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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.
I like pop psychology books that provide a serious and accurate review of research while applying it to some phenomena, like, for example, interpersonal persuasion. I love Cialdini's classic book "Influence" and was hoping for a spin on the same topic from "To Sell Is Human." I was disappointed to realize that Pink's book was written for the lowest common denominator of consumer, someone with little interest in the background research who seeks only quick uncomplicated sound bites.My first clue
This is another great book by Dan Pink. I recommend everyone read for an improvement in their everyday interactions.My notes:"One of the most effective ways of moving others is to uncover challenges they may not know they have." (p.5)People are now spending about 40 percent of their time at work engaged in non-sales selling--persuading, influencing, and convincing others in ways that don't involve anyone making a purchase.With all of the information available to consume, "the new guiding princip...
I was drawn in by the promo line "Yes, one in nine Americans works in sales. But so do the other eight." A true fact. Even if you don't have to persuade people to do your job, you certainly have to sell yourself when you are looking for a job.I'm a video game designer, so one important part of my job is selling concepts to my coworkers, my superiors, and sometimes outside partners. That's why I picked this up. In a conference room, the charisma of a speaker can often have more influence than the...
This was fascinating. Forget the out of date image of a sales person being a slick man in a polyester plaid suit trying to sell a lemon on a used car lot. This book is about human behavior, motivation, and about how EVERYONE "sells" (if you're a parent trying to convince a child to do their homework, that's selling. If your job function has nothing to do with sales, but you're trying to convince others in your company to take a certain action, then that's selling). I listened to the audio versio...
To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink is interesting, thoughtful, analytical, well-written, and, most importantly, helpful.Dan Pink is an alembic. A what? An alembic. Think mad scientist (or maybe alchemist). An alembic is that funky looking glass thingie, round on the bottom, crooked neck, sitting over a flame with liquid happily bubbling away. The liquid is vaporized, travels through the neck into a curlicue glass dealybob and comes out the other end condensed and distilled. That’s what Dan does;...
THE MAIN IDEA Everybody is a salesman! This is the main theme of Daniel Pink’s new book. Based on the understanding that sales is about convincing others – Pink goes on to explain how three key concepts – attunement, buoyancy, and clarity – are at the base of successful sales. He then describes the three key skills needed to put these concepts to work – pitch, improvisation and service. INTERESTING TIDBIT While a law student at Yale, Daniel H. Pink was the editor-in-chief of The Yale Law & Polic...
This is the best sales book I’ve read yet. Pink dismisses the slimy salesperson of the past and presents an enlightened view of sales. By “sales,” Pink means traditional salespeople (1 in 9 Americans) and those involved in “non-sales selling”: persuading, convincing, and influencing (everyone). Each chapter ends with several specific examples applying the chapter’s lessons. Pink includes entertaining anecdotes to illustrate his points, and backs them with primary and secondary research from acad...
Once upon a time only some people were in sales. Every day, they sold stuff, we did stuff, and everyone was happy. One day, everything changed: All of us ended up in sales - and sales changed from a world of caveat emptor to caveat venditor. Because of that, we had to learn the new ABC's - attunement, buoyancy, and clarity. Because of that, we had to learn some new skills - to pitch, to improvise and to serve. Until finally we realized that selling isn't some grim accommodation to a merciless wo...
Three sections, each with three chapters, each with three points, illustrated with about three stories. Less inspiring than his previous work, therefore three stars.
To Sell is Human is a fantastic look at the new way of selling; one relationship at a time. The book is an easy to read, understand and apply guidebook for people that sell anything (and we are all selling something).Pink's ABC method, with examples, provides the framework for anyone to be more effective at persuading others. It's all so simple, and yet so amazingly effective. It's a wonder this book wasn't written years ago, and yet, this book came at the perfect time. I highly recommend this b...
Great insights
In part 3, section 7, Daniel talks about "lessons from Tinseltown" in his section on The Pitch. He writes, "In the most successful pitches, the pitcher didn't push her idea on the catcher until she extracted a yes. Instead, she invited in her counterpart as a collaborator. The more the executives - often derided by their supposedly more artistic counterpart as "suits" - were able to contribute, the better the idea often became, and the more likely it was to be green-lighted. The most valuable se...