HATTIE: There are many small-business owners who say, `I don't like selling. It's hard for me. I don't understand it.' Why is selling so mysterious?

JOHN: Selling is really mysterious because most people think what they would do. And they can't imagine why other people aren't doing what they do. Selling is totally different. You have to think about what other people do. It's empathy. It's understanding your customer, not understanding yourself. Once you start to understand your customer, selling becomes easy and less mysterious. It's only mysterious because you don't know how to tell all these other people why they should buy something you like. It's what they like.

HATTIE: But how do we deal with the fact that the pet rock was a best seller? I mean, how did that capture the imaginations of millions of people when they sent away for a rock?