The Authentic Sale: A Goddess’s Guide to Business

Cohen-First, a sales coach, seeks to empower women to pursue successful sales careers in a business guide that emphasizes the importance of one’s own “authentic behavioral style.” Drawing on wisdom culled from professional and educational experiences, the author encourages female readers to go from supporting roles to the front lines, in part by tapping into the power represented by Greek goddesses, such as “Athena the Wise” and “Demeter the Primordial.” In Cohen-First’s opinion, the prevailing wisdom about the field is from and geared toward men, but women also have unique strengths they can bring to sales. Aiming to help readers overcome challenges, she explores how to tap into one’s authentic self and dedicates a chapter to the foundations of solid business practices, namely product knowledge, time management, and preparation. She quickly moves on to harder-to-acquire skills such as taking control, handling objections, dealing with customer expectations, and moving the sale forward. Cohen-First’s writing style is personal, familiar, and colloquial, not the standard authoritative voice that most how-to guides employ, and her book has plenty of astute suggestions to provide. (BookLife)