Promise of a lifetime

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Wanted: CEOs from India

: The Ultimate Sales Machine is not simply a title of this book, it is the promise, yes a promise, to turn the reader into one. And if you diligently follow what Holmes teaches there is no doubt that you will turn into one.

Therein lies the genius of the author. He has enumerated on how to diagnose current state, hire the right people, motivate and focus a team, develop winning strategies and implement them efficiently and successfully. He has not done it in a boring academic way but in a manner that is eminently readable, in fact unputdownable.

He begins each exercise with a story, a real story that not only demonstrates the success of Holmes’ approach but also helps create empathy for the reader.

Why then, you may wonder, we don’t see enough USMs in business. That is the nugget in this book that distinguishes the book from others like it. His emphasis, repeated emphasis, on pig headed discipline and determination in implementation of successful strategies is relentless. Holmes would make a formidable boss. He goes on to tell real stories of how pig headed discipline and determination is what separates successful stories from unsuccessful ones. Beyond preaching the virtue of pig headed discipline and determination and telling stories about it Chet actually shows you how to do it. He breaks down the concept of discipline into lists and number of points to achieve. However complex or intellectual a task he breaks it down into simple handleable steps that allow you to achieve them.

The width and depth of his experience and his genius in collating it in a book makes this a really valuable book for any practitioner for marketing or sales. It may be a good idea to read this book slowly. Take it chapter at a time and treat it like a workshop. Once you start practicing what the chapter talks about, read ahead. Read and practice chapter after chapter… you’ll feel the difference. You will soon begin to drop the practices and slink into your old ways which are successful too if a little less driven.