The Introvert's Edge: How the Quite and Shy Can Outsell Anyone Paperback – 31 July 2019

An excellent guide for all those people out there who have been shying away from sales. This book beautifully depicts the significance of learning the skill of selling for any business. The popular belief that introversion and salesmanship are incompatible has been reasonably refuted :) I am glad to have found this book!

Loved every part of it. Thank you Matt for putting this together. I look forward to the positive impact it would potentially bring to my business.

Being an introvert, competing the world is not impossible but is highly challenging. The wonderful insights by the Author has helped to effectively grow the knowledge and pitch in competing market at its best. The guidance that this book has provided is worth spreading a word for all reserved nature individuals. Strongly recommended digest for effective outcomes.

I ghostwrite for businesses and while my clients like my work yet I have always had a hesitation towards pitching myself to new clients. I really need to prep for it... Reading Introverts edge helped me understand how I can work the pitch and get more work without getting all worked up about ‘sales’. A wonderful gift for any introvert you know

Very well written, lots of good insights

I was skeptical about this book at first, but once I started reading it, I realized there were very powerful techniques that, when used, would definitely improve my closing ratio on cold calls.It's a smart and effective approach to selling for even very shy people.

Thriving as an Introvert in a Noisy World. Insights into Succeeding in Sales and Beyond.Being an introvert, I always wondered how introverts could thrive in a noisy world. I had the impression that high-profile positions need a certain amount of extroversion. And I was convinced there is no room for introverts, especially not in sales. Do not get me wrong. Introverts are well-respected members of teams and companies. They do the heavy lifting. They build and lead projects and teams. But when it comes to selling their accomplishments or sales in general, they seem unable to reach their full potential, which can substantially affect their career.To gain insights into how introverts can thrive in sales and all walks of life, I started networking with experts on this topic on LinkedIn. I came across the excellent book "The Introvert's Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone" by Matthew Pollard and bought.Mathew describes a process of how an introverted person can be more of a consultant to the client than a classical salesperson by establishing trust and providing an agenda, asking probing questions, speaking to the right people, selling with a story, answering objections with stories, closing, assuming the sales and perfecting the process. I recommend reading the details because there is much to learn from them.Additionally, to the inner working of the process, I also had some personal insights:Introverts possess outstanding qualities like empathy, listening skills, and deep thinking that can be valuable in sales. It can help create deeper relationships with clients, understand their needs better, and offer more thoughtful and personalized solutions.Introverts can leverage thorough preparation before sales meetings or calls to reduce the stress of spontaneous social interaction.Introverts can be highly effective strategic communicators in one-on-one or small group settings. They might excel in building long-term client relationships through their in-depth conversations and attention to detail.With a systematic approach, sales can be something other than an extroverted domain based on charisma and quick thinking. Instead, a systematic and process-oriented approach to sales can benefit introverts. For example, this might involve a detailed sales funnel, specific follow-up procedures, or a systematic approach to learning about a client's needs.Digitization creates new opportunities for introverts to shine. They can excel in writing thoughtful emails, conducting detailed market research, and providing meticulous customer service through online channels.All in all, it was fun getting insights into how introverts can thrive in sales and beyond by focusing on leveraging their core strengths through a great process and without the need to fight their true nature and attempt to become extroverts.Thank you for this remarkable book, Mathew. It is a great read, and I highly recommend it.