtheconcretegarden
Website Address: http://www.kmethod.com/
Blog Address: www.kmethod.com/blog
(Dewey Decimal challenge)
Within the book, Lessons From the Concrete Garden, Kurtis uses the comparison of puppy training to that of teaching new and desirable behaviours within the workplace. Quotes from fantastic leaders reinforce Kurtis Smith's theory that salesmanship isn't something you're born with, it is something that can be learned. He has put together a program that will educate, set guidelines and includes a monitoring system to achieve success. This book touches upon those components. Take a moment to check out his website, http://www.kmethod.com/.
Kurtis Smith writes with clarity and assurance. If I were a proprietor of a business, I would seriously want to use his methodology. He is, by the way, available for public speaking engagments too. I would have liked to have some in-depth teaching within this book but that would detract from his program. Perhaps in the future he will develop a manual with The K-Method fully outlined for entrepreneurs that can be purchased separate from the program. At the very least, one is aware of steps that can be taken to strengthen their sales personnel by reading and implementing some of the ideas touched upon here. As he recommends, put the salesperson together first, and then his or her sales will come together too.
This book is not limited to sales personnel. There are some valuable ideas here to help the average person to reach beyond their current limitations to succeed.
Rated: 4/5 (reference)
Blog Tour Links: http://www.kmethod.com/products.php
Website Address: http://www.kmethod.com/
Blog Address: www.kmethod.com/blog
(Dewey Decimal challenge)
hello, I must purchase this book, i know someone who may benefit from it. nice review. heading over to the website. music is nice also.
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