5The Book of Excellence was my first book that was published in 1990. Since then, it has sold more than 250,000 copies and has been published in nine languages. Its success far exceeded my expectations, as my goal was to simply share proven, common sense habits of successful sales professionals. Over the past forty years, I have participated in some of the best training available to the sales and marketing profession. Quite frankly, 90 percent of it is fluff. My experience is that less than 10 percent of all sales training programs are implemented to the extent that they produce increased sales and profits. The Book of Excellence is what I have learned from observing the top performers in many fields. This not only includes conventional sales professionals, but also bankers, accountants, lawyers, doctors, stock brokers, military leaders, and collegiate coaches and administrators. I believe passionately that these women and men have achieved their success by keeping it simple and by developing positive habits. Here is what I have learned about the habits that bring success in this profession I love so much. Byrd Baggett