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What Great Salespeople Do: The Science of Selling Through Emotional Connection and the Power of Story
This groundbreaking book offers extraordinary insight into the greatest mystery in sales: how the very best salespeople consistently and successfully influence change in others, inspiring their customers to say yes.Top-performing salespeople have always had a knack for forging connections and building relationships with buyers. Until now, this has been considered an innate talent. What Great Salespeople Do challenges some of the most widely accepted paradigms in selling in order to prove that influencing change in buyers is a skill that anyone can learn.The creator of Solution Selling and CustomerCentric Selling, Michael Bosworth, along with veteran sales executive Ben Zoldan, synthesize discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and other disciplines, combining it all into a field-tested framework-helping you break down barriers, build trust, forge meaningful relationships, and win more customers.
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
288 pages, ebook
First published December 20, 2011
89 people are currently reading
549 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 11, 2014
In the spirit of a recent update from Kerry, I wanted to share with everyone a recommendation for a great business book to read. The book, What Great Salespeople Do, is primarily targeted at sales, but the message is applicable to just about anyone that needs to communicate an idea to someone (i.e. everyone at Pariveda, all levels). This is one of the best business books I have read in a long time, and I strongly recommend that everyone consider reading it if you could benefit from better communication skills.
The premise of the book is relatively simple: people comprehend best through story. As an example... In the past several years I have been expected to attend networking events more and more frequently. While there are several groups that put on good content, I was usually anxious when the free-form socialization starts and I need to introduce myself to someone new. I would often talk with people and share facts about myself (lived in Georgia my whole life, 5 years at Avanade, 2 years at BlueFletch, now I'm at Pariveda) or facts about Pariveda (10 years old, headquartered in Dallas, general IT consulting). These "facts" never seemed to engage the listener. I had been working on creating stories from these, but this is the first book that has provided a story framework that is really helping me to develop an interesting story about Who I Am and Who I Represent, among other "stories" from my professional and personal history. I'm still in the early days of practicing the activities and behaviors espoused in the book, but I already feel more confident that I can tell my stories in a more compelling way. I suspect there are others out there that could equally benefit from such a framework, which is why I'm sharing this.
The premise of the book is relatively simple: people comprehend best through story. As an example... In the past several years I have been expected to attend networking events more and more frequently. While there are several groups that put on good content, I was usually anxious when the free-form socialization starts and I need to introduce myself to someone new. I would often talk with people and share facts about myself (lived in Georgia my whole life, 5 years at Avanade, 2 years at BlueFletch, now I'm at Pariveda) or facts about Pariveda (10 years old, headquartered in Dallas, general IT consulting). These "facts" never seemed to engage the listener. I had been working on creating stories from these, but this is the first book that has provided a story framework that is really helping me to develop an interesting story about Who I Am and Who I Represent, among other "stories" from my professional and personal history. I'm still in the early days of practicing the activities and behaviors espoused in the book, but I already feel more confident that I can tell my stories in a more compelling way. I suspect there are others out there that could equally benefit from such a framework, which is why I'm sharing this.
December 31, 2021
Where's the science? There's a short chapter that's dedicated to explaining what the authors feel are the core "scientific" concepts of the book: left brain/right brain dominance and mirror neurons. Left brain/right brain has essentially been proven false, and the significance of mirror neurons is still unproven, yet they're treated as cornerstones of modern neuroscience in this book. The other "science" they use comes from non-scientists like Malcolm Gladwell ("tipping points") and Seth Godin ("tribes"), both of whom have reputations as excellent storytellers who nevertheless disregard evidence to solidify their conclusions.
The remaining content relies almost exclusively on personal anecdotes and New Age touchy-feely nonsense to support the author's points about how to sell. Occasionally, they'll say something like "Whoa, that sounds like something suited to right-brain people, not left-brain!" or "hey, that guy didn't utilize mirror neurons correctly!", but that's about it. It's really frustrating to see science so blatantly abused in order to sell bullshit. If you want to tell people about how you have successfully sold products or services in the past, great! But don't pretend that you've got a solid foundation of science to support your conclusions when you're planning on using anecdotes and TEDx-worthy pop-sci as your primary means of "proof."
The remaining content relies almost exclusively on personal anecdotes and New Age touchy-feely nonsense to support the author's points about how to sell. Occasionally, they'll say something like "Whoa, that sounds like something suited to right-brain people, not left-brain!" or "hey, that guy didn't utilize mirror neurons correctly!", but that's about it. It's really frustrating to see science so blatantly abused in order to sell bullshit. If you want to tell people about how you have successfully sold products or services in the past, great! But don't pretend that you've got a solid foundation of science to support your conclusions when you're planning on using anecdotes and TEDx-worthy pop-sci as your primary means of "proof."
March 30, 2025
Kita bukanlah mesin berpikir yang bisa merasakan. Kita adalah mesin perasa yang bisa berpikir.” — Richard Restak
Kita tidak mempercayai orang karena mereka sempurna. Kita mempercayai mereka karena mereka otentik.”
