GROWING UP IN POVERTY, every day is a battle with fear, stress, and anxiety. Mistakes, misreads, misplays, miscalculations: all can end in missed opportunities that may never come again. The struggles of the poor demand courage, stamina, constant re-ordering of priorities, and the need for winning strategies. Salespeople from entry-level cold callers to wily veterans suffer much the same anxieties but lack the street-smart skills that a deeply deprived childhood demands: adapt or die,while still having fun! Author Anthony Belli is a millionaire high-performance salesman and sales force manager who grew up dirt poor in East Harlem, New York. Often hungry and without a cent in his pocket, as a child, Belli became expert in the highly creative art of person-to-person negotiation using a variety of risk- managed, cash-producing techniques to underwrite his next slice of pizza, tactics he describes as "eating without stealing." The Street-Smart Salesman imparts Belli's hard-earned wisdom and advice to the lasting benefit of a salesperson's bottom line and ability to sleep at night. Populated with real-life characters from Belli's old neighborhood deadbeat landlord, hooker with a heart, mobbed-up candy store owner, countless junkies, winos, and wiseguys this unflinching memoir teaches how the survival skills of the honest poor can be used to maximize success in sales. Belli's wholly unconventional, ghetto-tested strategies include: Minimize cold-calling: Using customers' networks to supply your pipeline Recognition that sales are driven by emotions not logic, and not price Playing dumb: When to talk and when to shut up Why hope is your enemy and reality your friend Ways to play a last-minute balky customer Prioritizing for profit And more! Belli's hard-earned insights defy conventional sales training wisdom by valuing humility, creativity, attention, and improvisation over the vaunted one-two punch of ceaseless script recitation accompanied by free samples. Take his advice to heart, and watch your anxiety recede as your fortunes grow.

GROWING UP IN POVERTY, every day is a battle with fear, stress, and anxiety. Mistakes, misreads, misplays, miscalculations: all can end in missed opportunities that may never come again. The struggles of the poor demand courage, stamina, constant re-ordering of priorities, and the need for winning strategies. Salespeople from entry-level cold callers to wily veterans suffer much the same anxieties but lack the street-smart skills that a deeply deprived childhood demands: adapt or die,while still having fun! Author Anthony Belli is a millionaire high-performance salesman and sales force manager who grew up dirt poor in East Harlem, New York. Often hungry and without a cent in his pocket, as a child, Belli became expert in the highly creative art of person-to-person negotiation using a variety of risk- managed, cash-producing techniques to underwrite his next slice of pizza, tactics he describes as "eating without stealing." The Street-Smart Salesman imparts Belli's hard-earned wisdom and advice to the lasting benefit of a salesperson's bottom line and ability to sleep at night. Populated with real-life characters from Belli's old neighborhood deadbeat landlord, hooker with a heart, mobbed-up candy store owner, countless junkies, winos, and wiseguys this unflinching memoir teaches how the survival skills of the honest poor can be used to maximize success in sales. Belli's wholly unconventional, ghetto-tested strategies include: Minimize cold-calling: Using customers' networks to supply your pipeline Recognition that sales are driven by emotions not logic, and not price Playing dumb: When to talk and when to shut up Why hope is your enemy and reality your friend Ways to play a last-minute balky customer Prioritizing for profit And more! Belli's hard-earned insights defy conventional sales training wisdom by valuing humility, creativity, attention, and improvisation over the vaunted one-two punch of ceaseless script recitation accompanied by free samples. Take his advice to heart, and watch your anxiety recede as your fortunes grow.

The author "lays out a detailed set of guidelines that will be useful for ambitious salespeople, beginners or established professionals who wish to become Sales Superstars. Milstein learned hard lessons working his way to the pinnacle of the sales profession. In his new book he reaches out to help aspiring salespeople work their way up to join him at the top. The advice in the book ranges from simple things, like how to make and use an effective daily to-do list, to how to develop a long-term career plan. Most of the book, however, is aimed at self-improvement for motivated individuals." -- Author's website.

If we evaluate the consistent top producers in any sales force, what do we find? Salespeople who are positive, aggressive, motivated, and savvy and who know how to sell in the real world. The lessons these successful individuals have learned are available here for all. While this book was written for men and women who sell products and services, it can benefit those who must sell themselves in one manner or another.

Small firms in Chicago employ more than 1.6 million individuals—nearly 50 percent of the private work force, according to a new study released this fall by the Small Business Administration. The survey, which defines small firms as those employing less than 500 people, also shows that these businesses generate 47 percent of the area's total receipts of $278 billion dollars. However, SBA statistics also reveal that, on average, of the small businesses starting today, 53 percent will not be in business four years from now. Of these closings, it's estimated that 15 percent will close due to business failures. Chicago businessman Jay Goltz understands what it takes for a small business to succeed. During the past twenty years he has owned and operated Artists' Frame Service in Chicago. Goltz started the business in 1978, and today it's the largest, custom retail picture framing facility in the world. Now, Goltz shares some his secrets of success.

"One is tempted to say 'the only book you'll need on starting a business.' Brilliant! Genius! Choose your superlative-it'll fit."-Tom Peters People starting out in business tend to seek step-by-step formulas or rules, but in reality there are no magic bullets. Rather, says veteran company-builder Norm Brodsky, there's a mentality that helps street- smart entrepreneurs solve problems and pursue opportunities as they arise. Brodsky shares his hard-earned wisdom every month in Inc. magazine, in the hugely popular "Street Smarts" column he cowrites with Bo Burlingham. Now they've adapted their best advice into a comprehensive guide for anyone running a small business.

Experienced franchisees and franchisors tell entrepreneurs what they need to know before they buy a franchise. Second edition includes a sample copy of the entire UFOC plus 40% new and updated examples. This straight-shooting franchise guide goes beyond the “how to” to teach potential franchisees what to expect when starting a franchise. Real life stories from the trenches illustrate how to cope with the difficulties a franchise presents. The author reveals the personality types most likely to succeed at franchising, and identifies entrepreneurial traits that may increase risk of failure. Plus, it takes an in-depth look at the research and investigation of a franchise, something glossed over in most franchise books.