The Art of the Sale

Sales permeates everything we do-not just moving product, but convincing people of an argument, or getting a job, or attracting a mate, or getting a child to eat his broccoli. And as Delves Broughton discovers, selling well is an art that demands creativity, mindfulness, selflessness, resilience, and more. He travels around the world to teach himself and the reader the art and science of the sale. In Morocco, he observes a masterful merchant who thrives in the intensely competitive world of the Kasbah by using age-old principles to "read" his customers. In Tampa, he meets with Tony Sullivan, king of the infomercial, and discovers how important creating a good narrative is to selling effectively. In an Apple store and a sold out seminar with sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer, he uncovers the stunning similarities between selling and organized religion, showing how the best in both realms inspires faith and a sense of duty in their customers.

Delves Broughton also unearths the vast cultural influence of sales, which has driven more people up the social ladder than any other activity. He talks to Ted Leonsis, who made his mark as president of AOL in the 1990s; celebrity art dealer Larry Gagosian; the most successful saleswoman in Japan, a hard-charging, high earner who discovered the Zen of sales in a Trappist monastery; and many others, both well known and obscure, who reveal the true nature and power of this art form.

Though sales is the very engine of commerce and industry-more Americans work in this field than in manufacturing, marketing, or finance-it remains shrouded in mystery and myth. Few business schools teach it, and surprisingly little research has been done while gimmicky courses and how-to books abound. Delves Broughton sifts through the studies and popular guides to distill a unique, evidence-based investigation of a fascinating and undervalued endeavor. It's also an eye-opening assessment of sales as social discourse, the means by which all of us get our way-and make our way-in the world.

P H I L I P D E L V E S B R O U G H T O N was born in Bangladesh and grew up in England. He served as the New York and Paris bureau chief for The Daily Telegraph of London and reported from North and South America, Europe, and Africa. His work has also appeared in the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications. In 2006, he received an MBA from Harvard Business School and described his experience there in The New York Times bestselling book Ahead of the Curve.