Sales success begins with yourself.
You can’t sell without listening to your customers—and yourself. In Listen to Sell, sales coaches Mike Esterday and Derek Roberts draw on their decades of industry experience to reveal the conversations, mindset, and skillset needed to amplify your sales confidence and bring purpose back to your customer relationships.
As executives at the Nashville-based Integrity Solutions, Esterday and Roberts have crafted a proprietary sales coaching program that has helped clients in 130 countries and multiple industries, from financial services to manufacturing to healthcare. Their unique sales philosophy is rooted in a values-based, customer-centered approach, where authentic business relationships matter above all else.
With self-analysis exercises and customized strategies, you’ll learn how your mindset—which encompasses your attitude, what you believe about yourself, and the confidence you have to succeed—is the foundation of top sales performance. You’ll then learn how to hone your skillset—the daily tools and tactics that make or break sales—by creating a personal sales plan and taking action in your immediate environment and beyond. In addition to real-world success stories demonstrating the concepts’ practical application, each chapter ends with a Coaching Corner segment that supports your growth.
If you’re a sales executive, manager, or rep who has hit a plateau or who just doesn’t think they’re cut out for sales, this book is your breakthrough.

Mike Esterday's profile page

Derek Roberts' profile page

James Harbeck's profile page

Mike Esterday first discovered his talent for sales when he ranked number one out of 6,000 sales professionals in his first sales role, and then recruited and managed hundreds of salespeople. Forty years later, Esterday is a sought-after coach, speaker, and leader in sales management and training. Esterday established multiple successful companies and is a founding partner and CEO of Integrity Solutions. A past board member of the global Association of Learning Providers, he is a contributing member of the Forbes Business Council.
Derek Roberts has built, trained, and coached sales teams and sales leaders for nearly thirty years. Although he is an executive coach, consultant, and professional speaker, he is quick to identify himself first and foremost as a sales professional. An executive partner with Integrity Solutions since 1999, Roberts also owns the consulting and training firm Roberts Business Group, which sells and distributes Integrity Solutions’ products. He is co-author of Be a Mindsetter: The Essential Guide to Inspire, Influence and Impact Others.

"At last, a refreshingly different book about selling that elevates the role of sales to the level it deserves. We applaud the authors’ emphasis on the process of building trust via genuine listening. Listen to Sell identifies solid research and then makes it practical and applicable. It is the new bible for those aspiring to succeed at this noble profession."

coauthors of <i>The New Extraordinary Leader</i>

"Mike Esterday and Derek Roberts share what to do for real sales success. You must ask relevant questions and then listen—truly listen—to your customers’ responses. The authors start with your mindset—what messages you must give yourself for success and how to ensure you have a customer focus. They then introduce you to a logical, sequential sales process that will keep you on track. As a result, you will be a more competent and confident sales professional."

author of <i>Skills for Career Success</i> and <i>The New Business of Consulting</i>

"The best salespeople are dedicated to making a difference and improving the lives of customers. Mike Esterday and Derek Roberts spell out clearly why selling, at its heart, is about establishing your true purpose and unlocking your internal drivers. Listen to Sell helps you have the right conversations with yourself, and then teaches you how to carry that sense of purpose into your conversations with your customers."

bestselling author of <i>Selling with Noble Purpose</i>

"Listen to Sell is a groundbreaking exploration into the heart of authentic selling. This book stands out as a beacon in today’s fast-paced sales environment, teaching us that true success lies in understanding and valuing our customers. From the intricate art of conversation to the transformative power of mindset, Listen to Sell is a must-read for anyone serious about elevating their sales journey—an absolute masterpiece in the realm of sales literature."

bestselling author and leadership expert

"In sales, there’s a time to talk and there’s a time to listen. Get that right, and you get the sale. Get it wrong, and you get frustration. This practical book shows you how to get it right."

author of <i>The Coaching Habit</i> and <i>How to Work with (Almost) Anyone</i>

"Listen to Sell is a timely reminder that selling doesn’t happen until we listen first to our customers. My father, Stephen R. Covey, put it this way: ‘Seek first to understand, then to be understood.’ Asking great questions is important but useless if we haven’t learned to listen. Mike Esterday and Derek Roberts show us why being an emotionally intelligent salesperson, one who diagnoses (listens) before prescribing (offering our solution), is essential for enduring success as sales professionals."

CEO of SMCOVEY and bestselling coauthor of <i>Trap Tales</i>

"Effective selling today is all about actively listening to clients to find out their goals and objectives and then—and only then—creating customized solutions. Listen to Sell is an excellent book to help you deliver superior selling experiences through the power of listening."

coauthor of <i>The Platinum Rule</i> and<i> Communicating at Work</i>

"An insightful and robust read with practical ‘Coaching Corners’ at every turn to provide sales professionals with the guidance and tools they need to be successful."

CEO of TalentSmartEQ

"Listening creates more successful conversations. Listen to Sell outlines the conversations you need to have with yourself and your customers. When you listen more and deepen these conversations, satisfaction and sales success will follow. Listen to me—read this book!"

chief potential officer at the Kevin Eikenberry Group and author of <i>Remarkable Leadership

"Mike Esterday and Derek Roberts nailed it. The new order of selling starts with listening and being truly values driven and customer focused."

CEO at Training Industry, Inc.

"Listening is the secret sauce of successful sales—and this book unveils the recipe for mastering it. Listen to Sell is a must-read for anyone looking to create loyal customers."

coauthor of <i>The One Minute Manager </i>and <i>Raving Fans</i>

"The results we achieve in sales begins with our mindset and how we prepare. Listen to Sell is the step-by-step guide every salesperson needs to be successful in today’s market. You don’t read this book, you apply it."

The Sales Hunter

"Mike Esterday and Derek Roberts know more about sales than anyone I know. Listen to Sell has all the tools you need to make yourself a better salesperson."

bestselling author of <i>Emotional Intelligence Habits</i>

"Listen to Sell should be required reading for every salesperson on the planet—it gets right to the heart of everything you need to hit home runs. The authors make it clear that success is all about building good relationships and having regular, meaningful conversations. Learn all the sales skills you will ever need in this wonderful book."

retired chairman of Tractor Supply Company

"I have always believed it is attitude, not just aptitude, that differentiates the successful from the less successful. It really is the combo of mindset and skillset that will set you apart. If you nodded ‘yes’ to that statement but don’t know the how-to, grab Listen to Sell to learn just that!"

coauthor of <i>Love ’Em or Lose ’Em</i>

"A valuable primer and welcome reminder of the uniquely human factors that make the difference in sales. Listen to Sell helps you tap into the mindset, skillset, and strategies to show up with confidence and break through to new levels of performance. Best of all, it’s grounded in a set of principles that reinforces the value you bring to the table and will make you proud to be part of the sales profession."

founder and CEO of Let’s Grow Leaders