Bookpleasures.com today is once again pleased to have as our guest, Daniel Milstein, best-selling author of The ABC of Sales, 17 cents and a Dream and now his most recent, Street Smart Selling.

Norm: Good day Dan and thanks for participating in our interview.

Dan: Thank you for having me.

Norm: What made you decide that you were ready to write Street Smart Selling?

Dan: I wanted to come full circle with my readers. When I started down this path of giving back to aspiring salesmen, I used my first book, The ABC of Sales, as a way to "give back," by telling how I got my start. I wanted to share some of the basics of how they could enjoy what I consider a great profession.

Street Smart Selling is different. I spent a lot of time really thinking about what it takes for a "good" salesperson to achieve greatness. I looked at the good and not-so-good times in my own career, and I talked to other people I know who found success by learning from their past, including times when they failed. What emerged for me was a sort of roadmap for success that I could share with my audience.

Norm: What would you say is the best reason to recommend Street Smart Selling and how does it differ from other books concerning the same topic?

Dan: In Street Smart Selling I made sure to keep all the advice just that – street smart. These aren’t tips that you would find in a business school class – rather, they’re based on years of experience in selling products directly to consumers. These are a set of powerful but practical tools anyone who is willing to put in the hard work it takes to implement them.

Norm: Why do you think this is an important book at this time?

Dan: In challenging economic climates, the more that a person can control their own destiny, the better. Sales is, one of the few jobs where honest, hardworking, and dedicated professionals can achieve great success and control their futures.

Norm: What was the most difficult part of writing your book?

Dan: Finding the time. I wear many hats, including being a CEO of a company with several hundred employees, but in the end I am a salesman at heart. This means a very large commitment to my customers. And certainly the most important is a non-negotiable commitment to my family and my daughter, so time to sit down and write can sometimes be hard to come by.

Norm: What are your hopes for this book?

Dan: If my book inspires even one salesperson to achieve the success, I will consider it an unqualified success, though I certainly hope it will inspire a lot more than one!

Norm: What was one of the most surprising things you learned in writing the book?

Dan: I actually identified some techniques I have been using all my professional life without being consciously aware I was using them. They were second-nature to me, so I had never really thought of them as "techniques" until I identified them for the book.

Norm: Do you feel that most business owners don’t use their imagination when it comes to sales?

Dan: I think most successful business owners do; that's a big reason they are successful. For those who don’t, they run the risk of alienating their sales force. While the business may survive, they lose out on quality people. The key is engagement. The salesforce has to be engaged in the company, and I think successful business owners really believe in that first and foremost.

Norm: If you had to chose five traits that make a Street Smart salesperson, what would they be and why?

Dan: Determination, determination, determination, determination, and determination.

Now that’s not the end of the equation – determination needs to be balanced with a passion for sales, you need to truly enjoy talking to people, you need to have a self-starting work ethic, you need to be able to turn adversity into opportunity. But what will ultimately take you to the top is pure determination, having the will to put in the long hours, to overcome the failures, and to keep coming back.

Norm: When can people talk to Dan Milstein to get a behind the scenes scoop on Street Smart Selling?

Dan: I plan on doing several appearances, interviews, and a few book signings – my readers and anyone else who is interested should stop by and I will be happy to talk to them.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and your books? You also have a memoir, correct?

Dan: Yes. My memoir is 17 Cents and a Dream and it details my life growing up in the former Soviet Union and our journey to America to pursue a better life. As for the best places, my readers can visit DanMilstein.com, or my Facebook page, facebook.com/MilsteinDaniel. I try to keep up with correspondence sent to me from there, so I will be happy to talk to my readers further.

Norm: What is next for you?

Dan: I'll keep looking for new adventures in business, sales, and life. I have a wonderful family, wonderful friends, and what I consider to be the best job in the world. That seems like a pretty good road for me to keep travelling down.

Norm: As this interview draws to a close what one question would you have liked me to ask you? Please share your answer.

Dan: You could have asked me, "How do you think your next customer call will go?" My answer is, I have no idea – but I intend to thoroughly enjoy finding out!

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of Street Smart Selling

Follow Here To Purchase Street Smart Selling: How to Be a Sales Superstar