The Surprising Truth About Persuading - and Influencing Others

I personally like Pink's style of starting with showing the readers what the research says (various experiments), conclude, draw what the implications are for us. I think Pink's books are always well researched and easy to read. However I must say towards the end of "To Sell is Human" I found his style getting a bit monotonous - same pattern of presentation. I would have liked to read more about what Pink himself thinks about the Attunement, Buoyancy, Clarity pattern and how he applies it to his own career, for example. This would have been nice. Still, a useful book to go back to.

Anyone, in any endeavor of life, should read this book. The biggest takeaway from it is that business as usual no longer works, for salespeople, for teachers, for managers and for leaders. The sooner you understand this the better off you will be. And more successful. Negativity does not work. Neither does glad handing. Arrogance is death. If you have built your career or life on these, you may want to pick up this book.

I enjoyed this book very much, and got many great ideas on how to improve my business and also how to better interact with my students. The author has a good, flowing style of writing and has a healthy sense of self irony. The only thing I consider as missing from the "big picture" is that the author doesn't seem to acknowledge the presence of pathologically manipulative people. I mean, if the one you "serve" and to whom you "sell" is this kind of person, the "rules" don't apply anymore. To fill this gap I recommend reading e.g. books by George K. Simon.

You're somewhere between eighteen and thirty-two years old. Someone told you about Dan Pink and this book. While you can take on one more project much like a bucket of overflowing water can take on one more drop, you have this internal drive to become more effective. Simply put, you are not about to wait eight, twelve or twenty-one years to make a difference in this world.

You are wise to check out To Sell is Human and you are about to be happy as that one drop of water who elbowed herself into the bucket when I describe the amount of attention you'll need to gain from Dan's wisdom.

The book is divided into three parts. If you can believe there are sleazeball, fast-talking salesman out there; if you believe their methods will not work in this hyper-connected world of ours; and if you believe that when you get real, we really all are in sales, then you can go light on Part I. There is a contingent of people out there who need facts, figures and examples to get their minds around what you and I already know to be. No worries. Dan puts his arm around these folks and gently guides them to understanding.

A word of caution: The term sales can stymie you. You ask, "I'm a teacher. How can this book help me?" I found that if I substitute the notions to be understood and or to understand instead of sales, learning flows. A little secret: This book is really about human relations and helping people.

Part Two: How to Be, is based on the concepts of Attunement, Buoyancy and Clarity.
Part Three: What to Do, is based on Pitch, Improvise and Serve.

You can either visit Dan's Website or peruse some of the other reviews here to gain a foothold on these concepts - but it's really not necessary.

Now, onto you. To this point in history, sales training has mostly been built on techniques, following scripts and coercing others. All mechanical. All very non-human. Dan simply connects traits that most of us have or know that we should have, with the concepts described in Parts Two and Three. He taps into our human side as he helps us understand others, helps us to be understood (get our point across) and helps us to help others.

And because these concepts are so human, you'll not have to do a deep dive into learning them. You will simply connect Dan's terminology to stuff that's already inside of you. It will make sense and it will instill hope.

I cannot overstate the importance of not getting hung up on the words sell or sales. If you don't, To Sell is Human will help you to become more effective on your way to making a difference in this world.

This is an amazing text which touches on the core of motivation. There is plenty of overlap with other motivational principles - such as Sinek's Golden Circle and Greenleaf's Servant-Leadership. Loads of other references as well. This is a must read. For now, in the 21st century, we are all sales people.

Pink covers a wide range of selling techniques and best practices backed by scientific research and personal experiences. I thought the content seemed repetitive at times, but overall a must read for anyone in sales, which according to Pink, is all of us.

The starting premise of Pink's latest book is that whereas the responsibility for sales used to reside in the sales department, many businesses no longer work that way. According to Pink, the percentage of companies with fewer than ten employees is growing rapidly and more and more people now work for themselves. (*raise hand and point to self*) And with that transition has come the expectation that everyone in the company will be required to sell in some fashion. He also makes the point that selling is not simply about getting people to buy a product. We sell our skills when we apply for a grant or a job. Teachers are selling when they are working to engage students in acquiring knowledge and doctors and nurses are selling when they are working to convince patients to adopt a particular health management strategy. And parents, yes parents spend most of their time selling their kids on the merits of homework and sleep and vegetables...

Pink argues that how we sell has changed dramatically. Where once the seller had all the power, now it is the customer who is arriving with a bundle of market research - if they arrive at all, for many buyers are avoiding personal contact altogether and simply purchasing online.

