To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others - Book Review

To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
By Daniel Pink

Life Skills: 4 out of 5
Entertaining: 2 out of 5

Summary: Daniel Pink followed up his New York Times’ bestseller Drive, with another book on sales (and another NYT best-seller). The theme of To Sell is Human is perfectly summarized by the title, everyone has to sell, regardless of their professional title. While “sales” positions only account for one out of every nine jobs, folks in many other industries spend a lot of time pitching ideas to superiors or moving colleagues and partners to action. This phenomenon is most prevalent and important in the “ed-med” industries, according to Pink. The fields of education and medical care are both expected to grow in the coming decade and the success of professionals in this field will be predicated on their ability to sell in roles not traditionally.

Educators’ biggest challenge in the era of standardized testing is inspiring students to engage with the material. Too often, students learn enough to pass a test, then forget the material. Effective teachers must learn to sell students on the value of continuous self-improvement, thorough and focused study habits, and the retention of information being taught.  

Medical professionals success will also be predicated upon their ability to sell patients on treatments and rehabilitation programs. A patient that just completed an 8-week physical therapy program will not see lasting benefits if they do not maintain an active lifestyle when they return home. For physicians, simply writing a prescription is not enough. Patients need to buy into the importance of treatment, preventative care, and the reasoning behind their doctor’s recommendation.


Who should read this; Millennials- particularly those without strong intuitive sales skills and those who have never gone through intensive sales training. Anyone entering the fields of medicine or education.

Who should skip it; Anyone who has read more than 10 sales books in the last 3-5 years and retirees. 

Interesting tidbit; Strategic mimicry is something of a brain hack that serves as “a social glue and sign of trust”. Your sales effectiveness will go up if you strategically mimic “accents and speech patterns, facial expressions, overt behaviors and affective responses”

Buy it here