An old friend of mine contacted me out of the blue one day and we chatted about what we’ve both been up to. It was a great conversation and a memorable chat. Afterward he sent me an email and said he wanted to send me a business book that was very valuable to him. He said, “it’s like having a $300/hr consultant sitting by your side.” So, being the avid reader that I am, of course I said, “sure, send it my way!”

Reading it is like opening your eyes to a new way of looking at old things. It challenges some preconceived notions, which is certainly a good thing. Here’s some notable quotes from the book that I’ve read thus far. I’m on page 133 of 360. Will post a follow up with the next installment:

Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got
by Jay Abraham

• Instead of giving the salespeople 10% of the profit on a sale to a new first time client, give them 100% of the profit on the first sale.
• Clothing stores, auction houses, jewelry stores, and others hold private “by invitation only” sales events for preferred clients
• If in your field these people are referred to as customers, that’s fine. But whatever you call them, always think of them as a client.
• Determine who in your marketing area is already selling to the clients you want to be reaching, and who has their trust, respect, and goodwill.
• If you sell software for a company, you could contact a salesperson who works for a corporation that sells the computer hardware to the same client base and develop a mutually beneficial relationship.
• Tell your clients that you enjoy doing business with them and that they probably associate with other people like themselves who mirror their values and quality. If you acknowledge your client’s value and importance to you, they’ll be eager to reciprocate.
• Willingly offer to advise, talk to, or meet with anyone important to that client. In other words, offer to consult their referral without expectations of purchase, so your clients see you as a valuable expert who they can put their friends in touch.
• Why do clients stop buying from you?
  • Reason one: They stop buying temporarily and just never get around to dealing with you again. Out of sight, out of mind.
  • Reason two: They become dissatisfied. The important thing to realize, though, is that rarely did you intentionally offend or dissatisfy that client
• When you recognize that over 80% of all lost clients didn’t leave for irreparable reasons, you can instantly take action and get many–even most—of those clients back.
• I want you to stop accepting your present-day business circumstances as the way it has to be. You’re going for major breakthroughs.
• The Strategy of Preeminence is quite simply the ability to put your clients’ needs always ahead of your own. When you master that your success will naturally follow.
• The Strategy of Preeminence is a powerful yet simple strategy that almost single-handedly can transform your business or career.
• If you use the word customers, that’s fine. But always think of them as clients. And when you start to serve clients rather than sell clients, the limits on your business success will disappear.
• One of the biggest mistakes, probably the biggest mistake, people make in any business is that they fall in love with the wrong thing. They fall in love with their product, service, or company. You should believe passionately in your product, service, or company. but you should fall in love with your clients.
• Falling in love with your clients means taking responsibility for their well-being. Putting their best interests ahead of your own.
• It means following up after the sales–not just to patronize but to contribute, acknowledge, and assure that client that you care about them.
• I guarantee that when you practice the Strategy of Preeminence the rewards you will accumulate with astonish you. And I don’t mean just financial rewards. There is no question that you will generate more money than you ever imagined when you start putting your client’s needs first. But it won’t stop there.
• Acquiring clients at a breakeven or a slight loss and making substantial profits on back-end repurchasing is one of the most overlooked and underutilized methods of client growth and generation available to you.
• It’s important to get clients into the buying stream as quickly and easily as possible.
• Most businesses and people make it far too hard for clients and employers to start a relationship with them. They make it too difficult to get prospects to start using their products or services to the maximum advantage. If you lower or totally eliminate the hurdle in starting a relationship, far more people will begin one with you.
• They want to do everything possible to make it easy and attractive to get you started buying and using their service in the first place.
• Make a list of every product or service you or your company sells. Then figure out how you can lower the resistance barrier to a prospective client, employer, or prospect by lowering the entrance fee you ask.
• Picking a USP: speedy service, a longer and more comprehensive warranty or guarantee than the norm.
• The bottom line is this: Develop a USP and extol it in everything you do. It can put you head and shoulders above your competition forever.
• One of the biggest “competitive-edge” advantages you’ll ever gain is to always make it easier for the client to say yes than it is for them to say no. You do it by taking away the financial, psychological, or emotional risk factors that are always attached (stated or unstated) to virtually any decision-making proposition you ever ask a client to make.
• Assume the risk in every transaction you have with your clients. Let them know that, if they are ever dissatisfied, you will give them their money back, redo the job at no charge, or whatever else it takes to demonstrate your total, passionate commitment to their satisfaction.
• You must totally and completely guarantee the purchase for your client.
• Offer them an exceptional money-back guarantee, but allow the client to keep the bonus if he or she asks for a refund.
• Their biggest discovery is that the primary reason people don’t buy is that they don’t want to look bad in the eyes of their peers, and they don’t want to make a mistake.
• If there’s no risk in doing something, a lot more people tend to give it a try. Once they try it out, if your product or service performs as you say, most people will continue buying again and again.
• Usually a sixty-day guarantee will outproduce a thirty-day guarantee by 20-100%.
• Sample guarantee: “No Questions asked, 100 percent money back guarantee anytime within sixty days if my product fails to perform exactly as promised.”
• a tv set distributor offers to back any sets not sold by his retailers in the first 180 days
• I’ve seen strong risk reversal double and triple sales while only adding .5 to 3 percent in additional refunds to a company’s numbers.
• Look at your business, products, services, or employment skills and talents. Make a complete list of every obstacle to your clients or employers that might prevent them from purchasing, dealing with, or choosing you over your competition. Mitigate them or even better—Eliminate them!
• Instead of simply selling cars, most dealers offer their clients the opportunity to add on a stereo system, convenient financing, security devices, a sunroof, car phones, an extended warranty, and all kinds of other options to the basic purchase.
• Watch what people themselves do with your service or product after they buy it, and offer to do it for them for a fee.
• Can you offer a client a larger unit of purchase–perhaps a family size month’s supply, or  a three month, six month, or a year’s supply?
• Put in add-ons when they go up to the next step – ex: receive an extra business building report
• By merely offering people three different choices, 2/3 of the buyers bought a higher unit of sales.
• “Since we don’t know exactly what you have on the shelf now, we’ll send over one hundred books on consignment. Just send back those you don’t want”
• The important point here is to always focus on the increased profit–not lost profit—that an add-on transaction brings you.
• Consider offering three times the average volume being purchased now for two and half times the price. Offer three month, three year, etc.
• Bundle your products together to achieve the end result. Clients will thank you for it and you’ll profit tremendously by doing it.