What does this mean for those of us learning to be sellers and those needing to refine their techniques? Pink's approach is personal, practical and pragmatic. He offers compelling research to back up his approach and also offers clear advice on how to translate theory into practise. I worked through many of Pink's exercises while reading through the book and felt very self righteous when I was asked unexpectedly to provide some sales copy and was able to hand it over on the spot! And felt even better when told it was exactly what they needed!

I'm always encouraging people to read outside their normal patterns. It expands your horizons and opens you up to new ideas and approaches. If you're going to explore one book outside your comfort zone this year, I suggest that To Sell is Human is the one. Trust me, it's worth it.

Sold?

The ABC's of selling have changed. For some, they need the research and science to support the shift and change before being willing to let go of old stale and value destroying habits and embracing a new decision support model.

Where even today, lackluster executives are still trying to 'close' their employees, partners, suppliers and customers on an idea or concept - Dan does a fantastic job of providing a new, more durable and more successful framework for eagerly providing a context that decisions are supported.

Not easy to apply. But, well worth the effort.

Need to convince anybody about anything?
If you said, "Yes!" than you need this book.
Especially if you have a spouse or a boss.

I liked his up-to-date research which supports his conclusions.
Pink is easy to read because he talks to you like a friend.
21st Century information savvy which you'll appreciate.

Daniel Pink is showing us how things have changed in the business of selling because the buyer is also equipped with the knowledge of what's being sold. Because this knowledge empowers the buyer, the seller will not sky-rocket his sales as would have been the case. The book is interesting in that it's not only about selling and buying but also how we people need to care and treat others well in whatever we do. I found this human-touch emphasis a beautiful thing! I also must say that Mr. Pink has a great sense of humor. As I was reading the book, sometimes I would say, 'Wow,' other times smile and other times laugh! I would recommend the book to my children and friends.

Daniel Pink has again moved me to reconsider how I go about teaching middle school students. Forget the old wisdom that children "should" be enthusiastic about learning -- it doesn't work in the current day. Instead, I'm thinking about how to convince students that the "product" I'm offering is worth their time and attention. How does this knowledge relate to their lives, and how will it affect their futures? Looking at the curriculum in this way definitely makes my job easier and more effective.

While the book is focused on "selling" it's possible not what you expect when you think sales.

Coming to agreement about splenic with you spouse is selling them on priorities.

This book is going to give you a bunch of practical tools to serve your customers better and make more sales.

Daniel Pink is definitely a writer who I will absolutely read ANY book he puts on the market. His thorough and deeply driven research to get to the bottom if things is worth the price and time to read... If you haven't bought his other books, you'll want to look them up too...

Daniel Pink breaks the illusion that you have to be a swift talking, fast deal making machine to succeed in sales in latest book. In fact, he de-bunks the commonly held belief that sales is sleazy. It is a leadership skill that Corporate America is demanding of every employee in this highly connected, social media world. I highly recommend this book.

If you're new to selling and "influence" books, then you'll most likely take a lot out of this, it's a good book.

If you've already read books about selling, persuasion, and influence, such as the classic Cialdini books like "Influence" and "Yes", then you probably won't find too many surprises here, still a great read though!

Daniel Pink challenges stereotypes about those who sell and changes the way we think about how we work ....again! His theory, that the ability to move others to exchange what they have for what we have is crucial to our survival and our happiness, is persuasively presented. He reminds us that selling our products and ourselves is part of who we are. Like all his works, this book also serves to remind us of the nobility of work in all its forms. This is the one business book everyone needs to read!
Edith Robb, president
Westmorland Communications

Much better than the Zig Ziggler crap my dad listened to in the car to psych himself up for getting the sales.

I'm not in sales at all, but found this book extremely helpful in my job of team management, as well as just for interacting with all sorts of folks.

Good book. I would have liked to see more examples and practical applications. Daniel tried to include a section at the end on how to put these principles into action, which is more than most authors, however for this topic of selling i would have liked to see more hands on applications.

The 30 minute express series distills the main points of the book into easily consumable and succinct points. Easy to read and understand.

Pink makes great points about the changing nature of sales, and how everyone is in some form of sales, so embrace that and become good at it instead of rejecting the most natural part of our professional lives.

I've inherently known that selling is really motivating others. I spend a large part of my work day selling ideas, helping others fulfill their ideas, and ensuring my customer is receiving the service they deserve. This book helps me do that and for that I am thankful.

If you have any experience in sales, marketing, copy writing, you probably won't find too much of Pink's book mind-blowing. That said, there's plenty to chew on and try to implement.

