June 15 2005

"Become The Only Choice" available for shipment using Visa/MC and AMEX

An Interview with Author/CEO Mike Jacoutot by Sandra Gooden , BTOC senior editor

BTOC: First question, what made you decide to write a book?

MJ: For 24 years I have been studying the sales profession, taking notes on what worked, what didn’t work and constantly making adjustments to meet the needs and wants of customers. I carefully documented win-ratios and feel that I have enough facts and data to share some of the irrefutable laws of consultative selling.

BTOC: Why did you write the book in story format?

MJ: Because America loves a story. Ever since we were kids each of us learned some of the most important and foundational things through stories our parents told us. Too many sales books today are very technical and difficult to read. Great stories written in very simple to understand terms can cover some very complex ideas. I believe my book accomplishes this.

BTOC: Who is your target audience?

MJ: That is a great question. The book was targeted towards the beginning sales person, say 1-2 years out of college and the twenty year sales person who may have lost his or her way. The book emphasizes the need to develop good habits and stick with them, or you can be certain of one thing—bad habits will take their place. The book teaches the basics of consultative selling –active listening, being in the customer’s operating reality, effective questioning through pre-call planning and research.

BTOC: What do you mean by the term "consultative selling?"

MJ: Consultative selling is a term used by sales people who use effective questioning to gain insight into the customers business and "find the pain.” If there is no known “pain,” the consultative sales person through effective questioning can help to take the program to the next level and therefore help improve their business performance

BTOC: By effective questioning, do you mean the SIGN questions outlined in your book?

MJ: Yes, absolutely. The SIGN questions: Situation, Insight, GAP and Needs/Solution are questions that every sales person should master. Taking the time to plan your questions in advance and research the customer are critical to showing you invested in the customer prior to the meeting.

BTOC: Which one of the characters are you?

MJ: None of the characters are actually me, yet all of the characters have a part of me or some of my experiences. Frank had elements of me at 25. Al had elements of me in college as a collegiate wrestler and as a manager of national accounts at 35. I could see myself in almost every one of the characters at different times of my career. These are fictional characters made up of a combination of experiences that I personally experienced or that people I know have experienced.

BTOC: You footnote Jack Carew and Neil Rackham in your book. What impact did they have on your sales career?

MJ: Both Jack and Neil have had a tremendous impact on my sale career. I was originally trained at my first company—Wallace Computer Services, Inc. by Carew International. I read Jack’s book “You’ll Never Get No For An Answer” which reinforced what I had learned in training. Later, as I moved up the management ranks I discovered Neil Rackham and was fascinated with the amount of research he had done on sales and sales process. All of his books hit home with me. Both of these men have been guest speakers at my management meetings and their wisdom is clearly a huge part of the character -The Wizard.

BTOC: How would you measure success as it relates to the book?

MJ: Obviously, sales is one way that you can measure the success of the book however, a lot of sales books sell well because of the packaging but are too complex and not very actionable. This book provides the simple tools and lessons every sales person needs to incorporate into their day-to-day routine. I know one thing—if you implement the strategies in this book YOU WILL BE SUCCESSFUL! I have used these strategies across three companies in two different industries with a high level of success. The numbers speak for themselves.

BTOC: Will there be a sequel or another book?

MJ: If you read the book, you can see by the ending I have left the door open. I believe I have a lot to offer at the national account and sales management level as well. Maybe Frank or Al will go into National Accounts or sales management. Right now I am curious to see what people think of this book.

BTOC: How have the early reviews been?

MJ: Very positive. I have heard nothing but positive reviews from the ten people I asked to read it up front. Their quotes will be up on the website over the next couple of weeks.

BTOC: Thanks so much for your time Mike.

MJ; Thank you. The pleasure was all mine.