The Introvert's Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone

by Matthew Pollard, Derek Lewis (With)

Overview

A Most Highly-Rated Sales Books of All Time (HubSpot)

A Best Introvert Book of All Time (BookAuthority)

Success lies in leveraging your strengths, not changing who you are.

Sales is a skill just like any other, which anyone can learn and master – including the introvert who is more comfortable alone than in the sales field. As with any type of success, it’s all about learning how to leverage your natural strengths.

You’ve been sold a lie: You have to be pushy to be successful in sales. But that’s simply not true. You don’t have to have the gift-of-the-gab or be comfortable with traditional tactics like aggressively pushing a product or talking over a customer's objections.

Even if you're an introvert who prefers solitude over socializing, you can find remarkable sales success with this proven 7-step process.

Here’s a taste of what you will learn:

• Find Your Natural Confidence: Develop true confidence by playing to your natural strengths
• Prepare for Every Situation: Strategically organize your thoughts and ideas, develop your inherent active listening skills, and be prepared for every opportunity.
• Easily Sidestep Objections: Discover effective strategies to address objections gracefully and confidently, turning them into opportunities rather than obstacles.
• Ask for the Sale (Without Asking): Learn a simple, introvert-friendly technique that avoids awkwardness and pressure.
• Leverage the Power of Virtual and Social Networking: Simple, proven strategies to turn your online presence into a well-oiled machine.

An introvert himself, Matthew Pollard has discovered the secret to consistently outselling his extroverted counterparts. Known as “The Rapid Growth Guy,” he has transformed over 3,500 struggling businesses into success stories.

Pollard's insights and strategies provide a blueprint for introverts to thrive in the sales world authentically and effectively. Whether you're looking to drum up clients, pitch investors, or exceed sales quotas, this book will unlock your potential and transform you into a low-pressure, high-impact sales machine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814438879
Publisher:	AMACOM
Publication date:	01/04/2018
Series:	The Introvert's Edge Series
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	298,351
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Matthew Pollard, known as "The Rapid Growth Guy," works with businesses around the world, from startups to Fortune 500 companies like Microsoft and Capital One. Responsible for launching five zero-to-million-dollar businesses, he also founded Austin's Small Business Festival, which is now a nationwide event. A native of Australia, he splits his time between North Carolina and Texas.

DEREK LEWIS is a business writer who works with leaders from GE, the International Monetary Fund, and SAP. He lives in Baton rouge, Lousiana.

Read an Excerpt

THE MYTH OF THE SALESMAN

Looking back, though, I can easily see now why John failed. He simply wasn't a salesman. He was a typical engineer: an introverted, analytical problem solver. Nothing he learned could have possibly prepared him for selling real estate services to homeowners. Going out to meet new people and drumming up business was simply not in his nature.

It's not that he wasn't smart; obviously, he was. He wasn't lazy. But rather than focus on sales, he focused on doing things he was already good at. You could say that he was trying to save money by doing the work himself, but the truth was he hid from doing something that made him uncomfortable. Instead, he did what we all tend to do: gravitated to what he knew well. What's more, for introverts, the thought of selling their services isn't just unpleasant; it can be downright terrifying. Many of the introverts I work with can relate. They like doing what they're good at, and they hate doing what makes them uncomfortable (as do most people).

So, they concentrate on the work. Business owners often go into business for themselves because they're great at their functional skill. Lawyers start their own firms because they know the law. Electricians start their own electrical contracting companies because they're good electricians. IT professionals start their own consultancy business because they're proficient with a specific platform.

But just because you're good at something—or even great at it—doesn't mean that customers will automatically show up at your door. Even if you pour money into advertising (usually not the best solution to your sales problem), you still have to speak to people when they walk in or call you up. Marketing may turn up an interested prospect, but there's still a gap between the customer knowing what you do and actually wanting to buy from you. You still have to sell.

Of course, the problem is that lawyers, electricians, and consultants aren't salespeople; they're lawyers, electricians, and consultants. To them, sales is something done by salespeople.

These smart people can learn how to balance the books (like a bookkeeper would), how to hire and train employees (like a human resources professional would), and how to address customer complaints (like a customer service representative would). But for some reason, these same brilliant business owners don't think they can be taught how to sell (like a salesperson would).

That's because they believe that learning the law or electrical maintenance is a skill, whereas sales is a personality type. To be successful at sales, you have to be charismatic. You have to be outgoing. You have to know how to schmooze and how to work a room. You have to be likable. Sales is something where "you either have it or you don't."

That's the myth so many introverts buy into. They give up on sales before they even begin. They think that because of their personality, they're not good at selling. So instead of learning how, they plow their time and effort into getting better at their functional skill and pour money into advertising, hoping those two things will somehow magically close the gap. "Build it and they will come" may work in the movies, but if that's your strategy in business, you're just counting the days till you close your doors.

Here's another myth. What's the number one problem small businesses cite time and time again? They'll tell you it's finding customers. However, after working directly with so many entrepreneurs and professionals, in industries from writing to real estate to personal training, what I've discovered is that finding customers isn't really the problem. Business owners often have their head in the sand: They don't want to meet people, to network, to attend events, to get on the phone, or to set up meetings. They don't see the value in contacting past clients for referrals. And they have trouble qualifying leads and recognizing the ones with the most potential.

