Many companies fail because they get their sales wrong - probably more than for any other reason, including finance. Companies with excellent products, able people and good-looking marketing plans: none of these matter if real live customers are not persuaded to write out real live cheques.Sales on a Beermat, by the team that bought youThe Boardroom Entrepreneur, is the antidote to this. It dispels the myths that prevent people from doing sales excellently - that sales is somehow flashy and dishonest. It replaces these myths with the truth, that in the modern business, everybody sells. It explains how, outlining the sales roles for the whole team, from technical people to the 'sales cornerstone' at the heart of the operation. Sales on a Beermatis for everybody who knows they have to sell, but is afraid of the process, and for anybody who does sell, who is determined to make it a key part of their business' strategy.

Mike Southon is co-founder of Beermat.biz, which helps entrepreneurs and fast-growing companies around the world. He is a Visiting Fellow in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at London South Bank University, and a Fellow of the Professional Speakers Association. He writes a weekly column 'My Business' for theFinancial Timesevery Saturday.

Mike co-founded The Instruction Set in 1984, which grew to 150 people in 5 years before being sold to Hoskyns Group. He was responsible for all sales and marketing. He has since been involved in 17 start-ups.In 2002 he co-authored the bestsellingThe Beermat Entrepreneur. He can be contacted at mike@beermat.biz

Chris West is a professional writer, with a background in marketing and PR. He has written fiction and books on business, personal development, writing good English and travel. He is co-author ofThe Beermat Entrepreneurand of the otherBeermatguides, and sole author ofMarketing on a Beermat.