Jeff Cox displayed his remarkable gift for translating complex theories into entertaining stories as the coauthor of Zapp! and The Goal. Now, in collaboration with sales and marketing guru Howard Stevens, CEO of the H. R. Chally Group, he tells a story in the style of an ancient parable to reveal vital lessons gleaned from decades of research on salespeople and customers -- lessons that will help you identify the right way to sell successfully.

Selling the Wheel recounts the story of Max, the resourceful fellow who invented the Wheel and found himself faced with the challenge of convincing people to accept his breakthrough innovation. In so doing, it demonstrates four essential selling styles, each requiring a distinctly different type of salesperson and selling approach. As Chally's research clearly shows, no company can be all things to all customers: sales tactics and strategies must change as technologies and markets mature to reflect new values demanded by customers. Written with humor and filled with practical insights, Selling the Wheel will be treasured by managers, salespeople, and entrepreneurs everywhere.

Jeff Cox has done it again. The coauthor of Zapp! and The Goal--bestselling business books that employ engaging fictional tales to advance a slew of practical suggestions--now teams with marketing specialist Howard Stevens to do for sales what his previous efforts did for motivation and productivity. In Selling the Wheel, he crafts a witty story around solid sales fundamentals that Stevens has gleaned from a quarter-century of research and analysis. Its hero is a fledgling old-time entrepreneur named Max who invents the wheel but can't get anybody to buy one. With marketing assistance from his wife ("In the olden days," Cox explains, "women almost always did the marketing"), and guidance from a cave-dwelling wise man, Max ultimately succeeds with help from four distinctly different types of salespeople, dubbed Closer, Wizard, Builder, and Captain. While this may sound silly when taken out of context, the story is entertaining and, more important, filled with sound tips that could help sales professionals and their managers deal with varying evolutionary phases of any product or service. Among its many nuggets: "Silence has been used for centuries as a closing technique. The game is simple. After asking a closing question, say nothing--because the person who speaks next loses." --Howard Rothman