To Sell Is Human

Charm and Insight

Pink states his propositions plainly and simply. His authorial voice communicates good will. And for all his considerable intelligence, Pink doesn’t talk down to his readers or trumpet his expertise. He has a folksy, unpretentious style. However, his continual presentation of himself as just another busy dude who stumbled onto something new and exciting can get a little tiresome, and he can become downright annoying when he launches ideas that seem unrealistic. But on the whole, Pink’s charm makes him readable, credible and memorable; after all, his other books have sold more than a million copies in the US alone. In foundational but not wholly original advice, Pink urges salespeople to remember that “honesty, directness and transparency” produce higher-yielding long-term customer relations. He posits that the “natural” salesperson either doesn’t exist or is irrelevant or both, “in part because we’re all naturally salespeople.” Lifelong social interaction only enhances your sales skills.

ABC

Alec Baldwin’s incendiary speech to a group of salesmen in the film Glengarry Glen Ross exemplifies old-school sales thinking. Speaking the words of playwright David Mamet, Baldwin reminds the salesmen to “A – always. B – be. C – closing.” For decades, this has been the main idea drilled into every salesperson. But it worked only when clients had fewer options and salespeople held all the data. As Pink shows with clear examples, the end of this “information asymmetry” transforms sales. Now that buyers have infinite choices and may know more about products and features than many salespeople, Pink offers a richer, more contemporary ABC.