Navigating the waves of modern commerce is akin to wandering through a marketplace bursting with stimuli. "Unselling" by Scott Stratten and Alison Kramer presents a panorama of shifting tides in business. No longer are we in the age where simply selling a product guarantees success. Today's customer craves an experience, a connection, something more than just a transaction. In their book, the authors unfurl the map of the evolved customer's mind, plotting out the alleys and boulevards of the new experience-led sales terrain.
Ever heard of the fable of the wise old fisherman? Stratten and Kramer draw parallels between today's businesses and this old tale. In the story, the fisherman realized that catching fish wasn't just about having the best net but about understanding where the fish swam and why. Similarly, businesses today need to go beyond mere selling and dive into the depths of what their customers desire and how they behave.
How often have you, yes you, felt like you're just a number in a company's ledger? The digital age has, paradoxically, desensitized many brands, making customers feel more distant than ever before. You've felt it, right? That cold feeling of detachment when you're treated like a statistic? Stratten and Kramer encourage businesses to swim against this current, to humanize their approach and rekindle genuine connections.
Now, wearing your professional hat, think about your own business or place of work. Could it benefit from some 'unselling'? Of course, the objective isn’t to stop selling altogether but to shift gears from being overly transactional to experientially rich. If you’re always aiming for a sale, you may miss the bigger picture – the need for an authentic customer relationship.
Relationships Over Transactions

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In the world of 'Unselling', Stratten and Kramer highlight that relationships are more valuable than one-time transactions. It’s not about the singular sale; it's abou...