The Grass Is Browner on the Other Side: How to Grow into an Elite Sales Professional was written to squash excuses and dispel myths about becoming a high-achieving sales professional. High-performing sales professionals aren’t some unique brand of human. They are professionals who practice basic sales skills in a unique way. The purpose of The Grass is Browner on the Other Side is to pinpoint what these basic sales skills are and how they can be developed to help an average salesperson join the ranks of the sales elite.
What is The Grass is Browner on the Other Side About?
In The Grass Is Browner on the Other Side, the path to becoming an elite salesperson starts with two shifts in perspective. The first shift concerns the nature of sales. Author Jon Markwardt argues that the sales process is broader than the “thing you do at work so that your company can get a new customer.” It’s bigger than cold calling prospects, moving leads through your sales funnel or attempting to close the deal. These aspects of sales are important, but they are only a part of the overall package.
In The Grass is Browner on the Other Side, Markwardt wants leaders to embrace sales as a natural part of life.
Whether we are asking someone to buy a house or understand our point of view, we are “selling” something. Embracing this perspective means that sales professionals need to do more than read sales books or attend a seminar. They need to make it a natural part of their behavior through active practice. (The book goes into a lot of detail on how to practice).
The second shift in perspective is away from the notion that sales is easier for people in certain locations. This mistaken idea leads sales professionals to jump ship from one company to another looking for that perfect sales environment. Right from the start, the book makes the point that the hardest part of sales (getting a customer) is difficult for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a Fortune 500 company or a one-person business trying to sell lint, the sales process is difficult for all. It is difficult, but not impossible.
Understanding and accepting this reality of sales is key to breaking out of “average” sales patterns and into the world of elite selling, an area with the potential make the sales profession great.
Markwardt is a sales expert with past experience in Silicon Valley and Fortune 1000 companies. He currently works as a traveling salesman, author, speaker and sales trainer who is helping other sales professionals reach the next level of their sales development.
What Was Best About The Grass is Browner on the Other Side?
The best part of The Grass Is Browner on the Other Side is the focus on basic concepts that most sales professionals take for granted or even ignore. Markwardt’s emphasis on these basic concepts, like “creating an obligation in your sales relationship”, redirects sales professionals away from “trendy sales techniques of the moment” back to the fundamentals practiced by expert salespeople. Markwardt delivers this emphasis with humor and storytelling, which exemplifies the way he says sales professionals should frame their techniques.
In short, the book talks about and demonstrates the fundamentals.
What Could Have Been Done Differently?
The Grass Is Browner on the Other Side takes a rather informal approach to teaching which may be a bit long-winded for readers who may want something more direct, like a bulleted list of to-do items. This approach also means that the book doesn’t dig deep enough into specifics, instead choosing to provide the broad overview. As an example, the book discusses customer relationship management (CRM) but does not detail how to effectively use CRM. (Many sales experts argue that sales professionals only use a portion of CRM’s potential. Others question the use of CRM altogether.)
Why Read The Grass is Browner on the Other Side?
The Grass Is Browner on the Other Side is designed for sales professionals who fall into two extremes, high-achieving or sales professionals needing help. For high-achieving sales professionals, the book is designed to refine sales techniques and practices. The book takes the basic concepts that many sales professionals overlook and invites readers to consider a new twist on a well-established technique. For sales professionals needing help, the entire book can offer tips and tricks for improving sales performance from a variety of different sales fundamentals.
