A Mental Journey to Sales Success (Book Review)

I’ve come to expect a lot from Jeb Blount. He is one of the truly elite sales thought leaders of our day. The bar I set for this book was high.

Blount did not disappoint.

Sales EQ attacks the most important (and overlooked) aspect of success in sales: the mental game. He does so in a manner that is both enlightening and highly practical.

Blount begins with an important premise that he repeats and develops throughout the book: “People buy for their reasons, not yours.”

This is important because, while the book addresses the mindset of the sales professional, such a paradigm must begin with an understanding of what really matters to the customer. Kudos to Blount for building the book around this important foundation.

Sales EQ goes on to tackle a plethora of concepts that lead to sales success. This is a very dense work, for sure. My first read of the book brought about a heavy dose of highlighting, but I’d specifically direct attention to Chapter 11, dealing with Self Control.

Blount’s treatment of how to manage disruptive emotions is pure genius. Ziglar would have called this the most advanced application of a “check up from the neck up.”

In the second half of Sales EQ, Blount works through different aspects of the sales process and demonstrates how a healthy emotional quotient impacts a presentation from beginning to end. The influence practitioner is left with a clear understanding of how to directly apply the principles.

Jeb Blount does it again. The master at work.