What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a sales person? Pushy? Loud? Obnoxious? Offending? Someone making you do something you don’t want to do? A lot of people have similar thoughts when they think of sales people. The question to consider is, are these associations true? Some would argue that many of these associations are still true, but others would say the reign of sales people as we know them is over. The time of the new salesperson has come.
Who exactly is this new salesperson you might be wondering? Aren’t traditional sales people still needed? The answer to this second question is yes. In his recent book, To Sell Is Human, Daniel H. Pink states that, “1 in 9 Americans are still employed in a traditional sales job.” We still need people working in traditional sales industries. But what might surprise you is what the rest of employed Americans do for a living. They are in sales too. They are a new kind of sales person. Non-sales sellers.
What is a non-sales sales person? Non-sales selling according to Daniel Pink is, “Persuading, influencing, and convincing others in ways that don’t involve anyone making a purchase.” Two examples Pink gives of professions that involve non-sales selling are, health-care and education. Healthcare professionals have to convince the patient that they are competent and will prescribe the proper treatment. They have to “sell” themselves and their practice. Educators on the other hand, must convince their students that what they have to say is worth listening to. Sometimes they have to “sell” people on their way of doing things, or “sell” the information they are sharing. They have to know how to “sell” their knowledge and convince others to “buy” it.
So, whether you think you’re in sales or not, chances are you will need to know how to sell sometime in the future; even if it’s as simple as selling the idea of a road trip or vacation to your friends. The key is to be aware of the fact that, whether you like it or not, you are a sales person. Even if you don’t have a traditional sales job, or a non-sales selling job, you will need to learn how to sell. In my next blog post I plan to look at some common miss-practices of selling and how to correct them.
Until then… Sell on!
BoweryJE22
When you look at sales like this, you almost have to think that we have been selling sense we have been able to talk. I am excited to read the rest of this book because of this new way of approaching sales. It seems so natural. Just have a conversation, ask about their needs and see if you can give them the solution they are looking for. I know it is harder than that, but this new landscape has opened up so many doors to those who would have been suckier salespeople and allowed them to be some of the best now.