A Bark for Sales: A Review of Sales Dogs

So many times in my career, I’ve gotten into the groove of generating idea after idea, and then I get to the point where I think “where the f*ck do I get my next inspiration?!”. We've all had that “what now?” moment. In fact, a couple of months ago I had hit that exact same sales-wall.

But then I stumbled upon this one-of-its-kind-type book.

The kind of book that you want to immediately re-read once you’ve finished it. The kind of book that you want to highlight completely and then write an elegant summary of it to fully grasp its ideas and insights.

I’m not claiming that Sales Dogs offers the secret ingredient to success or provides the perfect sales process. It’s merely a guide to understand a process that has existed as long as we have been on this planet.

At first, I was puzzled by Blair. Why would he compare us to these simple creatures? Don't get me wrong, dogs are my kind of animal! But the idea of “lowering yourself to their level” can be shocking for some people, including me. Well, let me tell you, 20 minutes into the book, I had torn through the introduction and the first

From the first page, I started to see sales in a whole different light. Already it confirmed some of my beliefs and refuted some others, and I didn't like it.

Every chapter shows you how right you were when you closed that sale with the huge prospect. And then it shows you how you actually messed up with that big discount you deliberately gave at the end of the negotiation, or countless other mistakes that prevented you from closing other deals.

This book will force you to question your every thought, look back at past experiences, and generate awareness about your actions — it will make you think about potential consequences in a deeper way.

While I was reading I came one step closer to understanding myself and the career that caught me by surprise. And further, the people around me. I can tell you that I am on the right track to becoming the big dog because I’ve learned a way to approach sales from a different angle.

Your whole perspective towards this field will experience a swift change. Myths and beliefs will be broken down even if it’s just one brick. And you will improve: improve as a sales professional and, even more importantly, as a person. You might think to yourself “okay, I only want to sell more and that’s it”. And that is fine. But where is the motivation for your reps? Where is the right approach to every sales scenario? Where is the value generation for your customer? Where is the life for You?

I strongly recommend Sales Dogs for all those starting a career in sales and even for those who have been in sales for years. You will start recognizing the 5 types of salespeople and compare them with our best friends. Trust me, your views towards sales will change. Every case study is shortened to an anecdote and put in simple terms, making it easy for the reader to absorb. Not only is reading it a fun experience, but it will also teach you to adapt your tactics to specific sales scenarios.

Once you finish this book, you will automatically start seeing everyone dog-shaped AND next time you pick up that phone to call your next prospects, you won't be nervous about talking to them. You will reach that point, because as Blair says, “everyone is a sales person”. We’ve just lost the motivation and skill over the years, but we can learn this again.