Many people feel that sales is the art of convincing someone to buy something they neither want nor need. I have had business associates, acquaintances, friends and even family tell me that the last thing they would ever do is consider "sales" as as career. And yet, those same people, when passionate about some idea or concept that appeals to them, become the very best sales people, influencing, negotiating and making their points with zeal and a conviction worthy of the very best sales professionals. When one considers that sales is really the act of sharing a good or worthwhile idea with another it doesn't seem to have the same type of "arm twisting" negativity. And when we view "sales" as an effort to educate, influence or help another to make a good decision the act of selling takes on a more benevolent quality. The fact is that we all sell. We all need to have skills of persuasion to articulate those things which we believe in and when we do want to influence another. This is especially true when we want another to "buy" into who we are, that we are sincere, that we have talent, ability, are worthy of trust or that we would make a good "partner". Yes, even in "love" there is a good deal of "selling" that goes on and some of it is an excellent, subtle or almost invisible selling quality of the highest order. Look around you. Every thing you can see has been sold, and most things have been sold several times over. You probably bought your computer from a store or online where it was sold. The manufacturer sold it to a retailer. Before that the parts were sold to the manufacturer. Before that the materials for the parts were sold and on and on. Selling is a noble profession. Don't under estimate the value of selling whether it is your profession or whether your sales is more personal. Value the art and ability of sales and consider the many shapes and forms it comes in.
2 comments:
This essay was of particular interest to me as I have never adequately considered the idea of sales and the art of selling in great depth. As you point out, if I had it might have been negatively. So first of all, thank you for a fresh perspective.
Not being a sales professional, I processed this essay through the prism of how we sell on a personal level, something really thought-provoking! When I do think about sales, I think of the act of desiring a certain outcome, often to achieve a pre-determined objective. On a business level, this might be to sell a product or seal the deal, bring about some specific change; on the personal level it might include getting that new job, enticing a new lover or convincing others to accept our idea.
To me, all these actions suggest qualities that include an intense engagement in the process as we try to present a point of view which compels people to make a change. It is true that people often associate the intensity of sales with some benign form of aggression. The seller needs to promote his idea aggressively enough to the other in order to conclude the transaction or attain the desired outcome.
As you suggest, successful selling is the art of being effectively persuasive or communicating your idea with energy and zeal to the point of influencing others in their actions. Therefore, it seems to me that the quality that is most urgently needed in order to be an effective salesperson is the ability to articulate well our beliefs. All the “negative” qualities we at times associate with selling – forceful, intense, emphatic, and assertive - all share the commonality of describing the attribute of “self –confidence”.
How does one sell effectively and share our good idea? Since selling encompasses the idea of creating a change or sparking an evolution, this speaks to my current state of mind as I am actively considering how my life was recently altered beyond my control and now how I want to change it with my control. As I share myself with the world, I now remind myself that I am in effect, “selling” myself and a new vision of my future.
It seems to me that in the past I erred majestically in the selling of myself! As I look back now, with the benefit of this essay to prod me to further reflection, I see that my energies were misplaced. Little wonder at my disappointment. Although it would seem inconsistent with the effort of reaching a goal, I now think that one key element that was missing was detachment. Until recently I was unable to embrace this concept, having suffered living with someone who was detachment incarnate. In my marriage, the more I wanted something, the less I got it. I would like to suggest that in wanting something too much we might ruin our chances of getting it.
Now, in retrospect I can consider the idea that the best and most effective way to sell is to not invest the bulk of my efforts towards securing a particular outcome, as I did in the past, but by acquiring a degree of detachment as I open myself to unknown outcomes. Why not let go of our attachment to attaining the goal and rather, simply emphasize and enjoy the process?
Taking this approach requires supreme self-confidence in the validity of one’s argument and our ability to articulate it. Its advantage is to free us from the onerous burdens of stress and anxiety as our energies are directed towards communicating effectively rather than striving for a pre-determined goal which may ultimately not suit us.
cont'd...
Whenever I am capable of acting in this manner, I notice that I am living my life generally without expectation. I feel strong and passionate about communicating but suffer none of the negative impulses of disappointment over reaching my target, letting go of the issue of control. In the end, what might help us to sell well is to articulate persuasively and then simply step back and wait for the outcome to unfold. Content in our actions, we allow the universe to make the right decisions in its greater wisdom.
In closing, I apologize for the length of this post but since sales is a noble profession it deserved double my attention.
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