EPILOGUE

I am often asked whether I think sales people are born, whether it’s a natural talent that can’t really be learned.

My view is this. Around 10% of people in any organization are the technical whizz-kids. Often known as ‘nerds’ or ‘techies’, these are the experts in their field. They understand all the detail, love the minutiae of things and will produce the most detailed reports, covering all the bases. However, they are not terribly comfortable with human interaction. Every firm has them and although they drive us mad sometimes, we couldn’t do without them.

Another 10% are the ‘born’ sales people. These are the wheeler-dealers in the playground, through college and university (if they bother going). Selling is what they do and who they ...

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