To Sell is Human, by Daniel Pink
Daniel Pink has put into words what has been evident for a long time: we are all in sales now.
In the old days people created products or tracked the finances or simply swept the floors. “Sales” was a department filled with extroverts and backslappers. “Sales” was not part of the job description for the rest of us. It probably still isn’t, but selling (or moving people to act in a way you want) is part of almost all jobs these days.
Pink’s new book To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
The first half of the book is the best part because Pink outlines how we have evolved to all be in sales. He does a good job of outlining what that means for us as individuals, as parts of an organization, and to some extent our whole society. What I really liked about this part of the book is how Pink expresses this so easily. I’ve sensed this change for a decade now — often saying that the first person we need to hire for any new endeavor needs to have some marketing skills. But Pink says it best.
That’s not to say I’m excited about this new trend. It’s sad to see how really good work often goes unrecognized because the person doing the work is unable to “sell” it to others. That’s not just their fault; it’s all of our faults as we expect good stories, good explanations, or good “models” of the work being performed. I like to focus on results more than “selling”, but Pink is right that the two are merging into one reality.
The second half of the book is good too, but it’s not as groundbreaking. Pink shares ideas about how to sell and the ways our new economy shapes that process. It’s a good overview of information I’ve heard before, and it’s simple enough for non-business types to easily understand it. In fact this book is very good for folks in the non-profit world.
Bottom line, this is a book well worth reading. Great stuff for anybody who does not consider themselves in sales; you’ll realize how much you really are!
