Everybody Sells
by Cameron on Feb.22, 2010, under Business, Life
Isn’t it funny how different stigma’s and stereotypes are attached to different professions. I am in the sales profession, which has a large number of negative connotations associated with it – however I am in a ‘corporate sales/technical sales role,’ which pushes me up the ‘socially acceptable’ ladder a bit against say a ‘used car salesman’ or ‘real estate agent’ as these professions drip with stereotypes.
The fact of the matter is that the most respected titles in business, General Manager, CEO and Managing Director are the biggest sales professions in the industry – they should be taking any and every opportunity to sell their company. Yet they own the company, have a great ‘title’ and therefore are not seen by society as a sales person.
To put things into perspective, when was the first time you tried to sell? Was it trying to convince your mum to buy you a chocolate bar in a shopping centre? Was it trying to court a girl in high school? Was it trying to convince your university lecturer that the big clock in the building is fast and you really are handing your assignment in on time? If you ever try to convince someone of something, you are trying to sell them to your way of thinking.
So next time you think poorly of a sales person, consider what you do? Consider whether better sales skills would you help your kids to eat their vegetables at night, or convince your patient in the hospital to take their meds without complaining. Whether you are an academic, a technician, a builder or an engineer – everyone sells. So how are your sales skills?
February 23rd, 2010 on 1:25 pm
Hi man! Nice topic.
The ability to be pursuasive is very important in the sales field and also as a life skill.
I think that the motive behind the pursuasive behaviour is why salespeople get a bad reputation. Enticing kids to eat vegitables and patients to take medicine are viewed to be positive and healthy acts. Whereas the salesperson sells to increase their personal income through comissions or the profit of the company that they work for so that they can keep their job.
Still they are important skills to practice and I hope they will be useful throughout all aspects of life.
February 23rd, 2010 on 8:45 pm
Yes, Selling vegetables to kids will help them grow up big and strong – but offering someone great customer service might make their day. Comms is a dirty word because it helps a sales person earn more money, however i reckon that 80% of sales people (including comms) are going to struggle to come within a 1/3 of what a doctor earns… That is… If its about money.
February 25th, 2010 on 10:19 pm
I think the stigma comes from the ‘old school’ sales guys. The ones that are all about the deal and making budget to get their bonus. The kind of sales guy that if a client stops being a cash cow, he is suddenly in a meeting every time they call.
The focus has really shifted from the sales person being the one driving the transaction (cold calls/visits) to the client being in much more control.
It used to be the Sales guy/girl was the goto for information on the right product, and that is still true in some industries, but more and more you see the clients having done their own research before hand. While the relationship side of sales is still strong, I will argue that a person will return to buy from someone they like over a cheaper price 80% of the time, the type of relationship has changed.
Like the advertising industry people tend to hate on it, until suddenly they want to get a message out, to use your example, about eating healthy – where do they turn. Sales is no different it’s an easy target when you only look at the bad guys.