-----Erfolgreich als Introvertierter in einer lauten Welt. Ein Blick auf den Erfolg im Vertrieb - und darüber hinaus.Als introvertierter Mensch habe ich mich immer gefragt, wie introvertierte Menschen in einer lauten Welt gedeihen können. Ich hatte den Eindruck, dass hochrangige Positionen ein gewisses Maß an Extrovertiertheit erfordern. Und ich war überzeugt, dass es keinen Platz für Introvertierte gibt in exponierten Positionen, schon gar nicht im Vertrieb. Introvertierte sind angesehene Mitglieder von Teams und Unternehmen. Sie erledigen unermüdlich die schwere Arbeit im Hintergrund. Sie leiten Projekte und bauen Teams auf. Aber wenn es darum geht, ihre Leistungen zu verkaufen oder im Verkauf im Allgemeinen erfolgreich zu sein, scheinen sie nicht ihr volles Potenzial auszuschöpfen, was ihre Karriere erheblich beeinträchtigen kann.Um herauszufinden, wie Introvertierte im Verkauf und in allen anderen Bereichen des Lebens erfolgreich sein können, habe ich mich auf LinkedIn mit Experten zu diesem Thema vernetzt. Ich stieß auf das ausgezeichnete Buch "The Introvert's Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone" von Matthew Pollard und habe es gekauft.Matthew Pollard beschreibt einen Prozess, wie eine introvertierte Person eher ein Berater für den Kunden als ein klassischer Verkäufer sein kann, indem sie Vertrauen aufbaut und eine Agenda bereitstellt, Fragen stellt, mit den richtigen Leuten spricht, mit einer Geschichte verkauft, Einwände mit Geschichten beantwortet, abschließt, den Verkauf annimmt und diesen Prozess perfektioniert. Der Prozess ist im Buch sehr detailliert und lesenswert beschrieben.Zusätzlich zum inneren Ablauf des Prozesses habe ich auch einige persönliche Erkenntnisse gewonnen:Introvertierte Menschen verfügen über herausragende Qualitäten wie Einfühlungsvermögen, Fähigkeit zum Zuhören und tiefes Denken, die im Verkauf wertvoll sein können. Sie können dazu beitragen, tiefere Beziehungen zu Kunden aufzubauen, ihre Bedürfnisse besser zu verstehen und durchdachte und individuellere Lösungen anzubieten.Introvertierte Menschen können eine gründliche Vorbereitung vor Verkaufsgesprächen nutzen, um den Stress spontaner sozialer Interaktionen zu reduzieren.Introvertierte Menschen können in Einzel- oder Kleingruppengesprächen sehr effektive strategische Kommunikatoren sein. Sie können sich beim Aufbau langfristiger Kundenbeziehungen durch eingehende Gespräche und ihre Liebe zum Detail auszeichnen.Mit einem systematischen Ansatz kann der Vertrieb etwas anderes sein als eine extrovertierte Domäne, die auf Charisma und schnellem Denken basiert. Stattdessen kann eine systematische und prozessorientierte Herangehensweise an den Verkauf für Introvertierte von Vorteil sein. Das kann zum Beispiel ein detaillierter Verkaufstrichter sein, ein spezifisches Follow-up-Verfahren oder ein systematisches Vorgehen, um die Bedürfnisse des Kunden kennenzulernen.Die Digitalisierung schafft neue Möglichkeiten für Introvertierte, zu glänzen. Sie können sich durch das Schreiben durchdachter E-Mails, die Durchführung detaillierter Marktforschung und die Bereitstellung eines sorgfältigen Kundendienstes über Online-Kanäle auszeichnen.Alles in allem hat es Spaß gemacht, Einblicke zu erhalten, wie Introvertierte im Vertrieb und darüber hinaus gedeihen können, indem sie sich darauf konzentrieren, ihre Kernstärken durch einen großartigen Prozess zu nutzen, ohne ihre wahre Natur zu bekämpfen und extrovertiert sein zu müssen.Danke Mathew für das dieses bemerkenswerte Buch. Es ist eine großartige Lektüre, die ich sehr empfehlen kann.

