Exploring the science of selling through emotional connection and the power of story.

Disclaimer: Mike Bosworth has been my sales coach since I met him at surf camp and has become a good friend. I’ve coached for Solution Selling, used the strategies at my own company, and participated in one of the first beta workshops for Storyleaders. That being said, my understanding of the material is enriched by knowing Mike personally and being familiar with his thought process. While I’ve only met Ben Zoldan a few times, his writing style in this book feels so personal and engaging that it’s as if we’ve been friends for years.

To review What Great Salespeople Do, I decided to follow its storytelling framework. This approach not only allowed me to evaluate the book but also to demonstrate its practical use. The colored annotations in this review—which reference key storytelling concepts from the book—help illustrate how the methodology works in real time.

Yellow: What Point Do I Want to Make?

“What Great Salespeople Do humanizes the sales process”—and provides valuable insights for design thinking and innovation.

Drawing from science and their success with Solution Selling, Mike and Ben remind us that sales, like innovation, is fundamentally about people communicating with people. While the book provides a structured framework—outlining steps to help sell a product or service—it does so with an emphasis on emotional connection, a critical component of both effective design thinking and creative problem-solving. Readers learn how to:

• Understand human communication at a deeper level.
• Present themselves authentically to connect with others.
• Communicate in a way that resonates with the person they’re engaging with.

This isn’t just about sales. As Mike and Ben demonstrate, everyone is selling something—whether it’s a concept, an ideal, or a cause. To create engagement, we must inspire people to “buy in” to our thinking and purpose—a principle that applies equally to innovation processes.

Green: Where Should the Story Start?

Mike offered me an advance look at What Great Salespeople Do and asked if I’d provide a quote for the back cover. I was honored—and admittedly a little intimidated. Writing ad copy, press releases, and even my own book felt different from crafting a quote that would sit alongside endorsements from industry heavyweights.

Still, I was determined to rise to the occasion. But first, I had to read the book.

White: The Complication

I downloaded the book to my iPad, put on headphones, and opened Pandora’s classical station to avoid distractions. As I started reading, I realized this wasn’t your typical sales book. It wasn’t about scripts or formulas. Instead, it was about human connection—how we bond with others physiologically, emotionally, and conversationally.

As someone who works in communications and design thinking, this struck a chord. I saw immediate applications for my own work: selling services, engaging clients, and designing innovative solutions. The book taught me to shift my perspective—to focus less on what I wanted to say and more on what my audience needed to hear. This principle is equally valuable when working through the ideation and prototyping phases of design thinking.

Blue: The Turning Point

By the time I finished the book, I felt a sense of relief and inspiration. I knew how to write a meaningful quote for the back cover. More importantly, I understood how to communicate with clients and prospects in a way that prioritized their needs over my own.

I also saw broader applications for the book’s principles:

• Customer Support: Humanizing interactions to build trust and loyalty.
• Web Design: Structuring information to guide users through an intuitive journey.
• Market Differentiation: Speaking directly to target audiences in ways competitors can’t replicate.
• Design Thinking: Framing problem statements and solutions in ways that resonate emotionally with stakeholders.

Red: How Does the Story End?

I’m genuinely excited for the release of What Great Salespeople Do. Not just for my friend Mike, but for the countless professionals struggling to create authentic connections in business and innovation. This book is a game-changer—a guide to selling and problem-solving without losing yourself in the process.

If you’re ready to transform the way you communicate, sell, and connect—or if you’re looking to enhance your design thinking practice—I highly recommend picking up a copy of What Great Salespeople Do: The Science of Selling Through Emotional Connection and the Power of Story from McGraw-Hill to learn more about how to apply these life-changing principles in your own journey.