Business Psychology Sales

To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Motivating Others (Summary)

by Daniel H. Pink

What if you learned that you spend 24 minutes of every hour at work selling? Not selling products, but persuading your boss, influencing colleagues, or convincing your kids to do their homework. Daniel Pink’s research reveals a startling fact: 1 in 9 Americans work in traditional sales, but so do the other 8. We are all in the business of moving others, and the old playbook is useless.

The Old 'ABCs of Selling' Are Dead

The traditional 'Always Be Closing' mantra is obsolete in an era of information parity. The new ABCs are Attunement (seeing from another's perspective), Buoyancy (staying afloat in an ocean of rejection), and Clarity (helping others see their situation in a new light).

Think of the classic used-car salesman. His high-pressure tactics worked when he held all the information. Today, a buyer can use their phone to instantly check a car's history, fair market price, and competitor reviews. The power has shifted, making empathy and problem-solving (the new ABCs) far more effective than coercion.

Ambiverts Make the Best Salespeople

Contrary to popular belief, extreme extroverts are not the most effective at selling. The most successful are 'ambiverts,' who naturally blend the assertiveness of extroverts with the listening skills of introverts, knowing precisely when to speak up and when to shut up.

A large-scale study of salespeople by Adam Grant found that ambiverts—those who fall in the middle of the introversion-extroversion scale—generated 32% more revenue than highly extroverted employees. They engage fluidly, but their listening skills prevent them from overpowering the customer.

Move from Problem-Solving to Problem-Finding

In a world with access to infinite information, people can often solve their own known problems. The real value is in identifying hidden problems or future challenges they haven't yet considered.

A good financial advisor doesn't just sell you a retirement fund you asked for (problem-solving). A great one analyzes your entire financial picture to discover you're over-exposed in a certain sector or lack a college savings plan for your children—problems you didn't even know you had (problem-finding).

The Most Effective Pitches Ask Questions

Pitches that are framed as questions are more persuasive than simple statements because they require the listener to actively engage their brain to come up with their own reasons for agreeing, making the conclusion feel like their own.

During his 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan didn't state, 'The country is in a bad state.' Instead, he famously asked voters a simple question: 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?' This forced voters to reflect and generate their own answer, a far more powerful method of persuasion that helped him win in a landslide.

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