ONE CHAPTER CLOSER

The Unsold Mindset

By Colin Coggins, Garrett Brown

HarperCollins · 2023-02-21

What if the greatest salespeople on the planet are the opposite of who you think they are? Everyone sells, every day. It’s why the most successful people have mastered the art of business communication, selling themselves, their ideas, or their products and services. Yet when people hear the word sales they think of an overly confident, articulate extrovert (at best) or a pushy, know-it-all huckster (at worst). Because of these misperceptions, when we find ourselves in a situation where we need to sell, we feel compelled to put on the persona of a “good salesperson.” But there’s a disconnect between who we think good salespeople are and who they actually are. In any room, they’re not the most self-confident, they’re the most self-aware. They’re not the most sociable, they’re the most socially aware. And they don’t succeed in spite of obstacles, they succeed because of obstacles. Colin Coggins and Garrett Brown sought out some of the most successful people from all walks of life, including CEOs, entrepreneurs, doctors, trial lawyers, professional athletes, agents, military leaders, artists, engineers, and countless others in hopes of understanding why these people are so extraordinary. Colin and Garrett found that, as different as all these incredible people were, they all had an eerily similar approach to selling. It didn’t matter if they were perceived as optimists or pessimists, logical or emotional, introverted or extroverted, jovial or stoic—they were all unsold on what it meant to sell and unsold on who people expected them to be. The Unsold Mindset reveals a counterintuitive sales strategy and approach not just to selling but to life. It’s a journey toward an entirely new sales mindset—the greatest sellers on the planet aren’t successful because of what they do, they’re successful because of what they think. Being a good person and a good salesperson aren’t mutually exclusive. A masterclass in professional development, The Unsold Mindset will change the way you think about selling and the way you think about yourself. Based on insights from their popular USC course and interviews with world-class performers, this book reveals a new playbook for success: Authenticity in Business: Learn why the most successful sellers aren’t overly confident extroverts, but self-aware individuals who reject the pushy salesperson persona. A New Sales Psychology: Discover why the greatest sellers on the planet don’t just succeed in spite of obstacles—they succeed because of them. The Growth Mindset: Shift your perspective from outdated persuasion techniques to a framework built on what you think, not just what you do. Real-World Lessons: Gain wisdom from an incredible range of people—CEOs, entrepreneurs, doctors, and military leaders—who have mastered this counterintuitive approach to life and work.

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