I picked up Dan Pink’s new book To Sell Is Human, on my way to Hong Kong last month and I have not been able to put it down. Offering a compelling new perspective on everyone’s role in ‘moving people’ there are some great insights and tips in here not only for business owners and start ups but employees. According to his research, people spend 40% of their time in non sales selling, convincing people to part with resources, to agree to deals, to commit. Often Its not the actual sale of an object but more a trade or persuasding someone else to agree with your objective. When selling yourself, talk about potential, not accomplishment, boasting is not a successful quality but inviting someone on a journey of opportunity is..more tips from the book below!
To gain another’s perspective, give up some of your power.
Trying to persuade someone is an incredibly complex interaction, and a lot of it hinges on being able to take their point of view. When you understand where somebody’s coming from, you do a much better job of responding to their concerns and anticipating problems. Researchers have found that when people are encouraged to feel powerful, they’re much worse at taking others’ perspectives.
See rejection as specific and temporary, rather than as a personal attack.
“Explanatory style,” or how you talk about failure and setbacks to yourself, has a huge impact on success. Sales and the workplace involve daily rejection—of pitches, of ideas and so on. People that have optimistic styles, who know that most failures come down to circumstances and specific, correctable errors are much better at sales.
Offer a few compelling choices instead of a massive array of them.
In a world that can feel like it has an overwhelming array of choices and information, taking some of it away can be a powerful tool. Researchers find that while more people may go somewhere with a massive array of choices, they actually buy much more from a small, curated selection.
