Mind Matters

If Craig M. Cortello's book, Selling the Fuzzy Widget, is any indication, he is not the stereotypical long-winded, wear-you-down kind of salesman. He presents fifty principles in chapters of two or three pages each. The titles and subtitles of the chapters are even snappier and draw on pop culture to make their points. For example, a chapter using the Joan Rivers phrase "Can We Talk/" is about building relationships through communication and one using Yogi Berra's "Déjà vu All Over Again" is about the importance of repeated exposure to one's prospects. Cortello refutes the myth of the born salesman. He asserts instead that people must build on the foundation of their own observations of human behavior. By using principles from experienced sales professionals, they can avoid common pitfalls and improve their skills more rapidly than they would through trial and error. Cortello's book focuses on selling professional services but is an excellent tool for anyone who sells anything. And in this day and age of image and branding, that includes just about everyone who has any kind of job and hopes to keep it.

Labels: branding, professional services, selling