I don’t usually leave reviews, however I want to put the message out as to just how good this book is.As some one who classifies themselves as an introvert, the sales arena can be an intimidating area to work in.The help and advice that is given in this book is fantastic. I usually read relatively slowly, however I devoured this book.If you are in sales (or consultant as Matthew Suggests), thinking of getting into the role or simply an introvert that would like to handle general situations better this is the book for you.I have spent a lot of my life wishing I was more of an extrovert - however, you are what you are and the recognition of this fact allows you to do what you do best - to be natural, authentic and to speak from the heart.Thank you Matthew.

I am an introvert coach. Like many of us, I was looking for a book or a course that helps people like me to find a good selling style or strategy. The market is so plenty of extrovert that I never found something that resonates with me. Then I found Matthew's book and I read. I was so happy that I was the only introvert who experienced the same frustration and challenges in sales processes that this book was a true light in my darkness. This book should be considered a beacon for introverts that run businesses and I mean all kinds of businesses. Small, medium, and big, likewise companies and corporations. The process described in detail is really simple but requires strong capacity of empathy and listening, not to mention the importance of this process in any kind of negotiation. I highly recommend the book to anyone who really wants to improve and implement a great sales strategy.

As I write this, 74 folks have reviewed Matthew Pollard's extraordinary effort - and 74 folks have rated it five stars. As someone who spends significant time sorting/curating marketing books based on Amazon metrics, I can say with certainty that that's special. Virtually never will a book have that combination of quantity of reviews that are literally all perfect.But goodness, "The Introvert's Edge" is more than worthy and I'm delighted to add my own five-star review (and I'd give it more stars if I could).Think folks will look back in a decade and include this work among the handful of titles in the pantheon, that are simply required reading. Here' are the two overarching reasons why:FIRST, in writing, Mr. Pollard is reaching out and hoping to extend a helping hand to the very many introverts who have terrific business capabilities but continually find - or at least, conclude - that the particular nature of their introverted personalities is a crucial barrier to sales success, a barrier so steep that some may well believe it's fatal for their businesses. Additionally, there are large swaths of outstanding service providers with introverted tendencies who don't fail at sales - because they're never even able to pull the trigger and give it a go. The tendencies toward shyness, to spend free time alone, to be introspective are thought of for so many as simply incompatible with the back-slapping, owning the room social maestro persona typically associated with the best sellers.In fact, introverts shouldn't suffer nor watch their window of business opportunity slip away while trying to either figure out how to sell better or how to even try to sell at al. As it turns out, introverts can indeed sell exceptionally well to the event that evidence suggests that introverts actually enjoy a natural advantage vis-a-vis their outgoing counterparts. Extroverted sellers tend to frame their pitches emotionally and rely on adrenaline and social instinct to carry the day. But no one is "on" all the time and extroverts are necessarily consistent in the way their extroversion manifests itself in the sales process. They're anchored to a base that jumps up and down and around and around. Introverts, as it turns out, need to rely a simple but exceptionally thoughtfully developed plan.A detailed sales plan that can be used over and over does the following for the introvert:a. It takes their natural personality tendencies off the table. Folks can plan how they'll demonstrate their social skills and connectivity in advance, rehearse, produce go-to lines, triggers, tactics, etc. The sales call then it's about a natural thrill at the chance for conversation. It's the opportunity to competently execute what has been extensively planned for in advance. We're talking legit specifics. Go-to conversational topics to fall back on, like sports, or the weather, or commuting headaches. Advance pinpointing of those moments in which the introvert makes his case and asks for the business. Little tricks that breed social comfort - e.g., if selling a client's new home, take your shoes off as you come in. Or be 30 seconds late and cite the commute and use that as the entry into some polite chatter about the hassles of getting to work. This is the key: the plan, unlike an extrovert's day-to-day social instincts, is a bastion of consistency and stability. No need to be "on" - the plan is "on". As it turns out, introverts who take this planned-based approach outperform because the quality of their pitches are leveled and consistent - both within and across sales calls.b. The plans Mr. Pollard teaches allow for inherent iteration. If something seems to be falling flat too often, it's fixable.c. Crucial and relevant to the directly above, the beauty of an introvert harnessing a systematic plan is that the burden is on the system not the seller's personality or self-worth. If a sale doesn't happen, it's because a robust system that works very well most of the time didn't get the job done that day. It's not a personal failure to take home and brood over, to question the notion of one's whole being.In laying out precisely how to build these plans and sharing several relevant examples - several of them quite touching, including Mr. Pollard's own story - the author may well transform the sales outcomes of a large swath of business professionals. And the desire to help and to be there as a supporting resource jumps off the page. Matthew Pollard is a very good man, that's abundantly clear.SECOND, set introversion aside and this is still a remarkably great work on systematic selling. The seven-stage process so eloquently laid out is easily among the best I've seen. Those stages are as follows"a. Set the Stage (Trust and Agenda)b. Mine for Gold (Ask Probing Questions)c. Speak to the Right Person (Qualification)d. Don't Sell-Tell (Story-Based Selling)e. Don't Argue - Augment (Dealing with Objections)f. Take their Temperature (Trial Close)g. Ask without Asking (Assume the Sale)I love methods that flow seamlessly through the steps and this is such a beautiful example. Everyone who must sell for a living should learn this system cold, introvert, extrovert, alien, etc. In the very worst case, you'll walk away with, I'll bet, at least give great actionable tips to include in future sales calls. And more likely, particularly if, like me, you have at least some introversion in you, you may well walk away a transformed, revitalized business person. Not only are you not doomed, there's a precise path forward. And that path needn't rely on motivational nonsense or self-help (i.e. no "just believe in yourself enough and you'll be golden). This gift of a book doesn't set out to try and make you a different person. It sets out to make you a different seller - and a wealthier, happier one.Bravo to Matt Pollard, just wonderful.