Synopses & Reviews
Praise for
What Works"What Works is essential reading for any businesspeople who want to improve their organizations and their own abilities. This is not a tome of pie-in-the-sky, fluffy how-to advice but is an easy read, crammed with great advicefrom improving sales ability to learning how to manage people. Not to be missed."
SHAUN REIN, founder of China Market Research Group and author of The End of Cheap China
"Focus, focus, and more focus. That is the incredible theme here of What Works. Robert Cornish and Wil Seabrook hit a true homerun in their message: knowing what you are and what you are not, knowing what works and what doesn't, and knowing when to walk away and when to stay, but hold firmare the keys to success in business and in life. What Works is more than a sales book. It's as much about the internal sale to your employees and colleagues, as it is to the customer and the prospect. If you want to improve not just your sales, but your business, What Works is a must-read."
TODD NATENBERG, author of "I just got a job in sales! Now what?" A Playbook for Skyrocketing Your Commissions
"Robert Cornish has gone beyond the usual fluff and trendy ideas and concepts and taken what actually works in the world, which is what's most important after all. The book is easy to understand with lots of real life examples, and the ideas are very practical and useable. If you want what you are doing to 'work' or to turn your ideas into effective action: read this book."
Robert J. Kriegel, PhD, New York Times and BusinessWeek bestselling author; Commentator, NPR's Marketplace; pioneer in sports psychology, Olympic and professional athlete coach
"Robert and Wil have written a wonderful no-nonsense playbook for today's CEO. There's no theory here, but rather a collection of bite-sized, pragmatic ways of thinking and doing that you can put into action right away and see immediate results in your business. This is a great one to keep close to your desk to reference often!"
David Hassell, CEO of 15Five
"While many business books and theories comb through what it takes to succeed, What Works has taken hard-won knowledge from the trenchesknowledge that has been tested and appliedresulting in practical information that can be used now. Being a successful entrepreneur myself, I know what it takes to succeed, and this book dives into what works in the real world."
Jon Ferrara, CEO of Nimble.com and founder of GoldMine
Synopsis
What Works provides applicable and relevant info for business owners that you can put to use to help remedy their problems. Authors Robert Cornish and Wil Seabrook offer advice use such as:
- Know Your Public: Focus all sales and marketing efforts only on companies and people that fit that audience you defined in the profile. This one strategy will dramatically drive growth because you're directing your efforts to the people most likely to do business with you.
- Measure Weekly: Measuring by week and managing by week can help you avoid a catastrophe that is hard to handle or correct if you're only measuring quarterly.
- Say No and Walk Away: Focus on distilling the deals that don't fully align with your goals, purposes and policies.
Synopsis
Two weeks into a recession, business partners Robert Cornish and Wil Seabrook started their company with two people, two laptops, a handshake, and an idea. They ignored the conventional wisdom that was burying their industry and forged their own path. Their mantra? "Do What Works." Only three years later, the company, Richter10.2 Media Group, attained million dollar revenues and over 300 percent growth in one year. Today, it is one of the fastest growing small businesses in America with more than fifty employees, and debt-free, having never borrowed a penny.
What Works is the blueprint to Richter's success. Now more than ever, the old models of how to start, promote, and run a successful business are no longer viable.
What Works delivers real, applicable knowledge that will help you to grow your business and create the outcomes that you're striving for.
What Works offers critical advice such as:
- Know Your Public: Focus all sales and marketing efforts only on companies and people that fit the audience you defined in the profile, which will dramatically drive growth as you direct your efforts to the people most likely to do business with you
- Measure by week and manage by week: Avoid catastrophes that would be hard to correct if you only measure quarterly
- Say No and Walk Away: Focus on distilling the deals that don't fully align with your goals, purposes, and policies
- And much more!
What Works offers the opportunity to learn how a couple of successful entrepreneurs did it themselves. Gain an edge by getting inside information that you can put into action today. No fluff, no filler. Only what works.
