Book: The Introvert’s Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone by Matthew Owen Pollard. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I bought this book because I wanted to understand a little bit more about introverts, so I can improve myself and understand others better. In the end, this book is totally related to sales, and part of it was not so interesting to me.

I have to say that his method seems to be really good. The example (and testimonial) he shows close to the end of the book proves (at least for me) everything he wrote in the book. It was very persuasive, easy to follow, structured, and good for introverts.

The book is good for introverts who have to deal with sales somehow, or for those who don’t understand how would it be possible for an introvert to deal with sales. I learned some tricks, but it’s not life-changing for my current context.

It’s worth saying that I highly recommend How to Win Friends and Influence People to everyone I know. It’s about sales, but not only sales. 👍

Here are my raw notes about the book:

  • Introverts take their energy from being alone. Extroverts get it by being with people
  • Introverts usually hate chitchat or small talks and rather prefer meaningful conversations. — 💭 YES!
  • People usually tend to work on things they are comfortable with. Engineers tend to look for engineering instead of trying sales
  • Sales is a skill anyone can learn and introverts make the best salesperson
  • Talk to the right person to solve your problem. (or to deliver your sales pitch)
  • Extroverts depend on external forces/people. Introverts follow a plan and depend on themselves only
  • Finland is the country with more introverts
  • For introverts (who hate small talks) it’s better to have a plan to execute when small talks are needed. It should consider something you like and works for you
  • Introverts don’t rely on personality, and plans beat personality in the long run
  • Don’t tell people what you sell. Understand people’s problems and offer a solution using what you have to offer
  • Don’t win the fight and lose the sale. There’s not that much advantage on that
  • Instead of saying that the client is wrong (somehow), use: “this is what happens when "
  • Introverts tend to suffer from anxiety more than extroverts
  • Always have more than one prospects to present your idea, it reduces the pressure
  • When introverts afford to be indifferent, they often get the best deals.
  • Trust is the base of everything else. Gain their trust and empathy before selling anything.
  • Introverts don’t like to show themselves explicitly
  • When setting a value for a presentation or something, you should give a hint of your professional experience so they can value you.
  • You don’t have to throw them your resume, but give them a hint that you know your stuff and is well positioned in the market
  • Have an agenda before a conversation. You should let him/her know that you know what you’re doing and he can trust you to guide it
  • Don’t give many options to your customer or it will decrease the chance of him buying something. It’s related to the paradox of choice
  • Ask the right questions, in the right order, moving to the heart of their problem, and show you have what they need
  • Get through the gatekeeper. Secretaries and other people who stay between you and the person who actually has the power to make the decision. Be kind and direct by saying what you are selling and asking for who you should be talking to.
  • Tell, not sell. Use stories to get the attention of the buyer, we relate ourselves to stories a lot. “When sleeping, the body is resting but the mind is telling you stories”
  • A story must show why it’s important and also where the protagonist was before and what he became
  • Learn decent sales or you may be a hostage of your salesperson