At twenty, I was so overwhelmed by self-doubt and anxiety that I could barely bring myself to walk into a bank. I was anxious, withdrawn and fearful, with very little confidence in myself or my future.
Some years later, I was selling professional services to some of the leading lawyers in the City of London and had established my own business there.
What changed?
The answer wasn’t simply that I learned to sell.
Selling became the unexpected vehicle through which I discovered myself, began to understand other people more deeply and developed principles and life skills that transformed both my career and my life.
But these were not the beginning of the story. They were the result of finding peace and purpose.
I became fascinated by what makes people tick. I wanted to understand how my own mind worked and how it could be used more fully. As I changed, I began to discover abilities I had never realised I possessed.
I found that I could communicate well, develop original ideas, recognise business opportunities and help other people succeed.
Selling became the proving ground where those discoveries were tested every day.
Over decades of practical experience, trial and error, success and failure, I began to recognise patterns and opportunities that others often overlooked.
Some of these discoveries led me to develop original concepts including The Zebra Crossing Effect, The Bloodhound’s Nose, The Tidal Turbine Effect and Simmer-Solving.
The Zebra Crossing Effect, in particular, grew from my desire to solve a common problem in selling: how to prevent a successful sale from becoming a dead end, and instead turn the relationship into an opportunity for further introductions, appointments and new business.
These ideas were not developed in a classroom. They were forged through real-world experience selling directly to the public, to senior decision-makers in commerce and to leading professional partnerships in the City of London, where I established my business.
A deeper turning point
Looking back, I can honestly say that one of the biggest turning points in my life came when I encountered God.
Had He not met me in that dark place in my twenties, I do not know where I would be today.
Step by step, He brought peace where there had been fear, confidence where there had been anxiety and a growing sense of purpose and identity.
As I changed, I discovered strengths I never knew I possessed.
That personal transformation became inseparable from my professional development.
I learned that success is not simply about techniques. It is also about understanding yourself, understanding other people, building trust, recognising opportunities and having the courage to act upon them.
Why I wrote Selling On Fire
My hope is that Selling On Fire does more than help people become better at selling and networking.
I hope it encourages readers to understand themselves, understand others, recognise opportunities and discover more of their own potential.
It is written for salespeople and business people, but also for anyone who wants to communicate better, build stronger relationships, overcome obstacles and make more of the abilities they have.
If the book helps even a few people avoid some of the mistakes I made, find greater confidence and realise more of their potential, then writing it will have been worthwhile.
“Selling gave me a living. Understanding myself—and understanding others—gave me a life.”
