On December 31, 2012, Daniel H. Pink released his new book, “Selling Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others.” Pink is the best-selling author of “Drive” and “A Whole New Mind.” Pink’s new message declares that regardless of our career, we are all in sales today. Traditional selling is about convincing current and potential customers to make a purchase. “For-profit selling” is Pink’s term for convincing, persuading, and influencing others to give up something they have for what we have. The concept applies to everyone, as parents cajole children, lawyers sell juries with a verdict, and teachers sell students the value of paying attention in class, to name a few. To be successful in both traditional and non-sales sales requires a new mindset based on the revised ABC’s of Sales. Previously, the ABC meant “always be closing.” Now the ABC embodies tuning, buoyancy and clarity. The following article highlights the tuning.

Attenuation.

Attunement is the ability to harmonize one’s own actions and points of view with those of other people and with the context in which one is. Research shows that tuning is based on three principles:

1. Increase your power by reducing it. The researchers conclude that power leads people to become overly anchored in their point of view and perspective taking. The ability to move people now depends on reverse power: understanding another person’s perspective, getting inside their head, and seeing the world through their eyes. Those with a lower status are more keen to take perspective. Moving others does not mean becoming a pushover or embracing total selflessness. The success of tuning is also based on two other principles.
2. Use your head as much as your heart. Social scientists often view perspective taking and empathy as fraternal twins, closely related, but not identical. Perspective taking is primarily cognitive (thinking) and empathy is an emotional response (feeling). The researchers conclude that perspective taking trumps empathy. Traditional selling and non-selling often involve what appear to be competitive imperatives: cooperation vs. competition, group profit vs. individual advantage. Pushing too hard is counterproductive, but feeling too deeply can cause you to overwhelm your own interests. This second principle helps us to recognize that individuals do not exist as atomistic units, disconnected from groups, situations, and contexts.
3. Strategically imitate. “Humans are natural mimics,” says Pink. Scientists see mimicry as a deeply human natural act that serves as social glue and a sign of trust. “Strategic mimicry” is ingrained in our brains as an unconscious awareness of whether we are in sync with other people. One way to confirm synchronicity is to match behavior patterns. “Synchronizing our gestures and vocal patterns with another person so that we both understand and can be understood is critical to attunement,” says Pink. Playing complements mime, but playing and miming itself require skill to be successful.

Reduce your power (which requires humility); hone your emotional intelligence (don’t get consumed by your emotional connection vs. perspective taking) and strategically mimic (the chameleon ability) to master attunement. ambiverts. Pink concludes her discussion of attunement by dispelling the belief that extroverts are better salespeople than introverts. “There’s almost no evidence that it’s true,” says Pink. Ambiverts are neither overly extroverted nor overly introverted. Introverts are ready to inspect and extroverts are ready to respond. Any sale, whether traditional sale or no sale, requires a balance between the two. The ambiverts can find that balance and are the best movers because they are the most skilled tuners. Fortunately, most of us are ambiverts, and in a sense, we were born to sell. Once you’ve mastered tuning, buoyancy, and clarity, which show you how to be, you need to know what to do. Perfecting his tone, learning to improvise and serving complement his actions. On New Year’s Day, Daniel Pink hosted an exclusive one-hour webinar for first responders on “To Sell Is Human.” He endorsed “I Done This” – an email-based productivity log sent to you chronicling your daily productivity – great for individuals or teams.