If somebody told me years ago that a future generation of would-be entrepreneurs would learn how to sell from a bunch of writers, researchers and consultants who’ve never sold a product or managed a sales force in their lives, I wouldn’t have believed it.

And yet, here we are. The blogosphere and bookstores are full of content from what I can only describe as self-serving shysters with a cool gimmick and an inspirational story to sucker small business owners into coughing up their hard-earned money.

Luckily, I’m not one of them. You can tell because my hand isn’t in your pocket. More importantly, I cut my teeth as a sales engineer in a highly competitive industry and ended up running sales and marketing for several high-tech companies.

And while no article – or book, for that matter – can really teach you how to be a great salesperson, I can definitely share some interesting and counter-intuitive insights that took me a while to figure out, starting with the do’s and don’ts of delivering a sales pitch:

Selling is a marathon, not a sprint, You’re always selling, Make “yes” the logical and emotional choice, Be sure there’s a real opportunity, Know whom you’re talking to, Don’t try too hard to relate personally, Give a little, get a little, Never rehearse.

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