Without the effort of a sales person, this newspaper would not be in your hands now. Neither would you have office space, chairs, tables and equipment. Nor would you have a house or car. Your lifestyle has come about because of the activities of sales people.

It is therefore really interesting that the job of selling is not held in the same high regard as jobs such as doctors, scientist and the like. Aside from daily rejection, this insidious put down makes being in sales really challenging work. It's important for all of us to acknowledge this.

If you too have bought into the idea that selling is only for people who couldn't make it at 'varsity, today is the day to change this error thinking. I like to think of the job of sales like that of a marriage broker. In the same way that a broker seeks an ideal companion for someone, and then brings the two together, so the sales person's job is about finding the perfect product and bringing it to fix a customer's problems. Sales is about marrying customer needs to supplier offerings. The better the match, the sweeter the outcome. Good selling is an art form and a privilege.

It's when one works with this type of imagery that the sales process is seen as a positive and worthwhile profession. Sales people who feel that their job is fulfilling a greater purpose are naturally more enthusiastic and motivated. But viewing the job of sales in this light is in truth a daily choice, one that needs to be renewed and worked on to make it a lasting reality.

There's a true story of a teacher who took a temporary assignment at a school in a very poor and dangerous part of New York. At the end of the term the Headmaster called her in to congratulate her on the outstanding results of her pupils. She replied by saying that all she had done was get the pupils to work at their true potential since their IQ's were so high.
The surprised Headmaster asked her where she had got details of the pupils' IQs. 'I was given a list when I joined at the beginning of the term' she said. When the Headmaster said this was not possible, the temporary teacher went to fetch it to prove it to him. On seeing the print out the Headmaster cried 'this is the list of the students' locker numbers!'

This wonderful story illustrates the power of belief to bring about results. Because the teacher truly believed her pupils were highly intelligent, she created that very reality, whether they were smart or not. In the same way if all the staff, management included, talk down about the sales team, that very belief will become the organisational reality. If a sales person, even at some unconscious level, talks down to themselves about their job, this too will result in poor sales. Since sales impacts all of our lives, it is import to talk positive about job of selling.

So next time you receive a call from a sales person, before you get irritated and dismiss him/her, take time to consider how miserable your life would be without those cell phones, sunglasses and laptops. Rather listen to his pitch and thank him for adding value to your life.

© Catherine M Glennie