Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 The Farmer And The Hunter
Chapter 2 Treasure Hunting Basics
Chapter 3 The Gatekeepers
Chapter 4 Nurturing Relationships
Chapter 5 Overcoming Objections
Chapter 6 Building Your Sales Business
Chapter 7 Owning Your Reputation
Chapter 8 Don’t Follow The Crowd
Chapter 9 Nuances Within Sales
Chapter 10 As Your Business Grows

Sales Isn’t a Rat Race…It’s a Treasure Hunt.

Everyone is in sales at one point or another. Whether you’re pitching a product to a prospect, applying for a loan, or asking someone on a first date—sales is nothing more than communicating value to another human being. So why does the field of professional sales have such a high turnover rate? Why does it lead so much burnout and frustration?

Perhaps it’s time to reframe professional sales. What if we saw it as a way to solve problems and build authentic business relationships? What if we viewed it as a strategic treasure hunt?

With over thirty years of sales experience—from owning his own business to commission-only roles—Michael Hinkle seeks to answer these questions with a surprisingly simple and fresh perspective on how to build a thriving sales career. In Treasure Hunt: A Common-Sense Approach to Building a Successful Sales Career, he shares the common-sense strategies for how nurturing relationships and building wealth go hand-in-hand.

With everyday sales topics like first impressions, handling gatekeepers, and overcoming objections, Michael shares simple concepts and real-life examples for how to be equipped as a masterful Sales Hunter. After all, sales is a treasure hunt. Now it’s time to go hunting!

"Sales is not easy. But Treasure Hunt offers a fundamental framework to build upon your own approach to pursue success through your sales career."
Readers' Favorite

I value the past two decades of working with you as GHA communities sales account manager for the First American Title Company; as in most businesses, a core principle and what is said of business professionals “it’s who they surround themselves with” that is a direct reflection of their success, building strong viable relationships and creating a strong team … a team leader that you can rely on under any circumstance, as has been my experience working with you and my new home building company. Communication is the key to success, and you have mastered this. “It’s not what happens to you in your life that determines the outcome, it’s what you do about what happens.” This concept comes to mind when thinking of our past business relationship, as it exemplifies your positive attitude toward life, business, and, more importantly, people. This philosophy that is a reflection of your culture has contributed to the success of GHA, and I know for many, many other of your clients, and has led you to have a commitment to your customers that shows itself in attention to detail and follow through, of high-level customer service, and persistence to close the transaction with the client’s goal in mind, putting your customers first is so honorable and not commonly understood by many. It has been a genuine pleasure to work with you, your passion, commitment of your time and your personal and professional levels over the past two decades that I have come to rely on. Your innate abilities have been unparalleled to myself and staff, an important part of our business team that will be missed. It is nice to know that you are committed to sharing your years of experience with others; there is nothing better than sharing this passion, for others to have the tools and direction to succeed. Thank you and good luck my friend for you and your “willingness to always go the extra mile.”
Mario J. Gonzales
Ceo And President, Gha Communities

What Michael has brought to our business over the years can be put into many categories including excellent service, extensive knowledge of his field, the ability to navigate his corporate environment to benefit his clients, and the willingness to go to bat for us in difficult situations. Those traits are why we have continued our relationship to this day. They are not, however, why we initially gave Michael our business that then led to more than a decade of us working together. Michael was persistent. He called on our company for years before getting any business, showing up at the office at least once per month to say hi, drop off collateral, and ask if we needed anything. We never did. We had perfectly good relationships with other companies and their reps, and we were not looking forward to making a change. That is until one day those relationships had soured, and we had a need. By that time, we had gotten to know Michael. He was knowledgeable, worked for a reputable company and never gave us a hard sell, just asking if he could help us with anything. It was not a difficult decision to make the call to bring him in and sit down to talk about the next steps. Those next steps were, in hindsight, an extension of Mike’s sales philosophy. All the hard work put in over the ensuing years putting deals together and working through challenges and obstacles was Michael continuing to sell us his services. Not selling the services of his Fortune 500 employer, but on HIS services and how he could benefit our company. His services continue to benefit our company today.
Dave Barisic
Principal, Brandywine Homes