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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
medium-paced
To Sell is Human was one of the books I had heard about for months, recommended by my fellow entrepreneurial peeps left and right. Finally grabbed the audio version - narrated by the author - and listened to the book, and overall, it was a let down from what I had expected to find.
The author uses the approach of getting his point across in a style similar to Malcolm Gladwell - whose first two books, Tipping Point and Blink, were brilliant! - but in the case of this book, do you really want to hear story after story about statistical success rates of this car salesman vs. that car salesman (the first few sections) followed by other study after study of what % of participants in this case study did XYZ. Way too much of that and way too little actual context or content on anything that would help you become a better, more authentic and more natural salesperson (man or woman!).
To listen to this book was no fun, and I am fascinated by the selling process but the overwhelm of case studies and regurgitation of the strategies of others made this another common book among the thousands. Getting to Yes is a great book on negotiation and Steven Covey's 7 Habits are great stuff but what does the author have to offer here?
If you are looking for practical tips on how to become a better sales person, you will hear some of them spread out in the book but there is no step by step process outlined, there is no help with the sales conversation. He does point out that sometimes asking questions is better than telling. Yes, I agree. And that being positive is good but not too much, some negativity is also good. Argh. Really?
My business coach teaches me more in an hour of coaching on sales language and addressing objections of the customer than this entire book did.
Here are some good takeaways which are again not original to the book but the book mentions:
- The 6-part Pixar story pitch:
Once upon a time there was _____
Every day _______
One day _______
Because of that _______
Because of that _______
Until finally ________
- He tells us to use the "Yes and" phrase to follow on the trail of what the other person had said. I had heard this before. Again, not original but very useful.
- A quote from another famous person: "Never argue. To win an argument is to lose a sale." (Can't argue with that ;))!
- This may have been original and I love the twist on upsell:
Abolish Up-sell
Instead Up-serve
- I also love this idea the author talks about:
Designate a slow day so you can listen more. A great way to pace yourself.
Overall, I am rounding up a 2.5 star to a 3 star. I hope this is helpful.
The author uses the approach of getting his point across in a style similar to Malcolm Gladwell - whose first two books, Tipping Point and Blink, were brilliant! - but in the case of this book, do you really want to hear story after story about statistical success rates of this car salesman vs. that car salesman (the first few sections) followed by other study after study of what % of participants in this case study did XYZ. Way too much of that and way too little actual context or content on anything that would help you become a better, more authentic and more natural salesperson (man or woman!).
To listen to this book was no fun, and I am fascinated by the selling process but the overwhelm of case studies and regurgitation of the strategies of others made this another common book among the thousands. Getting to Yes is a great book on negotiation and Steven Covey's 7 Habits are great stuff but what does the author have to offer here?
If you are looking for practical tips on how to become a better sales person, you will hear some of them spread out in the book but there is no step by step process outlined, there is no help with the sales conversation. He does point out that sometimes asking questions is better than telling. Yes, I agree. And that being positive is good but not too much, some negativity is also good. Argh. Really?
My business coach teaches me more in an hour of coaching on sales language and addressing objections of the customer than this entire book did.
Here are some good takeaways which are again not original to the book but the book mentions:
- The 6-part Pixar story pitch:
Once upon a time there was _____
Every day _______
One day _______
Because of that _______
Because of that _______
Until finally ________
- He tells us to use the "Yes and" phrase to follow on the trail of what the other person had said. I had heard this before. Again, not original but very useful.
- A quote from another famous person: "Never argue. To win an argument is to lose a sale." (Can't argue with that ;))!
- This may have been original and I love the twist on upsell:
Abolish Up-sell
Instead Up-serve
- I also love this idea the author talks about:
Designate a slow day so you can listen more. A great way to pace yourself.
Overall, I am rounding up a 2.5 star to a 3 star. I hope this is helpful.
The tl;dr version of this book: we're all sales people because (no matter what your job is) everyone has to persuade other people to do things (co-workers, kids, customers, etc). Approaching them with a mindset of helping vs. arguing is the way to go.
I think this book was written for total sales n00bs which is the only reason I gave it three stars. For me personally, its value was closer to two stars. The information in this book is valid; but while I was reading it, I often found myself thinking, "No S#*t, Sherlock!"
I think this book was written for total sales n00bs which is the only reason I gave it three stars. For me personally, its value was closer to two stars. The information in this book is valid; but while I was reading it, I often found myself thinking, "No S#*t, Sherlock!"
Lamentably, we live in era in which many best-selling authors mail it in. I won't name names, but some of the most renowned authors out there can publishing anything and sell a slew copies, even though their books at sub-par at best.
Not this one.
Pink's research and writing style make this an incredibly informative, dare I say groundbreaking, text. I'm not big on sales books, but this one is just remarkable.
Get it. Read it. And read it again.
Not this one.
Pink's research and writing style make this an incredibly informative, dare I say groundbreaking, text. I'm not big on sales books, but this one is just remarkable.
Get it. Read it. And read it again.
informative
medium-paced
Questionable, shallow, lacks focus, repeats info from
A lot of other books, dense, over complicated. Maybe if you’re in sales you will appreciate this more than me.
A lot of other books, dense, over complicated. Maybe if you’re in sales you will appreciate this more than me.
Everyone should read this. Don't be deterred by the word 'Sell', there are things in here everyone as humans will appreciate and be surprised by.
It's a quick and easy read to get an interesting perspective on a new way to think about sales. While Cialdini's Persuasion book is often cited bible of this area, I am finding (currently reading) it to be too academic and using too many fictional examples ("imagine a situation where..."). Pink gets to the point and grounds his thinking in more tangible examples. I've found that I've already been able to put his thinking into practice with success. Actually, I've found where I was already using his ideas and tactics and have put more effort into strengthening them.
The only ding I'd put against the book is Pink's emphasis on Ed-Med. It didn't seem necessary to make those areas stand out. It's not a big deal, though.
The only ding I'd put against the book is Pink's emphasis on Ed-Med. It didn't seem necessary to make those areas stand out. It's not a big deal, though.
I always feel better after reading Daniel Pink's books and this one was no exception. He has a wonderful way of combining common sense with hard research to present not only a compelling point-of-view but practical, meaningful activities to help us move.
Not only is the book practical, it shares the same values that I hold. For example, one of the approaches to selling comes from the spirit of service: "...at every opportunity to move someone... be sure you can answer the two questions at the core of genuine service. 1. if the person you're selling to agrees to buy, will his or her life improve? 2. When your interaction is over, will the world be a better place then when you began?"
There is so much I could write about this book but encourage you to read it. It reinforced a lot of what I believe about human nature but also helped me changed the way I view selling and sales.
V
Not only is the book practical, it shares the same values that I hold. For example, one of the approaches to selling comes from the spirit of service: "...at every opportunity to move someone... be sure you can answer the two questions at the core of genuine service. 1. if the person you're selling to agrees to buy, will his or her life improve? 2. When your interaction is over, will the world be a better place then when you began?"
There is so much I could write about this book but encourage you to read it. It reinforced a lot of what I believe about human nature but also helped me changed the way I view selling and sales.
V