It doesn't matter if you're the best voice coach on the Eastern seaboard. If no one knows it, how can you expect to sell to them? These small-business owners and entrepreneurs climb most of the mountain, only to let their dreams die a few feet from the peak.

The problem is sales—but it's so easy to fix!

Working directly with thousands of business owners, salespeople, entrepreneurs, and professionals has taught me three truths:

1. Sales is a skill anyone can learn.

2. Anyone can create a sales process.

3. Armed with these two facts, introverts make the best salespeople.

Excerpted from THE INTROVERT'S EDGE: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone by Matthew Pollard with Derek Lewis. Copyright © 2018 Matthew Pollard and Rapid Growth LLC. Published by AMACOM Books, a division of American Management Association, New York, NY. Used with permission.

All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Judy Robinett xv

1. When Introverts Fail at Sales 1

The Problem with Introverts 5

What Happens Without Sales 9

The Myth of the Salesman 12

Knocking on Ninety-Three Doors 15

There's Got to Be a Better Way 19

Alex Becomes a Sales Powerhouse 22

7 Steps to the Introvert's Edge 26

2. Set the Stage (STEP ONE: TRUST AND AGENDA) 35

The Power of Indifference vs. the Reek of Desperation 40

The System Over the Sale 43

The Importance of Trust 46

Quickly Establishing Rapport 49

Quickly Establishing Credibility 53

No Hidden Agenda 58

Show Them the Script 61

Don't Let Your Customers Run Your Machines 62

3. Mine for Gold (STEP TWO: ASK PROBING QUESTIONS) 65

Find the Bleeding 68

Listen, Not to Answer but to Understand 72

Find the Pattern in the Questions 76

Asking the Right Questions 78

Getting Strangers to Open Up 82

4. Speak to the Right Person (STEP THREE: QUALIFICATION) 85

Getting Past the Gatekeeper 90

Don't Waste Your Time 91

Be Nice to the Secretary 93

Why Is This Step Three? 94

People Love to Qualify 96

5. Don't Sell—Tell (STEP FOUR: STORY-BASED SELLING) 99

Embed the Solution in a Story 105

The Science of Storytelling 107

Crafting Your First Story 109

6. Don't Argue—Augment (STEP FIVE: DEALING WITH OBJECTIONS) 115

Sidestep Objections 122

Don't Sell Yourself as a Salesperson 124

7. Take Their Temperature (STEP SIX: TRIAL CLOSE) 127

Toe in the Water 131

The Double-Bind 133

8. Ask Without Asking (STEP SEVEN: ASSUME THE SALE) 137

How to Handle Price 143

Don't Treat Sales like Glass 146

Find a Way, Not an Excuse 151

9. Perfect the Process 155

Do an Eval on Yourself. Really. 160

One Thing at a Time 162

10. The Introvert's Edge in Real Life 165

The Ghost of Business Past 167

What I Did Then 173

What I Do Now 175

Why Bother? 187

11. Mastery 189

Everyone Loves Options 194

Preparing to Scale 195

Don't Surrender Your Business 198

When Sales and Marketing Work in Unison 200

The Introvert's Edge 208

About the Author 209

References and Further Reading 213

Index 215

Acknowledgements 219

Bonus: Your Exclusive Invitation 221

Editorial Reviews

11/27/2017
Pollard, an entrepreneur and self-avowed introvert, delivers a helpful guide for other introverts looking to leverage their particular personality traits for sales. He begins by lamenting a persistent myth that successful selling requires a specific personality: charismatic, outgoing, and good at schmoozing. Pollard observes that introverts trying to fit this mold have a rough time. Often uneasy with small talk, they can come off as rude during sales calls and enter a vicious cycle where failure leads to desperation—and desperation in a salesperson is all too obvious. But in truth, Pollard convincingly argues, anyone can learn to sell, and introverts have traits that make them better at it, such as thoughtfulness, empathy, and the ability to listen closely. Unable to fall back on sheer force of personality, they instead tend to use a well-rehearsed, thought-out process, which Pollard views as essential to effective sales. In a series of concrete how-tos, he breaks down the process into manageable chunks: establishing trust, asking good questions, building a narrative, and getting past a “no.” Any introverted aspiring salesperson will be relieved to find this cogent guide. Agent: Cynthia Zigmund, Second City Publishing Services. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

'Pollard convincingly argues, anyone can learn to sell, and introverts have traits that make them better at it. Any introverted aspiring salesperson will be relieved to find this cogent guide.' - Publishers Weekly

'With stories of introverted entrepreneurs, salespeople, and business owners who went from stagnant to success, The Introvert's Edge shows you how to succeed in sales—without changing who you are. -Top Sales World

Instead of focusing on how to make good salespeople better, Pollard's book shows you how to transform your worst salespeople into your best. This book is a must-read for sales managers, sales teams, solopreneurs, and anyone who wants to reliably and authentically improve their sales results. -Selling Power Magazine

Matthew Pollard's new book, The Introvert's Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone, offers myth-busting insights to help you excel at sales — without being that salesperson we all want to dodge. - Psychology Today

Pollard has written a persuasive and engaging selling guide for the 'quiet and shy' of his subtitle — although one can venture that any salesperson would benefit from the experiences and insight of someone who has so thoroughly lived the challenges of the introvert salesperson. -Soundview

From the Publisher