The Ultimate Sales Machine
by Chet Holmes · first published 2007
70% recommend30% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical sales and marketing system built around ideas like the Dream 100 target-client list, educational marketing and lumpy mailers; useful to founders and marketers, and even people outside sales.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Chet Holmes has been called "one of the top 20 change experts in the country." He helps his clients blow away both the competition and their own expectations. And his advice starts with one simple concept: focus! Instead of trying to master four thousand strategies to improve your business, zero in on the few essential skill areas that make the big difference.Too many managers jump at every new trend, but don't stick with any of them. Instead, says Holmes, focus on twelve critical areas of improvement—one at a time—and practice them over and over with pigheaded discipline.The Ultimate Sales Ma
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Sales: The very best books/resources on the subject are: 1. The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes 2. Zig Ziglar's The Secrets of Closing the Sale 3. Brian Tracy's The Psychology of Selling Copywriting: The 3 Best Books (All out of print): 1. Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples 2. Scientific…
on “Ask HN: Best way to learn copywriting and sales?” ↗My favorite book on sales tactics is Chet Holmes, the Ultimate Sales Machine. Here is a summary: https://capitalandgrowth.org/articles/893/book-summary-the-u...
on “All Things Sales: Mini-lessons for startup founders” ↗…equal or better ROI than the salesman himself. 4. If you are short on cash, you can build a sales team on commission only. This book has a few ideas on how to set that up: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ultimate-Sales-Machine-Turbocharge...
on “How to hire a sales person” ↗- The Ultimate Sales Machine: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842158/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... - Spin Selling: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0070511136/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... and this is a very good article on the general topic:…
on “Ask HN Hustlers: What are you favorite books on sales?” ↗That was some good stuff. I wish we had more of this kind of content on HN. :-) That said, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of studying materials from Chet Holmes (RIP), the author of The Ultimate Sales Machine. I got hold of a set of videos he did in conjunction with Anthony Robbins, where he talks about marketing and sales at great length. We[1] are currently working to implement his "Dream 100 / Best Buyer"…
on “The brutal truth about marketing your software product” ↗…Ferriss (ignore the outsourcing bit, listen to his podcast) Books on breaking out of your thought bubble. Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell Ishmael - David Quinn Books for understanding how sales works Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes Negotiate As If Your Life Depended on It - Chris Voss Any of these books are great starts. If the leadership big bites you there's way more I can suggest. Most of these are a mix of classics…
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗…touches on aspects of selling in an enterprise setting, especially for new products. The Salesman Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL5m7amy0FXEAe9WxhXTI_A ~~~~~ But I'd now also add: The Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes Customercentric Selling, 2nd Edition - Michael T. Bosworth, John R. Hollandd, Frank Visgatis
on “Ask HN: What are some good books/resources about sales?” ↗…should’ve brought as much as $300,000 in gross profits of the course of the year. I’d say a 2000x ROI is not bad for a week of work and a couple hundred dollars in materials. I think lumpy mailers à la The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes are a phenomenal way to cut through the clutter with CPM‘s skyrocketing and conversion rates plummeting for PPC marketing.
on “Handwritten thank you notes increase sales” ↗…Lookup the current textbook for "Marketing 101" (or it's equivalent) at a nearby college. Go buy the book and read it, even if you don't take the class. If you have time and money, take the class. 3. The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes. I'm deep into studying Chet's approach now, and his book has some great stuff on it. If you can, get hold of his videos from the program he did with Anthony Robbins titled "Ultimate Business…
on “Ask HN: What can you recommend to Read for future startup founder?” ↗…something you can try to pitch attendance. The effectiveness of that varies by market. I think educational marketing works...you just need to find the right vehicle. I highly recommend Chet Holmes's 'Ultimate Sales Machine.' Depending on your price point and geography I think simply setting up a meeting is a great first step. Most businesses are secretly relationship businesses. Taking an interest in a set of ideal customers…
on “ How cold calling (properly) works better than AdWords” ↗…Jack Trout Positioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout Repositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin) Differentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin) The Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy The Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes All Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin The Purple Cow - Seth Godin
on “Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?” ↗…Jack Trout Positioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout Repositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin) Differentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin) The Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy The Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes All Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin The Purple Cow - Seth Godin And add in one generic "Marketing 101" textbook. Find something at a used bookstore or order used on Amazon. Something…
on “Ask HN: Tips for a first time startup?” ↗…(any business that focuses on customer service is going to do better) - Purple Cow by Seth Godin (classic) - The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E Gerber (a great mindset to have for your business) - The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes (slow start but simply awesome) - All the 37signals books - Lean Startup (obviously) These are just of the top of my head. I don't keep books. I figure I can always buy them again if…
on “Lifehack question: How do you read a business book?” ↗…genuinely trying to help the customer - as opposed to stuff about how to "trick" the customer into saying yes. I also like a lot of what I've read from Jeffrey Gittomer and Grant Cardone. Oh, and The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes as well. He (Chet H.) did a series of videos with Anthony Robbins that is really good. I really recommend watching those.
on “Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?” ↗…get conversations started, I recommend the series of books by Jeff Thull that includes Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution. There's also some really good stuff in The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes and The Challenger Sale by by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson.
on “Ask HN: What to do with a list of potential customers?” ↗