Review of SNAP Selling: Speed Up Sales and Win More Business With Today’s Frazzled Customers


Every time someone does a survey of small business owners, it seems the issues that always bubble to the top of what we’re interested in are generating leads and finding new customers.  That’s why I’ve reviewed so many sales books recently.

First there was SHiFT, where we learned how important it is to analyze the successful sales we’ve made and identify the trigger events that get our prospects to actually buy.  Then I reviewed Selling to the C-Suite because I know how many of us need to connect with the top dog if we want to get the sale.

There is another important trend that I’ve been watching since I reviewed The 24-Hour Customer and that is the idea of the “time-strapped” customer. Today’s marketplace is an environment where getting to the right customer at the right time is a critical success factor.

So today, I’m reviewing SNAP Selling and how to win more business from frazzled customers. I was excited to receive this book from the publisher because it fit so nicely into my new interest in being at the right place at the right time to make the sale.

SNAP Selling at a Glance

Are you part of the “frazzled” customer group that Jill Konrath (@Jillkonrath) is talking about?

  1. Does complexity make you overwhelmed and then cause you to shut down?
  2. Do you subscribe to the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy?
  3. Do you think making risky decisions can hurt your career?
  4. When it comes to deciding, do all your options look the same?
  5. Do you often wonder if the people you’re talking to really know what they’re talking about?

Today’s buyers (no matter what the industry) have access to nearly perfect information over the Internet and they begin every sales interaction from a position of relative apathy or downright distrust.

Jill Konrath has been watching this trend for a while.  Her name may be familiar to you because she wrote the book Selling to Big Companies.  She’s a sales strategist and speaker whose clients include IBM, GE and Hilton. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, which makes me think she’s a no-nonsense person.

SNAP Selling is certainly a no-nonsense book.  It runs just under 300 pages and is written in an easy-to-read format that won’t tire your eyes or your brain.

SNAP Selling is written from the perspective of how your prospect or customer makes buying decisions.  So I decided to read this book from the customers’ perspective instead of the salesperson’s perspective.   Reading the book through the eyes of the customer made me see the obvious: Everyone is often in the same boat.  When I’m the salesperson, I need to remember that the customer I’m talking to is often feeling exactly the same way that I feel when the tables are turned and I’m the customer.

How Customers Make Decisions

No matter what you’re selling, your customers are insanely busy, frazzled, and don’t have time for you.  In SNAP Selling, Konrath outlines four strategies (SNAP) that you can use to get your crazy-busy prospect to stop and pay attention to what you have to offer.

  1. Keep it Simple: Make it easy for your customer to decide to buy from you.  Eliminating complexity and effort from your prospect’s decision-making will improve your chances for success.
  2. Be iNvaluable: In a world of copycat products, the personal relationship becomes essential.
  3. Always Aligned: Stay relevant to your client at all times.
  4. Raise Priorities: You want your customer to see your product or service as an urgent need.

Normally, I’d go into more detail about these SNAP decision factors – but I’m not going to because the website will give you all the sample content you’ll ever want and then some.

The SNAP Selling Website Is a Wonderful Resource

It’s standard for books to have complementary websites these days and I often find myself evaluating the overall value of a book based on its website.  I love websites that offer worksheets, supporting materials and author blogs.  The SNAP Selling website has all these and more.

The overall design is crisp and clean and easy to navigate.  Jill Konrath greets you personally with a video on practically every page.  Personally, I don’t generally like websites where videos play automatically (and this one does that). But Jill is engaging and shares more information in two minutes than most of us could in 30.

There are also lots of free resources, including the SNAP Selling Audio, a Buyers Matrix you can use to reference how your customers buy, a value proposition generator and nine tips you can use to get prospects to call you back.

Why SNAP Selling is Important to Every Small Business

SNAP Selling acknowledges the death of traditional sales and shows you how to navigate the realities of today’s sales challenges.  If you’re responsible for generating leads, closing sales and positioning your company for success,  SNAP Selling should be on your reading list.

4 Comments ▼

Ivana Taylor Ivana Taylor is the Book Editor for Small Business Trends. She is responsible for directing the site’s book review program and manages the team of professional book reviewers. She also spearheads the annual Small Business Book Awards. Ivana publishes DIYMarketers, where she shares daily do-it-yourself marketing tips, and is co-author of "Excel for Marketing Managers."

4 Reactions
  1. Snap Selling is a great book. I really liked the idea that decision makers a lot of times know that what they are doing isn’t the best, they just don’t want to take the time to explore new solutions.

    This book really helped me understand the perspective of the frazzled, time strapped prospect. This book will help you sell.

  2. Ivana,

    Fascinating review of the book. Have you listened to Anita’s & Brent’s interview with Jill Konrath?

    You wrote about a coaching session on Anita’s Facebook page. I am interested in participating in this activity.

  3. Ivana, I’m so glad you reviewed this book. I’ve used it over and over again in my prospecting and sales conversations. It has literally changed the way I approach people as well as how I advise clients to approach people. Jill has hit a homerun with this book just like her last one on Selling to Big Companies. Really good stuff and highly recommended. She also has some free downloads at her http://snapselling.com site.

    Anita interviewed her not long ago for those who want to listen: http://www.smbtrendwire.com/2011/02/08/selling-to-crazy-busy-people/

    Full disclosure — I’m a fan of Jill’s work, but she is not a client nor is this a paid endorsement.

  4. Hi TJ – Absolutely this is such a hot topic these days. I’m surprised it took this long for this philosophy to hit the mainstream – but I’m glad it did! I also love the focus on the hard work that goes into getting it right.