An updated and revised version of the business classicPower Base Selling

Power Base Selling, originally published in 1990, left readers with an understanding of and language for gaining political advantage within accounts. Now famous among sellers, the concept of aligning with powerful customer individuals or "Foxes" is taken to a new level.The New Power Base Selling offers an updated and more in-depth edition of the original classic with an empirically based breakthrough to significantly increasing sales performance. It explains how competitive selling is as much a matter of politics, customer value, and strategy as it is a management science.

Based on data from one of the most comprehensive sales surveys in the sales training industry, along with over 50,000 deal reviews,The New Power Base Selling will help salespeople quickly outfox the competition, impress customers with unexpected value, and achieve new levels of professional success.

Create Demand, as well as competitively Service DemandQuickly leverage "Situational Power Bases" to drive up win ratesProvide customers with value that advances their critical business initiativesEffectively use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social tools in a sales campaignIncrease customer satisfaction and competitive differentiation

See measurable gains and exceed quota when you leverage customer politics, value, and competitive strategy.

JIM HOLDEN is the CEO and founder of the sales consulting and training firm Holden International; a global leader in sustainable sales performance improvement. Through its ability to apply unconventional thinking that enables companies to defeat competitors and develop accounts, while providing their customers with unexpected value, Holden has improved the performance of over 700,000 salespeople in 35 countries since its founding in 1979. Mr. Holdens previous books includePower Base Selling, World Class Selling, andThe Selling Fox.

RYAN KUBACKI (MBA, Harvard) is President of Holden International and a recognized authority in making business development a sustainable competitive advantage. Prior to joining Holden, Mr. Kubacki was with Microsoft Corporation, where he held sales and marketing leadership roles in both the field and headquarters, including directing sales operations and field marketing for an 18-state region with a $1.4 billion quota.

ForewordBill McDermott xvii

Acknowledgments xix

Part 1Sales as a Management Science 1

Chapter 1 Seeing the Invisible 3
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

Chapter 2 The MBA of Selling 13
Learning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back.

Part 2Politics 29

Chapter 3 Influence and Authority 31
The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret.

Chapter 4 Foxes: The Heart of the Power Base 45
With foxes we must play the fox.

Chapter 5 Power Base Types and Implications 61
Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.

Chapter 6 Fox Hunting and Power Base Mapping 73
Nothing has such power to broaden the mind as the ability to investigate systematically.

Chapter 7 Gaining Political Advantage 93
Recognition is the greatest motivator.

Part 3Unexpected Value 113

Chapter 8 Moving Up the Sales Value Chain 115
Now my eyes are turned from the South to the North, and I want to lead one more expedition. This will be the last . . . to the North Pole.

Chapter 9 Building Expressions of Customer Value 123
Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir mens blood.

Chapter 10 Creating Demand to Displace Competitors 139
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.

Part 4Strategy 157

Chapter 11 Introduction to Compete Strategy 159
All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.

Chapter 12 Competitive Differentiation 165
If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt.

Chapter 13 The Direct Strategy: Traditional and Nontraditional Application 179
The truly wise can perceive things before they have come to pass.

Chapter 14 The Indirect Strategy: Changing the Ground Rules 187
Appear where you are not expected.

Chapter 15 The Divisional Strategy: Peaceful Coexistence 199
If the enemys forces are united, separate them.

Chapter 16 The Containment Strategy: Transition Back to Indirect 207
Though the enemy be stronger in numbers, we may prevent him from fighting.

Epilogue Helping Others Elevate the Sales Profession 217
Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.

Index 223