To Sell Is Human

Daniel Pink is the best-selling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind. His books have been translated into 34 languages, and his groundbreaking thoughts and guidance are known worldwide. During a break after finishing a book, Pink carefully charted all his activities over a two-week period. He was surprised to discover that, by any objective measure, the way he spent his time proved he was a salesman. In those two weeks, he pitched a magazine article, sought a new seat on a plane and dealt with his colleagues, all in pursuit of “resources other than money.”

When I stepped back to assess this welter of information – a pointillist portrait of what I do and therefore, in some sense, who I am – the picture that stared back was a surprise: I am a salesman.Daniel Pink

Struck by this revelation, Pink offers an overview of today’s world in which you and everyone else sell constantly. You also engage in “nonsales selling” when you offer ideas or actions that don’t bring you immediate profit. Sometimes you sell yourself or your skills or your views. He examines what sales mean now and in the future.