Like weekly blocking and tackling drills for a Super Bowl team, some activities are so basic and critical to a winning performance that they demand constant practice, even if you are a pro. So it is with sales. While every rep in the industry may know the importance of asking questions or the art of closing, what often seperates the true competitors from the rest of the league is their ability to consistently execute these basics day after day, play after play.

Dave Kahle's book takes a similar basic approach. He examines the fundamentals of selling - from goal setting to time management - with the objective of taking the sales rep to a higher level of performance by mastering the basics.

Consider, for example, his chapter on Managing an Interactive Sales Dialog. He first lays out the basic steps:

You make them comfortable with you.
• You find out what they want. You show how what you have helps them to get what they want.
• You get their agreement to acquire it.

Simple to say? You bet! But considerably harder to do, especially the second step of finding out what the customer wants. He likens the follow-up questioning approach tp the peeling of an onion where each question takes you to a different layer of information - from technical specifications for a particular part to the personal reasons that affect the buying decision. Again simple concept but one that bears review with a sales force on a regular basis.

While some chapters like the one on getting organized may seem dated with its references to keeping 3 x 5 note cards on customers rather than using the more powerful contact management software packages now available, his emphasis on continuous self improvement makes his text timeless.