locals in the limelight

Michael Cammack: author of Close is Not a Four Letter Word!

By Hilary Brady

Photo By Patricia Roseman

Leland resident Michael Cammack has written a potential best seller by simply observing his three young children. From building lego towers to coaching through homework assignments, Cammack has transformed relatable and real-life moments into brilliant and teachable sales techniques in his new book, Close is Not a Four Letter Word!

The former Atlanta Braves mascot didn’t always know that writing was on his horizon. In 1999 Cammack moved from Atlanta to Wilmington, where he sought work in the pharmaceutical industry to pursue his interest in sals. He took various jobs in the field to enhance his resume first, spending a few years in cell phone sales and radio advertising sales before landing a job with a top-performing pharmaceutical company, where he thrived.

In 2002 Cammack moved to Leland, where his wife was born and raised. His passions are now his three children, working, acting and reading.

“I have read a ton of books,” says Cammack. “But I have found myself buying the same book twice. I had forgotten that I had already read it. Apparently, it was too much information to retain, or it wasn’t memorable. And then I realized it was the small books with big impact that made a difference in my life. And there weren’t enough of those. And so I said, ‘I want to write a book.’”

Between enlightenment obtained through parenting his young children and a desire for constant learning, Cammack often found himself turning typical family experiences into sales insights and sharing them with others. At the advice of many mentors and friends, Cammack started journaling these thoughts.

He found himself writing constantly, blogging and emailing team members with new insights gained from his kids and lessons learned.

“The concept behind my book came from an email that I sent to my team,” explains Cammack. “Before I knew it, the email had been blasted everywhere, sent all the way to the company president. I knew then that I had the topic for my first book.”

Close is Not a Four Letter Word!, available online at michaelcammack.com, Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com or in-store at Pomegranate Books in Wilmington, is a book written for sales professionals in every industry.

“In the book, I use the acronym CLOSE to cover the five most important ingredients of every sales call,” explains Cammack. “My goal was to communicate a powerful message in a concise manner. So, this, you can’t forget.”