To Sell Is Human

In the Wall Street Game, 33 percent of participants cooperated and went free. But in the Community Game, 66 percent reached that mutually beneficial result.17 The label helped people answer the “Compared to what?” question. It put the exercise in context, hinted at what was expected, and changed behavior by a factor of two.

the first of three reasons why more of us find ourselves in sales: the rise of small entrepreneurs.

Question 2. “Why didn’t you pick a lower number?”

The ultimate idea, she says, uncorking a small bottle of Zen in the cramped conference room when the session is over, is to “listen without listening for anything.”

Or “Hey, this guy is doing me a favor.” Or “This is a favorless transaction.” Problems arise, Godin says, “when one party in the transaction thinks he’s doing the other guy a favor . . . but the other guy doesn’t act that way in return.” The remedy for this is simple and it’s one we can use in our efforts to move others: “Why not always act as if t

54 percent of this age cohort either wants to start their own business or has already done

1. Seek. Once you’ve defined the area in which you’d like to curate (for example, middle school education reform or the latest skateboard fashion trends or the virtues and vices of mortgage-backed securities), put together a list of the best sources of information. Then set aside time to scan those sources regularly. Kanter recommends at least fift

Improvisation for the Theater by Viola Spolin.

terms is more likely to lead to satisfied customers and repeat business. So if you’re selling a car, go easy on emphasizing