Cerita yang Kuat Harus Seimbang: Emosi dan Struktur
Cerita yang terlalu fakta ➡️ kering, tidak menyentuh.
Cerita yang terlalu emosional ➡️ membingungkan.
Keseimbangan adalah kuncinya.
🧩 Cerita Bukan Skrip, Tapi Peta
Gunakan kartu sebagai peta ide, bukan naskah panjang.
Tulis poin-poin penting saja.
🧩 Tiga Cerita yang Harus Dimiliki Setiap Penjual:
Who I Am Story — Siapa dirimu & kenapa kamu melakukan ini.
Who I Represent Story — Kenapa kamu percaya pada produk/perusahaanmu.
Who I’ve Helped Story — Cerita sukses nyata dari klien sebelumnya.
📌 Cerita-cerita ini membuka pintu untuk percakapan yang jujur dan koneksi emosional.
Cerita bukan alat tambahan. Cerita adalah alat utama dalam penjualan.
Mendengarkan yang baik akan membuat kamu menjadi storyteller yang lebih baik.
Semakin kamu peduli, semakin mereka terbuka.
Penjualan enterprise bukan tentang “menjual ke bos”, tapi menyalakan gerakan internal melalui tribal leader.
Penjual yang cerdas = pemimpin cerita (story leader) = pemicu perubahan budaya.
Cerita bukan hanya alat persuasi, tapi kendaraan perubahan.
Kita tidak mempercayai orang karena mereka sempurna. Kita mempercayai mereka karena mereka otentik.”
Cerita yang Kuat Harus Seimbang: Emosi dan Struktur
Cerita yang terlalu fakta ➡️ kering, tidak menyentuh.
Cerita yang terlalu emosional ➡️ membingungkan.
Keseimbangan adalah kuncinya.
🧩 Cerita Bukan Skrip, Tapi Peta
Gunakan kartu sebagai peta ide, bukan naskah panjang.
Tulis poin-poin penting saja.
🧩 Tiga Cerita yang Harus Dimiliki Setiap Penjual:
Who I Am Story — Siapa dirimu & kenapa kamu melakukan ini.
Who I Represent Story — Kenapa kamu percaya pada produk/perusahaanmu.
Who I’ve Helped Story — Cerita sukses nyata dari klien sebelumnya.
📌 Cerita-cerita ini membuka pintu untuk percakapan yang jujur dan koneksi emosional.
Cerita bukan alat tambahan. Cerita adalah alat utama dalam penjualan.
Mendengarkan yang baik akan membuat kamu menjadi storyteller yang lebih baik.
Semakin kamu peduli, semakin mereka terbuka.
Penjualan enterprise bukan tentang “menjual ke bos”, tapi menyalakan gerakan internal melalui tribal leader.
Penjual yang cerdas = pemimpin cerita (story leader) = pemicu perubahan budaya.
Cerita bukan hanya alat persuasi, tapi kendaraan perubahan.
December 2, 2019
Great book! Love that he references Simon Sinek's work. Great information and exercises to work through! Also loved how he talked about selling in a "storytelling" process. Discussed how the left brain and right brain interact and engage during the selling process.
July 1, 2018
Compelling ideas supporting the role of stories in sales, relevant to leaders and frankly ICs in all roles.
August 13, 2020
Very informative book, gives new insights on how salespeople should treat potential customers and how to connect on an emotional level with the buyer.
Would recommend 100%
Would recommend 100%
April 4, 2024
Bosworth admits that his previous books, Solutions Selling and Customer Centric Selling miss the point. While they provide a nice structure, when actually practiced it's clear that these approaches don't work. Humbled, Bosworth instead proposes that by being vulnerable and sharing your story and your company's story you can connect with your prospective customer and get them to open up about who they are and what challenges they face.
While the book focuses on convincing you that story telling is a good idea, listening to stories comes naturally, and that stories stick with us, what Bosworth is really encouraging us to do is be humans building human relationships with other humans.
I still wish that he (and this is a general criticism of business books) did some actual research with structured experiments to see if this worked, it certainly resonates more than his previous books and a lot of other sales books I've read.
While the book focuses on convincing you that story telling is a good idea, listening to stories comes naturally, and that stories stick with us, what Bosworth is really encouraging us to do is be humans building human relationships with other humans.
I still wish that he (and this is a general criticism of business books) did some actual research with structured experiments to see if this worked, it certainly resonates more than his previous books and a lot of other sales books I've read.
February 14, 2017
A refreshing, humanising look at sales and the power of telling stories.
April 20, 2015
Great insight to improve your sales process
I found this book to have some great insight into using stories more powerfully in your sales process. This approach is great for anyone who wants to come off as someone who actually cares about people rather than just wants to sell them something.
I found this book to have some great insight into using stories more powerfully in your sales process. This approach is great for anyone who wants to come off as someone who actually cares about people rather than just wants to sell them something.