About the Author
ROBERT CORNISH is the cofounder and CEO of Richter Group of Companies, a management, acquisition, and venture group that owns Richter10.2 Media Group, SMPK (Social Media Press Kit), and Richter10.2 Video. He has successfully launched and run five companies since 2002, all following a similar formula. Through the combined experience of those companies, Robert has helped implement effective growth methods that have resulted in Richter's consistent success. Richter is currently on track to be one of the fastest growth companies in America with consistent targets being met quarter after quarter.
WIL SEABROOK is the cofounder and COO of Richter10.2 Media Group. His strengths lie in identifying how communication and messaging can be improved across new media platforms, whether through branding, honing a message, or creating a video trailer that perfectly captures a client's business model, making it simple to understand.
Table of Contents
Preface ix
Introduction xi
Chapter 1 On Sales 1
Care 3
Pipeline Comes before Sales 4
Sales, Selling, and Getting Your People to Sell 5
Saying No and Walking Away 6
The Art of the Follow-up 8
The Sales Team’s Role 9
The Tough Part of Sales 10
Asking 11
Long Sales Pitches 13
If They Were Sold, It Would Be Done 14
Decide for Them 15
Hold Your Position 16
Time to Cut the PR and Hit Them Straight 17
Taking Money Is Good for Them 19
It’s Your Consideration or Theirs 21
Sales Is a Game of Intention 23
Considerations Bog Sales 24
Order Taker versus Salesperson 25
Two Comments on Sales 26
Additional Sales Tips 27
How to Fill Your Day 29
Causative Sales 31
Chapter 2 On Operations 35
A Note on IKEA 37
Fast Decisions Make Time 39
Excitement Fuels a Company 40
Can I? Yes. Should I? No. 42
Time Is Not Your Friend, But Speed Is an Ally 44
Basic Operating Basis Rules 46
Getting into Communication 47
Getting Organized 50
Introductions 51
Speed 53
Client Prediction 55
Chapter 3 On Focus 57
Successful Principles 59
Identifying the Common Denominators 62
Goal Attainment 64
Learn to Hate Butterflies 65
Look 67
Work Ethic (Hustle) 68
Do It Now 70
All Things to All People 71
What Does It Take? 73
Be Focused to Drive Statistics 74
Chapter 4 On Marketing 77
A Lesson from Red Bull 79
Proactive versus Reactive 81
Speaking Human 83
Communicate to Impinge 85
Focus on Help 86
Why Illusions Help Solidify Sales 87
Chapter 5 On Management 89
Increasing Production by Defining What to Do 91
Knowledge and Management 92
Contraction and Expansion 94
Order and Expansion 95
Shed Duties 96
People 97
What Makes a Group 98
Get Rid of Bad Apples 100
Remove Nonproducers off the Line 101
True and Accurate Management 102
Chapter 6 On People 105
Client Needs, Not Wants 107
How to Handle Critical Clients 108
Customers Aren’t Always Right 109
The Best Time to Fire Them Is Before You Hire Them 111
Criticism and Considerations 113
On Being Promoted 114
Chapter 7 On Viewpoint 117
Aim Small, Miss Small 119
Busy or Disorganized 120
Dreams and Goals 123
Focus 124
What You Did Yesterday Doesn’t Matter 125
Second Wind 126
Isn’t It a Sport? 127
Be Honest with Yourself 128
The Buck Stops with You 129
Find Inspiration 130
Staying the Course 130
Dragging Decisions Is Bad Business 132
Adding Time 133
Decision Comes First 134
Doubt 135
Spend More Time Planning 135
Simple Is Smart 136
Write It Down 138
You Have to Love Feeling Causative 139
Pushing Purpose 141
Making Friends 142
Title versus Task 143
Be a Ball Hog 144
Being a Martinet about Neatness 145
Manage Objectives Like LEGO Instructions 146
Why You’re Unique 148
Don’t Get Too Serious 149
Genuine Interest and Care 150
Damn the Torpedoes . . . They’ll Swerve First 151
Money Motivation and Caring about
What You Do with Passion 152
Know Who You Are 155
Push Yourself 156
Conclusion 159
Acknowledgments 163
About the Authors 165