Fit Forever: The Next Step Paperback – June 9, 2010

Securing major sales requires forming connections with every prospect. I’ve read lots of books about sales habits and techniques, but had never found one which dealt with these broader challenges around sales without tilting either to mindless optimism or anti-capitalist despair. Of all the activities in business, sales is the one which forces us to confront who we are and what we are willing to do for money. emphasizes the need to ask questions and understand the prospect’s needs, then to use that information to present the benefits that will catch the buyer’s interest. Hopkins places constant emphasis is on prepared presentations, conscientiously planned. He analyzes basic needs, how to know product and prospect, who to sell, what to sell and what to tell; he lays out a program for a positive approach, ways in which to give a verbal picture, and how to stay away from argument and bluffing. With that said, Hopkins defines the most desirable attributes of the salesman; personal enthusiasm, self-confidence, understanding of people, belief in his product, and he concludes by outlining some approaches which apply to any sales problem. Nuff said.

This book really answers a lot of unanswered questions for me. I have read this book multiple times. My only complaint about this book is somehow someway my friends steal this book from me when I'm not looking. The last copy I got I literally glued black construction paper over the cover and hid it on my bookshelf but somebody found it and stole it too. This is my 5th copy and this time I'm going to glue an exercise book cover to it, nobody like exercising, so maybe the 5th time is the charm.

This is a sales classic. I have read dozens (if not more) books on sales. Not many, or maybe none, get better than this. This book goes so in depth about everything sales related, it's crazy. This is almost like the Bible on sales. Read it cover to cover a dozen times inside of one year, I guarantee you'll be a six figure earner, no matter what sales you're in. Amazing book! A MUST for all salespeople.

You motivate yourself to getting out of bed and making the sales calls. Once in front of the buyer, customer, prospects this is where Tom Hopkins takes over.A MAP to selling.I bought this book when it first come out. I just bought it for my son, as I still skim this book every now and then.Great book!

Recently, I was reading an article about a very successful business-man and he mentioned that when he was first beginning, this book, How to Master the Art of Selling had been a tremendous help for him. It is now out-of-print, and thanks to Amazon Market Place, I was able to purchase it. This was a gift for a young, great-grandson who is just beginning to work in a sales job. I am told that as soon as he opened the package he began to read the book and that he was most pleased. I do not know how it has effected his sales!

I've been anticipating the release of this book when I saw it was being published, and as good as Tom Hopkins is (peerless, frankly, in my eyes) in the world of sales skills training, I was a little disappointed in this book.I have read his classic, epic, bestselling and game-shifting "How to Master the Art of Selling", and I have a hard time turning anywhere else when I have questions or want to refresh on the basics. I am aware there are other sales trainers, but for my money (and the money I'll make!) Tom Hopkins is the gold-standard.Some of his other books bear mention here: "Low Profile Selling" is fantastic, replete with scripts and language and good tips for how to approach the sales process without coming off as a pushy, greedy salesperson. His "Guide to Greatness in Sales" is another very good, very on-the-ground counsel for people who find themselves 6 months to five years in the business and are dealing with some of the requisite growing pains.I also can't mention highly enough his 3-CD audio collection; I have relied on disc 2 (Advanced Survival Training) more than I ever thought I would and it kept me going when I was contemplating throwing in the towel.One of the things, I think, that separates Tom Hopkins from the others is that he is selling the profession of selling to all of us, his students, in the best possible way. Demonstrating the principles he teaches, he paints vivid emotional pictures for us to imagine ourselves as successful salespeople, pictures that give us the desire to undergo the training to go out and win. It's brilliant.So I came to the latest book with this deep respect for his teachings, and is perhaps why I was underwhelmed by the book. He surely does update some of his best material for the book, and tailor it in ways to the financial services industry, but much of what he says about sales in the financial services industry - such as that your prospects are nervous about making a big decision with their money, can they trust you with it, your company, etc.? - doesn't differ substantially from sales in other areas too: real estate, corporate purchasing, high-net worth products - anywhere, in fact, where a large purchase is made, so doesn't seem that this advice is tailored or only relevant to the financial services industry.I suppose I was hoping for more script language, more specifically adapted material to financial services, but much of the book dwelt on fundamentals of any sales process - finessing the first impression, becoming referrable, etc - such that after all the exposure I've had to his teachings, I didn't find anything here that made me go "Wow, that's exactly right for my field!"That said, if you are considering this as your first Tom Hopkins book, and you work in the financial services industry, I would say without a doubt that it is an excellent introduction to his teaching, and that once you read this you'd be well-served to visit the previously mentioned works too and mine them for all of their brilliance.

Great book. A good reminder that being a great sales person is not about how many items you sell; it is about relationships with your clients & working with them is fill their needs. That is how you sell - take care of the client, & if they trust you, you will be their first choice when purchasing.

I read two books annually. How to master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins, and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Some great information in these CDs, but since it is a LIVE seminar, you hear him asking the audience to do a couple drills, where there's no speaking for a minute..... a waste of time, i.o! Also, he says "The husband will do this, and she will look at him like that....." but we can't see the gesture he's doing! He also says "We'll tell you how to do that, a little later on...." but later on never happened! Abit of a disappointment, because I thought this would be FULL of info, with him just talking!

Es ist zwar schon alt und eher für Auto/Immobilienverkäufer geschrieben, schafft man aber den Transfer in seine Branche immernoch eines der Besten Verkaufsbücher gerade für Neulinge.

really good book, i love it

Tom is really funny and has great techniques on how to talk to people, what to say and how to say it. I'm giving this to everyone on my team.

Very good book no matter how long you have been in the industry. Tom Hopkins is a true master to the art of selling

Fab