Read
June 28, 2015EXcellent in a long line of great strategic sleigh books by Mike. This one goes where no other sales training book has gone in in looking at the science of seeing through emotional connection and the power of story. Must read if you are in B2B software tech sales and marketing.
February 8, 2019
I have never given a book only one star before. I could not finish this. Got half of the way through and wanted to throw it away in disgust. It doesn't tell you anything you couldn't figure out yourself and the authors are terrible at living by their own advice. Save yourself money and skip it.
October 17, 2014
Easy to read and follow. Storytelling has been something I've known works well in sales, but presented in this way it makes complete sense.
Read
March 17, 2019Spin, solution and customer-centric selling bygger alla på att kunden använder logik och ett resonemang för att ta sitt beslut att köpa. Som säljare vill man ställa ett antal frågor som leder kunden till ett logiskt beslut, dvs att denna lösning kommer fixa mitt problem. Teknikerna missar dock en sak, hur väl har personerna (säljaren & köparen) lyckats knyta ett emotionellt band innan frågorna började ställas. Enligt boken är detta, den avgörande faktorn till köp eller inte.
As salespeople we have been teached to have all the answers, to know everything and be superhumans. Vulnerability have been a sign of weakness. But everybody now that now one have all the answers and that all products have its weaknesses, and without vulnerability it is very hard to connect to the other parts emotional side. We are all imperfect and it's very hard, for anyone, to connect to perfection. So, ironic as it seems, we trust people more when they are willing to empose them self as weak.
Vilken profession i samhället är, troligen, bäst på att skapa connection? Terapeuter! Dessa måste bryta igenom skalet. Vilka tekniker använder dessa?
Ex. Stories är en mycket kraftfull teknik för att få folk att connecta och lyssna. Vi är uppväxta med historier och hela upplägget talar till vår högra hjärmhalva, dvs den som talar i bilder och är kreativ. I denna storie kan man visa sig sårbar på ett enklare sätt än många andra. För att skapa en bra historia ska man börja med poängen (begin with the point), för det måste finnas en poäng. Detta sätt att jobba liknar mycket Simon Sineks idé om begin with the why för att sedan arbeta sig utåt mot how och what.
Det första en köpate tänker är, litar jag på denna personen (mig säljaren) dvs trust. Om ja så väcks det förhoppningsvis nyfikenhet (curiosity) till produkten. Därefter delar köparen med sig av sina behov (needs) och jag som säljare kan börja göra nytta dvs möta behlven eller lösa problemet.
Alla säljare ska ha tre stories redo:
1. The who I am story
2. The who I represent story
3. The what we do story (?)
En vanlig åsikt om denna teknik är ofta är varför man inte fokuserar mer på kundens utmaningar (challenges/pains)? Empatisk lyssnande, förstå kundens hela historia (story) och att titta efter kroppsspråk i all ära men räcker det verkligen? Ja! När du förstår kundens hela story så kommer du förstå alla utmaningar utan att behöva fråga efter pains.
Näst sista kapitlet sammanfattar allt ganska bra.
As salespeople we have been teached to have all the answers, to know everything and be superhumans. Vulnerability have been a sign of weakness. But everybody now that now one have all the answers and that all products have its weaknesses, and without vulnerability it is very hard to connect to the other parts emotional side. We are all imperfect and it's very hard, for anyone, to connect to perfection. So, ironic as it seems, we trust people more when they are willing to empose them self as weak.
Vilken profession i samhället är, troligen, bäst på att skapa connection? Terapeuter! Dessa måste bryta igenom skalet. Vilka tekniker använder dessa?
Ex. Stories är en mycket kraftfull teknik för att få folk att connecta och lyssna. Vi är uppväxta med historier och hela upplägget talar till vår högra hjärmhalva, dvs den som talar i bilder och är kreativ. I denna storie kan man visa sig sårbar på ett enklare sätt än många andra. För att skapa en bra historia ska man börja med poängen (begin with the point), för det måste finnas en poäng. Detta sätt att jobba liknar mycket Simon Sineks idé om begin with the why för att sedan arbeta sig utåt mot how och what.
Det första en köpate tänker är, litar jag på denna personen (mig säljaren) dvs trust. Om ja så väcks det förhoppningsvis nyfikenhet (curiosity) till produkten. Därefter delar köparen med sig av sina behov (needs) och jag som säljare kan börja göra nytta dvs möta behlven eller lösa problemet.
Alla säljare ska ha tre stories redo:
1. The who I am story
2. The who I represent story
3. The what we do story (?)
En vanlig åsikt om denna teknik är ofta är varför man inte fokuserar mer på kundens utmaningar (challenges/pains)? Empatisk lyssnande, förstå kundens hela historia (story) och att titta efter kroppsspråk i all ära men räcker det verkligen? Ja! När du förstår kundens hela story så kommer du förstå alla utmaningar utan att behöva fråga efter pains.
Näst sista kapitlet sammanfattar allt ganska bra.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews