Closers: Great American Writers on the Art of Selling

By: Mike Tronnes

Book Overview

Our finest storytellers spotlight that unsung literary archetype--the salesperson. "Closers" collects the work of many of America's finest literary voices on a subject long at the heart of our... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312180683
• ISBN13: 9780312180683
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 348 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Classic and unique stories about the art of selling!

While I'd recommend this as a "must read" book to anyone in business, this book should be read by a wider audience as well. The stories cover a gamut of emotions and reactions to the art of the "pitch" and many are thought-provoking. Yes, this is fiction, but there are some classic lessons here about the virtues of persistence and drive and a willingness to go the extra mile to reach a goal. In addition to such well-known writers as Thomas Wolfe, John Updike, David Mamet, Philip K. Dick and Flannery O'Connor, there are other writers which should be new to the reader. I'm not in sales (unless you consider convincing a reluctant teenager to clean his room or take out the trash a "sales pitch") but I couldn't put this book down. I came away realizing that the core values of a good salesperson are ones many of us hold dear- being persistant, having drive and ambition, reaching a goal.There are too many stand-outs in this collection to say that any one is the best but I was particulary intrigued by Philip Dick's tale about a robot who wouldn't take no for an answer, an unpredictable tale with a great twist at the end.

Accessible insights into the seller's mind

I often recommend novels to my sales training clients to help them get into the heads of people unlike themselves, to experience unfamiliar worldviews so they can better empathize with prospects. I recommend this collection of fiction to salespeople to help them get more comfortable in their own heads. This collection of short stories and novel excerpts covers the history of sales in modern America, from rail riding drummers who had no homes to today's realtor next door. I was pleased to see that most of the portrayals of salespeople were sympathetic and insightful, not the usual huckster bashing. Each selection captures the poignant human experience of making your living and earning your self-respect from the approval of strangers. Salespeople will learn that their concerns and fears, their appetites and distractions are shared by others in their profession. Perhaps this insight will give them the freedom to accept some of what they are trying to fix about themselves, leaving energy and attention to work on more satisfying projects. I particularly recommend the book to people who live or work with sales people. The stories of the people in this book will tell you more about what it is like to be a salesperson than you would likely learn by knowing one for twenty years.