I love sales.
And I love using that word, “sales,” because I am immensely proud of what it means to have been down in the trenches, hunting for that next deal. At some point, people tried to stop using that word and replace it with words and phrases like “business development” and “growth” due, predominantly in my opinion, to the connotations behind what it meant to work in “sales” as a profession. For many, this word conjures up images of used car salespeople, telemarketers and obnoxious retail employees, but I want to present you with an alternative perspective.
I’ve spent my entire career in sales, and guess what? So have you, as well as everyone else in your network.
Every single professional out there, no matter your role in the organization, works in sales because selling is just persuasive speech.
This concept is much easier to recognize when someone is in a “sales role” because their entire job revolves around convincing prospective customers to purchase their product or service. Now, I am going to save my thoughts behind the sales process itself and what it takes to actually close a deal for another post, but there’s a lot more to it than just providing an overview of your product and answering some questions. But how does this apply to other roles within an organization?
Take someone from the accounting department, for example, as I would venture to say that nearly every single professional in that department has never said they work in sales. But the reality is that accountants use persuasive speech every single day in their job, ranging from convincing the CFO that your reporting is accurate and your recommendation on how to tackle a specific challenge is the right course of action, to recruiting prospective employees to work for your company, and in your department, during the interview process. If you genuinely take the time to think about this, there are a number of interactions you have on a daily basis that require you to convince someone to do something, both in a professional and personal setting. As the parent of a toddler, I can tell you that I am never off the clock when it comes to using persuasive speech.
All of this being said, I am incredibly passionate about everything “sales,” ranging from processes and procedures, to strategy and overall sales philosophy. I look forward to sharing more of my thoughts on all of these areas, and hopefully persuading you to take a new perspective.
Post #2:
I love sales.
That is a pretty broad statement, so what do I actually mean by that? Am I talking about that feeling of unbridled joy and elation at closing a deal? Absolutely. But I love sales for so many other reasons, including the art of selling and the fact that there are a million ways to sell and be successful. This is one of the ways that I see the beauty in the concept of selling, as it is one of the few professional skills that truly enables the professional to have their own style and process to accomplish their goal.
For example, you can be a passive, bordering on casual, type salesperson and experience the same level of success as someone who is aggressive and high-touch in their sales process.
I’ve spent my entire career in sales, and guess what? So have you.
