The Importance of Selling

Greetings.  Dan Pink’s latest book–“To Sell is Human“–provides a fresh and intriguing look at the business of selling.  And it thoughtfully suggests that just about every one of us is a salesperson, whether we think about ourselves that way or not…because most of us are involved in persuading other people to do things that hopefully are in their best interest. We work hard to build teams and foster greater collaboration at work.  We launch new ventures that require broad support and often funding from others.  We try to convince our neighbors that initiatives will benefit our communities.  And we encourage our kids to prioritize school work, sports, music, art, time with friends, texting, walking the dog and even keeping their rooms clean in a way that will lead to their current and future success.  We just don’t think of these as “sales” activities even though they are.

And while we are doing all of these things, most of us continue to have a strong aversion to most salespeople…seeing them as pushy, self-serving, commission-driven folks, who aren’t particularly interested in our real needs, aspirations, and best interests.  Maybe we’ve simply been burned too many times.

Which is where this book comes in…showing all of us how we can reinvent or just enhance the way we go about selling based on a clear commitment to understand the real needs of those we are trying to serve by asking the right questions, paying careful attention to the answers, connecting in more meaningful ways, and committing to deliver value that makes a powerful difference in the lives of our “customers.”

As he does in all of his books, Pink taps into a wide range of social science research along with some very interesting stories from the “history” of selling to push our thinking in new ways while offering lots of practical guidance that should make all of us, including the most experienced professional salespeople, more effective and successful.  And it is an engaging read.

We win in business and in life when we seek to deliver the greatest possible value in all of our work and personal endeavors.  By persuading or helping others to reach their full potential.

Cheers!