A pair of high caliber sales consultants, Alan Vengel and Greg Wright, collaborated on this inspirational text that uses gardening as a metaphor for marketing and a thriving garden center as an analogy for successful sales in almost any field.

"We have found that using a metaphor we call the Sales Garden and its accompanying mind-set can help relieve some harmful stress and put more fun and passion into the selling process," they explain. The purpose of their book is to help salespeople beat "the career blues" and to show organizations how to support and retain their sales professionals.

The authors detail a four-step "Sales Garden" model that begins with planning or envisioning a goal, "seeding" the soil with persistent efforts to build relationships, "nurturing" those relationships with "conscious caring," and successfully harvesting sales with good timing and appreciation.

Back to the Book Stall

     Build a reputation as a problem-solver and your customer will value you all the more.

     Persistance is a constant -- you're seeding and following up, and you're persistently connecting to build relationships.

     Always look for the positives in your sales calls. Choose to be optimistic with people -- it just feels better.

     A sales support group lets you hang out with people who are eager to talk and listen, teach, and learn.

     Positive pictures give you energy and create optimistic feelings that will carry you through the day.

     Sales opportunities, like plants, mature at different times. Harvest accordingly.