The Entrepreneur/ Salesman

Both in class and in Pink’s book, the idea of the entrepreneur/ salesman was discussed extensively. Pink said, “More of us started working for ourselves and because we were entrepreneurs, suddenly we became salespeople too.” I have witnessed this curious combination firsthand as I’ve watched my dad’s construction company grow.

Starting out, my dad had minimal construction experience, so he had to sell potential clients on his competence and ability to do everything from pouring concrete and putting additions on houses to constructing commercial steel buildings. Often, his prices were the most important thing to his customers, but he then had to convince the customer that he was competent and that his crew was both efficient and effective.  After a few years of gaining experience and expertise, his selling transitioned. While gaining trust and building relationships had been important from the start, these things became absolutely crucial to his business. In recent years, the relationships he has formed and the trust he has built with clients have caused his business to grow rapidly. And he’s been selling the whole time.

Not only has my dad been forced to become a salesman to his customers, but he has also had to sell his company to potential employees. He has learned how to make working for his company appealing so that he can hire the best possible employees in order to deliver the best possible end result to his clients. This has arguably been the most important selling he’s done in the course of business. Hiring excellent employees for his crew allows him to construct buildings faster and more efficiently (aka cheaper) than his competition, which, in turn, helps him sell to potential clients. After 12 years of watching my dad run his company, I am convinced that an entrepreneur MUST also be a salesman in order to succeed.