About:
The Art of the Sale by Philip Delves Broughton is a non-fiction book in which the author shares stories and theories about what makes a salesperson. Mr. Broughton believes that we are all salespeople and could use sales skills everyday of our lives.
I’m in agreement.
My rating for The Art of the Sale – 5
Buy this book in paper or in electronic format.
More book by Philip Delves Broughton
Thoughts:
The Art of the Sale by Philip Delves Broughton (website | Twitter) is a fun, charming and educational book which gives one a glimpse into the world of the sales force. The book can be read in parts as every chapter gives anecdotes from successful salesman.
One of my biggest regrets is not learning how to sell. My friend Tripp Braden told me a long time ago that if I knew how to sell I’d never have to look for a job. The more I get immersed in the business world, the more I see how right he was. I convinced myself I was a bad salesman, from some unbeknownst reason which I’m not willing to dwell on for my emotional well being and my constantly empty wallet. However, I can tell that this is not the case – as a web developer I spent hours upon hours with marketing personnel and sales personnel. While I certainly don’t think I can do the high pressure sale, I can certainly use people skill, patience and power of persuasion to make a few extra bucks.
I remember walking with my beloved wife, may she live a long life, through the souk in Jerusalem. As an American, she was nervous and a bit frightened by the aggressiveness of the vendors. To be honest, I was on edge as well. However, we quickly discovered that we could probably get all our gift shopping done that day in one place.
We found a vendor (or did he find us?) and I tried to bargain a packaged deal for a whole bunch of stuff (crosses, stars of David, camels, and whatnot…). What the vendor didn’t know is that I’m not bad at math and figured out the total sum. After about 40 minutes of haggling, punching numbers into a calculator and promising to give me the deal of the decade he came up with a number which was extremely close to…my original estimate. At this point my wife’s nerves were quickly coming to an end and we just paid and left.
But I could have knocked it down by at least 20%.
The book tells about fascinating and hypocritical aspects of the sales person. The innate ability to believe whatever BS you’re selling, the good sales can do (getting a job, selling a book) and the bad (knowingly selling bad stocks), about rejection and success, perseverance and failure. While almost no-one likes sales to the point where business schools don’t even teach it, our economy wouldn’t be what it is without the one-on-one pitch.
I found the philosophy of an ace Japanese salesman to be especially poignant:
“The objective in sales becomes the same as that in the rest of your life, to respect others and do the best for them. Then you don’t have to be a salesperson about what you do. Selling becomes an activity consistent with who you are.”
How many of us can honestly say that about salespeople we meet? How about those that sell you your 401K plan?
Do you think they do what’s best for you or that they get paid to offer you investments whether they’re good or not?
Mr. Boughton points out something which every person involves in sales, from the souk to Wall Street should keep in mind. Currency is more than just hard cold cash; currency is good will, affirmation, guidance and approval. If everyone would have the thought process of the Japanese salesman, our society would look differently, our wallets fatter and our lives happier.
Related Reads:
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
How to Sue a Telemarketer by Stephen L. Ostrow, Esq.
So tell me, how do you think you’ll do in sales?
Synopsis:
Using extensive research and personal experience, the author writes about sales techniques from a Moroccan souk to Wall Street financiers, from street vendors to selling we all do each and every day.
Buy this book in paper
More book by Philip Delves Broughton
Thursday, April 12th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Friday, April 13th: 800 CEO Read
Monday, April 16th: Mental Foodie
Wednesday, April 18th: Nanxi Liu
Tuesday, April 24th: Man of La Book
Wednesday, April 25th: Balance In Me
Thursday, April 26th: Less Ordinary Living
Wednesday, May 2nd: The Mom Renewal Project
TBD: Business Growth Strategies
TBD: Dave Stein’s Blog
TBD: Ed Roach: The Branding Guy
Zohar – Man of la Book
Disclaimer: I got this book for free from TLC Book Tours
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View Comments
Thanks so much for this - I'm delighted you enjoyed the book.
Best,
Philip
I LOVE that quote from the Japanese salesman - if only all salespeople acted on that system, then we'd have a much better view of sales overall.
Thanks for being on the tour!