Above-the-Belt Salesmanship

I've been looking for a good reference on salesmanship, and not having much luck. In general, sales is regarded the greasy underbelly of the marketing profession - so much so that anyone who speaks about marketing tries desperately to avoid the topic, or uses euphemisms such as "promotion" for the practice of getting a prospect to take the last step toward making a purchase. So far, I've not had much luck in finding an author who keeps his punches above the belt.

And yes, that's rather a vulgar metaphor, but it suits the vulgarity I've seen in browsing a handful of books on the topic of sales, in both the sense of physical conflict and the specific act of hitting another person in the genitals.

The general tone of sales is combative. Some authors borrow, for a time, the more gentle language of marketing - helping a customer obtain a product that serves their needs, establishing a mutually beneficial relationship - but after a couple of chapters, and sometimes right away, the attitude changes to that of a mugger or a con-man: beating down a customer until they give you their money, or using deceit to get it out of them. The notion of mutual benefit is a veneer, thin to the point of transparency, to cover some very nasty practices.

And the specific metaphor of striking below the belt is entirely accurate. The "tips" and "tactics" are clearly intended to deceive the mark, who must be regarded as a "mark" rather than a "customer" in this kind of situation, or to exploit psychological vulnerabilities in order to move a product that is clearly inferior, not worth the price on its own (lack of) merit, or clearly a worse choice than alternatives. As such, the authors who write on the topic of sales degenerate quickly from high-minded talk of helping the customer to seeking the fastest and most effective way to overpower them, which as any self-defense expert will tell you, is a sharp attack below the belt - it's not honorable, but it works.

I'm reminded of an acquaintance in college who was on the wrestling team who, any time his sport was mentioned, compulsively defended himself against the kind of wrestling most people are familiar with. He'd say that he was involved in "Greco-Roman wrestling - not that [stuff] rednecks watch." But the metaphor doesn't quite fit, because what I've seen of salesmanship doesn't rise even to that level of respectability, and I never have seen a sport where the competitors simply face off in the ring and try to kick each other in the sack.

And so, I'm still searching for a good reference on salesmanship, but losing hope that I'll find a source that is worth studying. If anyone who stumbles across this post knows of one, use the "contact" link at the bottom right of the page and let me know.