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The Unsold Mindset
Book

The Unsold Mindset

Redefining What It Means to Sell

Colin Coggins and Garrett Brown
HarperBusiness, 2023
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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Well Structured
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

When you’re selling, do you act like you think a salesperson is “supposed to” act? Most people erroneously assume that only backslapping, pushy, know-it-all extroverts can sell. Buying into this stereotype, many think they have to act like a typical salesperson to sell effectively. This has a huge downside. Salespeople who try to be someone they aren’t come off like the salesperson they don’t want to be. Instead, authors Colin Coggins and Garrett Brown urge people to become “unsold” on these selling stereotypes. To be better at selling yourself, your ideas, or your products and services, and to feel better about your work, they share how and why the greatest sellers focus less on what they do and more on how they think.

Summary

Sellers with an Unsold Mindset think differently from everyone else.

The best salespeople in the world owe their success to how they think, not to how they sell. These salespeople are “unsold” – independent thinkers who don’t buy into common stereotypes and tired methods. Top sellers are no longer sold on acting the way others expect or thinking the way others suppose they should. 

They don’t buy into the idea that selling is a noncreative pursuit for soulless automatons. They set their minds on becoming the best people – and the best salespeople – possible. 

Treat your prospects as teammates, not sales targets.

The Unsold Mindset requires being authentic with your prospects and clients. If you’re in a sales meeting, and you fear that you’re coming across as cheesy, guess what? You probably are. Recognize that buyers respond positively to authenticity. Being genuine is a strong selling point. So, if you have a quick wit, don’t be afraid to show it. If you are great with data, don’t hide your analytical savvy. Be your real self with your prospects and clients.

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About the Authors

Colin Coggins and Garrett Brown are the founders of the Agency18 consultancy and creators of the “Sales Mindset for Entrepreneurs” course at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.

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