Summary of the Book "To Sell is Human"

Today I am sharing the chapter-by-chapter summary of “To Sell is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others” by Daniel H. Pink.

Part One: Rebirth of a Salesman

Chapter 1: We’re All in Sales Now

Pink argues that sales is no longer confined to people with the job title “salesperson.” In today’s world, everyone is in sales, whether they’re convincing colleagues, pitching ideas or encouraging their kids. This is called non-sales selling which occupies a large part of our work lives. According to a Gallup research done at the beginning od 2010s, people are spending 40% of their time in sales.

Chapter 2: Entrepreneurship, Elasticity and Ed-Med

The economy has shifted. Jobs today require greater flexibility (elasticity) and the ability to wear multiple hats including sales. The rise of entrepreneurship, the growth of education and health care (Ed-Med) and the decline of traditional sales jobs all contribute to a world where persuasion and influence are essential skills for everyone. There should be a distinction between irritation and agitation. Irritation is challenging the people that we want them to do. Agitation is challenging them to do they want to do. Irritation doesn’t work but agitation works well.

When sales is asked to the people they remind frequently negative words such as pushy, dishonest, manipulative etc. And when they wanted to describe who a salesman is they recalled “a man selling cars”.  

Part Two: How to Be

Pink introduces the new ABCs of selling, replacing the old “Always Be Closing” mantra.

Chapter 3: Attunement

To influence others, you must first attune yourself to their perspective. This includes:

• Practicing perspective-taking (seeing as the other person sees),
• Reducing your power to better connect,
• Physically mimicking others subtly to build rapport.

If you divide the people into two as extraversion and introversion, we expect the extravert individuals make more sales than the other one. However, it was proved that the person just in the middle of extraversion and introversion make the best sales. These people are called as Ambiverts who are managing a good balance between asking and listening.

Chapter 4: Buoyancy

Selling requires staying afloat in an ocean of rejection. The more you explain the bad news as temporary, specific and external the more likely you are to persist even in the face of adversity. Pink suggests:

• Self-questioning (interrogative self-talk) before sales encounters (“Can I do this?”),
• Maintaining a positive explanatory style to bounce back from setbacks,
• Staying optimistic and emotionally resilient.

Chapter 5: Clarity

Successful sellers no longer just give information, but they help buyers clarify problems and identify hidden needs. The most valuable skill is being able to frame the problem, not just pitch the solution. Pink also highlights the power of:

• Contrast in options,
• The “less is more” principle when offering choices,
• Asking better questions to find the real issue.

Experiential selling wins over product selling. Experiences gives us the opportunity to talk about and stories to tell which can help us to connect with the others.

Part Three: What to Do

Chapter 6: Pitch

The traditional elevator pitch is outdated. Pink introduces six modern types of pitches:

• One-word pitch – e.g., “Search” (Google),
• Question pitch – prompts critical thinking,
• Rhyming pitch – catchy and memorable rhyming mottos or slogans,
• Subject-line pitch – from email marketing,
• Twitter pitch – concise and clear, shrinked to tweet size,
• Pixar pitch – uses storytelling framework (“Once upon a time…”).

Chapter 7: Improvise

Effective selling involves improvisation, not rigid scripts. Key techniques borrowed from improv include:

• “Yes, and…” to build on others’ ideas,
• Listening with full presence,
• Making your partner look good, i.e., focusing on collaboration.

Chapter 8: Serve

The final step in moving others is serving others. To upsell, we should upserve first. Pink emphasizes that:

• True salespeople improve others’ lives,
• Make it personal – connect with the individual,
• Make it purposeful – frame your actions in service of a broader goal.

Conclusion:

Daniel Pink redefines selling as a human skill essential for everyone, not just sales professionals. By adopting the new ABCs—Attunement, Buoyancy and Clarity and practicing modern tools like pitching, improvising, and serving, anyone can become better at moving others ethically and effectively.