To Sell Is Human the Surprising
One book, placed in its field — what this book gets right, where it goes further than the rest, and what the rest of the field adds.
Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide · bicycle.guide/guides/profile-to_sell_is_human_the_surprising
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To Sell Is Human the Surprising
One book, placed in its field — what this book gets right, where it goes further than the rest, and what the rest of the field adds.
Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide · bicycle.guide/guides/profile-to_sell_is_human_the_surprising
The problem
Effectiveness at Moving Others erodes when it is left to instinct instead of method.
You were taught the moves piecemeal, never the whole model.
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
The model
- 01Information Parity (Caveat Venditor Conditions)
- 02Attunement
- 03Buoyancy
- 04Clarity
- 05Pitching Ability
- 06Improvisation Ability
- 07Service Orientation
- 08Effectiveness at Moving Others
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 1 of 5 · Information Parity (Caveat Venditor Conditions)
Under caveat venditor, the seller bears the burden of honesty because the buyer can verify claims instantly.
Misconception
Practitioners believe information parity only affects commodity or online sales, and that complex or high-touch offerings still protect the seller's knowledge advantage.
Reality
Parity is a market-wide default, not a channel-specific one; even in complex B2B deals buyers have researched your competitors, read reviews, and modeled pricing before your first call. The advantage that remains is not knowing more but helping the buyer make sense of what they already know.
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 2 of 5 · Attunement
Think your way into the other person's head rather than feeling your way into their heart—cognition beats emotion for reading intent.
Misconception
Practitioners believe attunement is about empathy—feeling what the other person feels—so they lead with warmth and emotional connection.
Reality
Attunement is a cognitive act, not an emotional one: research shows perspective-taking (thinking your way into someone's viewpoint) outperforms empathy at the negotiating table, and starting from a position of lower rather than higher power sharpens your ability to read others accurately.
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 3 of 5 · Buoyancy
Question your ability before a pitch ('Can I?') instead of asserting it—the interrogative form pulls up the tactics that carry you through.
Misconception
That buoyancy means pumping yourself up with declarative affirmations like 'I am a great closer' before every call.
Reality
Declarative self-talk inflates confidence but doesn't marshal the strategies you actually need; asking yourself a question—'Can I do this, and how?'—recruits reasons and tactics that flat assertions never trigger.
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 4 of 5 · Clarity
Problem-finders outperform problem-solvers when buyers can already access answers themselves.
Misconception
Practitioners believe clarity means simplifying — reducing complexity so the customer isn't confused.
Reality
Clarity is less about answer-finding and more about problem-finding; the value now lies in identifying problems people don't yet know they have, not tidying up problems they already understand.
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Step 5 of 5 · Pitching Ability
Distillation is a learnable skill: mastering multiple short formats lets you match the pitch to the channel.
Misconception
People think a pitch is a polished, self-contained monologue whose job is to seal the deal in one delivery.
Reality
The purpose of a modern pitch is to begin a conversation and pull the other person into building on your idea, not to overwhelm them into agreement; a good pitch leaves room for them to co-author what comes next.
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
The cheat sheet
- Information Parity (Caveat Venditor Conditions)Under caveat venditor, the seller bears the burden of honesty because the buyer can verify claims instantly.
- AttunementThink your way into the other person's head rather than feeling your way into their heart—cognition beats emotion for reading intent.
- BuoyancyQuestion your ability before a pitch ('Can I?') instead of asserting it—the interrogative form pulls up the tactics that carry you through.
- ClarityProblem-finders outperform problem-solvers when buyers can already access answers themselves.
- Pitching AbilityDistillation is a learnable skill: mastering multiple short formats lets you match the pitch to the channel.
- Improvisation AbilityImprovisation is a trainable skill, so practice hearing and accepting offers deliberately rather than waiting to be gifted quick wit.
- Service OrientationRun the two-question test (better life, better world) as a gate before you pitch anything.
- Effectiveness at Moving OthersMoving others is a core competency for every knowledge worker, not a specialized sales function.
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide
Sources
- To Sell Is Human the Surprising
To Sell Is Human the Surprising · Mike West, Editor · HR Leader Guide