This is the paperback edition of the bestselling sales book that is now poised to join the classics such as Strategic Selling, Solution Selling, and Spin Selling on the sales bookshelf. In fact, since Rick Page's Hope Is Not a Strategy was published in late 2001, it has sold 37,000 copies in hardcover, and has generated a tremendous amount of excitement in the sales world. In fact, Page's groundbreaking sales system has been adopted by Microsoft, Deloitte, PeopleSoft, Oracle, and NASDAQ. The secret to the success of Hope Is Not a Strategy is its unique approach, which is a synthesis of best practices from the areas of consultative, competitive, and team selling into a simple, effective process for winning sales. In the last ten years, the art and science of selling have evolved through several generations, from moving commodities, to selling strategic solutions, to forming business partnerships. The latest, greatest challenge facing salespeople today is the complex sale. While the complex sale once referred to any sale that had multiple buyers, the shift to an information economy has transformed the complex sale and caused it to explode to include new challenges that are overwhelming salespeople and managers. At the core of Hope Is Not a Strategy is a simple, six-step process designed to help salespeople and their managers conquer the complex sale: The first step is to learn about the client's pains using a needs assessment. The second step focuses on qualifying the prospect, or in other words, choosing battles you can win. The third step teaches how to nurture competitive preference, allowing you to gain the edge on your competition. The fourth step shows you how to recognize your client's decision-making process and understand what makes it tick. The fifth step is all about power, and how to be sure you're selling to the most powerful figure in the organization. The sixth step demonstrates how to combine steps 1 through 5 into a strong and agile sales strategy.