Sold! The Art of Relationship Sales

Too often people—both in and outside the business world— think of salesmanship as inherently selfish, perhaps even sociopathic.  They assume that to “succeed” in sales is to continually push customers towards things they don’t want or need, and to make it exceptionally difficult for them to back away from offers.  But, in his new book Sold! The Art of Relationship Sales, acclaimed sales executive Paul Darley argues that, just as Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People was intended to make its followers more Christ-like than purely opportunistic, the act of real salesmanship is all about “absolute selflessness” and creating a great experience for your customers.  That will only be possible if your connection with your customers is genuine.

Embracing the life-changing powers of emotional intelligence, authentic leadership, and a fully relationship-oriented sales system, Darley explains why organizations, whose CEOs have expertise in sales, consistently outperform those that don’t.  Moreover, even if you don’t consider yourself to be a “salesperson,” most of the suggestions here will help you greatly at making friends, business contacts, and generally getting along with the world, because that is what sales really comes down to.

Paul Darley is CEO of W.S. Darley & Co.  an award-winning family business that has been manufacturing and distributing firefighting pumps, firetrucks and related equipment for military, law enforcement, and fire departments around the world for over a century.