Salespeople could increase their sales volume by dumping time-consuming clients with little hope of a sale and focusing on those who inspire and energize, according to a new sales and marketing book.

Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling says a solid foundation for staying booked includes choosing the ideal client to work with, understanding why people buy the product or service, developing a memorable brand and having the ability "to talk about what you do without sounding confusing or bland."

Author Michael Port shares the practical and spiritual principles of his "book yourself solid" philosophy in a 258-page hardcover book that includes written exercises to keep the reader on track.

The first step is to examine the current client types, define the ideal client and get ready to dump the "duds."

Consider the list of characteristics or behaviors that are not easily tolerated, the kind of people who should not be on the current client list and write them down, he says.

Then get rid of them.

"Why have clients, or anyone for that matter, in your life who zap your energy and leave you feeling empty?" Port says.

In his first year of business on his own, Port analyzed his own clients and dumped 10 of them in one week. He said it wasn't easy to do but it was worth the effort.

"Within three months I had replaced all 10 and added 6 more," he explains. "Not only did I increase my revenue, I felt more peaceful and calm than I ever had before, and I enjoyed my clients and my work more."

Next, analyze why the clients buys, identify the target market and the client's needs and desires.

"What are the deep-rooted benefits your clients will experience as a result of your services?" the book asks.

"Every time you communicate in person, by writing, on the Internet, in an advertisement, in business meetings, or on the phone, articulate and rearticulate these benefits," Port explains. "Use words that you hear your clients use and express very specific solutions to their very prominent problems."

Finally, the personal brand is paramount to a salesperson's success, he says.

The two components of a personal brand are the "who and do what" and the "why you do it" statements, he explains.

"I want you to laser-beam your focus on these two aspects of your personal brand until you feel totally and utterly fully expressed when you put words to your who and do what and your why you do it statements," Port writes.

To begin, salespeople should write down whom it is they help and why they do it. Take time to clearly develop these statements, the book says. Port said it took him six months. For example, Port "helps professional service providers book themselves solid" and he is known as "the guy to call when you're tired of thinking small," he says. "Those who resonate with your why you do it statement will feel it on a deep level and be strongly, almost magnetically, attracted to you," he says. "That will be the defining moment they need to decide whether to purchase your services, products, or programs."