What does it take to score big in sales?

Most salespeople turn to the conventional wisdom of industry insiders and pros.

But Cal State Fullerton College of Business and Economics Management Professor Lorenzo Bizzi says academic research often paints a different picture of what’s needed in sales.

“Nowadays, especially on social media, people tend to use exaggerations, inflate their claims and recommend sensational tactics to get their voices heard. These strategies are very appealing, but unfortunately often don’t work,” says Bizzi.

Because academics don’t make exaggerated claims and often speak in difficult to understand or boring language, they often don’t get heard, despite recommendations based on hard evidence.

With the goal of making academic sales research understandable and digestible, Bizzi has written the 2024 book, Myths vs. Science of Selling: When Research Reveals the Opposite of Common Belief.

“I tried to translate research findings into accessible, simple, direct and practical recommendations for the business community,” he says. “You are free to disagree with the research and prefer popular advice. But what matters is that you get stimulated, so that you can reflect on what works and what doesn’t.”

Sales Advice for the Rest of Us

I don’t work in sales. My goal is to be an accountant, economist or IT professional. So none of this matters to me personally.

You might be thinking along those lines, but in today’s competitive workforce, we’re all salespeople as we market our personal brand and experience.

“Selling is exercising influence over others, and it can be applied in any context,” says Bizzi.

And according to Bizzi, extroversion isn’t necessary for successful sales. Nor is unusually high intelligence.

“IQ is completely irrelevant. It matters more to be open to learn than to be smart. It’s bad to look at others and compare yourself with them. You need to compare yourself with your former self and focus on growth.”

One of the most surprising findings: It’s actually more important to be organized than to have good social skills.

“You don’t need to be agreeable or gregarious. You only need to learn to read social situations, and some simple tactics can help,” says Bizzi. “There are two forms of empathy, one is good and one is bad. You don’t have to feel what others are feeling. You only have to understand what they are feeling. Popular tactics that teach you how to listen are ineffective because they focus on how to respond, not on how to actually pay more attention. Excessive customer orientation can be bad, unless you have experience. Trying to ingratiate others is terrible, but it works if there is trust. Being inspirational works very well with colleagues, but not as well with clients. Only for a few people and in selected situations should you use that approach.”

The Next Chapter in Sales Research

Bizzi’s book is just the first chapter of his academic studies on sales best practices.

Now, he is collecting and analyzing large datasets on sales professionals, assessing their performance and influence tactics.

In the coming years, Bizzi hopes to publish additional peer-reviewed works on sales.

For more than a decade, the Cal State Fullerton College of Business and Economics has been recognized by the Sales Education Foundation as a top school in sales education.

Much of this accolade is for the networking, personal development and career symposia offered by the Sales Leadership Center.

Bizzi’s research is providing a new academic angle to this designation, befitting the college’s status as a research leader in addition to a business school with world-class teaching acumen.

For more on sales education at CSUF, read more of our articles on sales.