Marc Miller’s A Seat at the Table: How Top Salespeople Connect and Drive Decisions at the Executive Level is an exciting and excellent offering of a demonstration in business logic, savvy, and common sense by way of a series of case studies, diagrams, and point by point instructions on the fact that effective and efficient selling is not about the product nor the message but rather networking pipelines with peoples and groups.
Miller more than implies that it is really all about building relationships that may stretch even beyond mere business ties, and that the ultimate premium is not entirely about profit but about making sound decisions based on logic and common sense. Business acumen is just a matter of learned insight coupled with operational practice, nothing mind-boggling about it.
‘A Seat at the Table’ is that reserved space for business leaders ‘who set the direction and budget of a business company.’ They are a select group, of course, only because they have found their way to that spot. The book is also a ‘critical tool for connecting with decision makers to make more and bigger sales.’
The business wisdom tome teaches people to chuck the old and tired ways of thinking, thereby casting a whole new light on the art and science of selling. It is, after all a commoditized business world out there where customers have been spoiled on that thing called value for money. It would, therefore, do a salesperson a world of good for his own sake if he transforms himself from being a mere salesperson into a businessperson who sells.
The book stresses two vital concepts: that the point of business contact is the crucial juncture when a business person who sells can impress value; and that anyone but anyone, really, has something to sell. Overall, the book is a cross between teaching the power of positive thinking and self-help textbook information on how to operate a successful business. Miller wants sales people to ‘become more customer-relevant and impactful.’
