To Sell is Human

Life is all about pitching. The problem is that we're not very good at it. Each day millions of people earn their keep by convincing someone else to make a purchase. They sell planes to airlines, oil shares to sheiks, cars to drivers. They sell consulting agreements, magazine subscriptions, time-shares, double glazing, broadband, fitted kitchens, car insurance, life insurance, pet insurance! Some work in fancy offices with glorious views, others in dreary cubicles, but most look exactly like you. In fact, each and every one of us spends time trying to persuade others to part with resources - money, time, attention - though most of the time we don't realise we're doing it. Parents sell their kids on going to bed. Spouses sell their partners on mowing the lawn or putting the cat out. We sell our bosses on giving us more money and more time off. And in astonishing numbers we go online to sell ourselves on Facebook, Twitter and in Match.com profiles. What businesses, politicians and academics don't seem to have realised yet is that we're all in sales now. In this new book from the bestselling author of Drive, Daniel Pink explores the ways in which we can all improve our sales acumen in every area of our lives and identifies the three personal qualities and three essential skills necessary to move people. Relying on science rather than platitudes and analysis instead of exhortation, Pink shows that sales isn't what it used to be, that the low road of deceit and trickery is no longer a viable option, and that success in any kind of persuasion or influence now depends on being more human. Brimming with new and inspiring ideas on peddling, pitching and persuading, this book presents us with the tools and the tips to change the way we sell our products, our ideas and ourselves.