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Leesburg business strategist offers sales techniques in new book
Of the approximately 7,500 businesses in Loudoun, about 85 percent have 20 or fewer employees, according to Loudoun's 2006 Annual Growth Summary.
Leesburg resident Alan B. Partain, 43, has self-published a book, "The Art of Persuasive Selling," aimed at helping Loudoun's abundance of small- to mid-size businesses thrive.
Partain spent 17 years in sales for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., and, he said, sales representatives and managers encouraged him to package his selling philosophies and techniques into a book.
He finally decided to take the plunge after giving a lecture on selling techniques for the Loudoun Small Business Development Council.
“Multiple attendees asked me where they could get my book. Realizing that the book did not exist, I immediately began to compile my notes,” Partain said.
The book is targeted to a range of professionals, he said, from college seniors contemplating a career in sales to veteran sales representatives ready for a new selling strategy.
A portion of the proceeds from every book sale goes to a charitable organization called Every Orphan’s Hope. The organization provides aid, food, shelter and other needs to the orphan population in sub-Sahara Africa, specifically in the nation of Zambia, which is experiencing the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS.
The book is part of a new chapter in Partain's life. When he left Pfizer in July 2006, he was regional sales manager of the company's neuroscience division. He has since been working on a new business venture, Leesburg-based Unity Business Solutions, formerly Dulles-based Allegra Printing and Imaging.
He has been working with the owner of UBS, John Mizerak, to expand the printing business into a full-service marketing company, using the techniques from Partain's book to help businesses reach their full potential.
The company is a finalist for Small Business of the Year in the Loudoun Chamber of Commerce's annual Small Business Awards Nov. 7.
Partain lives in downtown Leesburg with his wife of 17 years, Courtney, and their three adopted children, Trevor, 9, Garret, 7, and Amelia Jane, 20 months.
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