Book Review: Don’t Sell by Ryan Hall
Ryan Hall’s Don’t Sell is a punchy little book that cuts through the noise of traditional sales guff. Actually, it is more than that.
It’s written for consultants, coaches, creatives, and agency owners who’ve had enough of pushy tactics, boilerplate scripts, and all that “always be closing” nonsense.
The central premise is simple but powerful: if you’re still trying to convince people to buy from you, you’ve already lost. The whole buy-from-me.com stuff just doesn’t cut it!
Ryan argues that trust trumps technique.
People don’t buy from you because you’ve outwitted them in a sales funnel. They buy when they believe that you understand them and can help them. In short, the best way to “sell” is not to sell at all. Hence, the title. (Ironically, I ran a massive program for a business bank with the identical premise!)
Instead of teaching you how to handle objections or pressure people into saying “yes”, Ryan focuses on how to become the obvious choice. It’s about positioning, clarity, authority, and making it incredibly easy for your ideal clients to say, “This person gets me.”
He lays out his key ideas. Stop chasing. Stop pitching. Start listening. Start filtering. Be helpful. Be consistent. Show up where your people are. Fish where the fish are. If you’re doing that well, your ideal clients will find you, not the other way round.
The book is written in a conversational tone, light on jargon, heavy on common sense.
For some it might read like a series of well-structured LinkedIn posts with a clear throughline. And that is fine by me. He keeps it real. He’s not pretending this is some unique, magic formula. He’s just showing you how to stop playing the sales game and start building genuine relationships that lead to work.
There’s no fluff here, but also no deep case studies. Wait for version 2, methinks. A little birdie says there is one on the way. If you’re looking for data, graphs or a structured methodology, you won’t find it. What you will find is a voice of experience from someone who has clearly done the work. The advice is aimed at people who already have some sense of what they’re offering and who they serve.
Where the book hits hardest is in its repeated message: get clear on your value and speak directly to the people who need you. Stop shouting. Stop showing off. Stop the games. Clarity and consistency win.
For agency owners, especially those who feel like they’re constantly pitching or justifying their value, this book will hit home. It reminds us that sales isn’t a performance. It’s a result of good positioning, good relationships and good timing.
Key takeaways:
Be the guide, not the hero
If you need to convince them, you’ve already lost
Your brand, your message and your offer should do the heavy lifting
People want to buy from people they trust
Show up, say something useful, and say it often
Final thoughts
Don’t Sell doesn’t break new ground, but what it does do is pull together the best of modern, human-centric sales thinking into a short, sharp guide. If you’ve read Marcus Sheridan, Blair Enns or Seth Godin, you’ll see the fingerprints. But Ryan brings his own voice, and it’s a welcome one.
Highly recommended for anyone who’s fed up with the sleaze of selling and wants to grow their business with less chasing and more conviction.
A smart, refreshing read.
Read more about ‘Don’t Sell’ and buy your copy.