My favorite parts were:
• Interrogative Self Talk vs. Pump Up Self Talk
• The golden ratio for positivity: negativity
• "Defensive pessimism:
• Altering your "explanatory style"
• Curating information vs. just accessing it

I found the section on Improv to be...impractical. Probably still a good exercise but not directly applicable to my situation.

A bit slow at first with too many statistical graphs and short discussions, but after a few chapters it really opens up. Simple and effective ideas and examples makes it easy to follow and implement. Even for veteran sales people it should be a must read. If for no other reason than to remind us that selling should be simple and sincere.

If you have any experience in sales, marketing, copy writing, you probably won't find too much of Pink's book mind-blowing. That said, there's plenty to chew on and try to implement.

My favorite parts were:
• Interrogative Self Talk vs. Pump Up Self Talk
• The golden ratio for positivity: negativity
• "Defensive pessimism:
• Altering your "explanatory style"
• Curating information vs. just accessing it

I found the section on Improv to be...impractical. Probably still a good exercise but not directly applicable to my situation.

A bit slow at first with too many statistical graphs and short discussions, but after a few chapters it really opens up. Simple and effective ideas and examples makes it easy to follow and implement. Even for veteran sales people it should be a must read. If for no other reason than to remind us that selling should be simple and sincere.

This book is packed with research-supported and useful information. I found myself immediately employing many of the strategies and gradually applying others. Consequently, I feel more effective at moving others.

Excellent read for anyone in business...especially those responsible to selling products. Daniel Pink illustrates many situations where the social psychologists have brought to light the reason we make buying decisions. This is an excellent book for people responsible for the growth of their company.

My old friend Dan Pink has produced another book well worth the time investment. To those not familiar with the consultative, needs satisfaction sales approach, this will be an eye opener and, perhaps, transformational. I am about half way through with it and so far my only point of disagreement is that Dan seems not to be aware that many of the principles he explains have been employed by serious students of selling for much longer than he seems to know about. He points to much new research that bolsters his points that I was not aware of and which I found most helpful.

Sells is nothing more than effective communication. If you want to be a more effective communicator, read this book.

So sick of those tart, tired, self-obsessed and self-absorbed sales strategies that reveal more about the lows of our society than the actual reasons why selling IS human: because at its best you’re helping to improve someone’s life, and in turn, the world.

As Daniel Pink reminds us early in this book, all of us are involved with selling in at least part of our lives. Pink shows how selling can actually benefit both parties without resorting to the stereotypical sales techniques.

A wonderful book which will open your eyes. Your perspective of sales will change and vas a result the quality of your relationship will improve. Really, the best way to sum it up is.... You'll understand why to sell is human. Beautiful.

Pink delivers a wonderfully research book on how things work and how to make them work better for you. I love his style and he has great website and support materials. Get his books. Go to his site. Share the expertise.

Daniel Pink is a master at taking left brain subjects and injecting the right brain into them. I have worked in sales all my career and read too many left brain how to sell books. Wish I had read this one earlier and not been forced to figure this out sub-optimally for myself.
Pink + Simon Sinek = a rewarding approach to a tough business (sales)

Daniel Pink doews a good job of describing the changes that have taken place in the world of sales in the last few years, and points out that we are all involved in sales, as we sell our ideas and desires to others.

Excellent analysis of the changes.

I loved "A Whole New Mind", so expectations were high. Pink did not disappoint.

I'm a CPA and I could not agree more with the idea that I am in sales. Lots of firms do what ours does, and in order to win new customers and retain current customers we must provide a high level of service and make it personal. We are rarely a low bidder on new work, which makes our pitch important. We are in nonsales selling.

I would recommend this book to everyone. We sell in nontraditional ways everyday.

Anyone in business ought to have this book on their must read list. Dan Pink's insights are invaluable, teaching the science and strategies behind new economy sales.

My only complaint is in an effort to create new sales acronyms, he has unnecessarily complicated a relatively simple concept.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

This book is a refreshing take on how to motivate people. Pink introduces the new "ABCs" of selling ("Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity") and a remarkably practical method to apply them. Instead of anecdotes, he refers to cutting edge behavioral research to back his concepts. It's tactical without being cheesy.

Selling is integral to so much of our lives. Daniel Pink writes well and uses good stories to back up his points. He uses research to back up the stories and shows *why* things are true. I have learned a lot from this book and it is a fun read.

He makes a strong case that everyone needs to learn honest persuasive skills, and he walks through research and practical suggestions that can teach us those skills. I use suggestions from the book regularly, mostly with my children but also at work and other places.