“Nothing happens in the world without someone selling something” – Zig Ziglar. We all know that salespeople have some of the worst reputations in the business world. Sales people just instantly spark negative connotations such as, liar, cheater, manipulator, the list just goes on. Not only does no one like sales people no one WANTS to be a sales person. There is the fear of being rejected, embarrassed, and judged for working in “sales”. But, a person can not be an entrepreneur without being a sales person. An entrepreneur has to sell an idea, a product and sell the passion/reason behind it all to people.
Some of the most prominent billionaires like Oprah, Mark Cuban, and Jeff Bezos all started out in sales. That’s right, some of the richest people in the world started out knocking door to door selling their “product/s”. They all had plenty of rejection and embarrassment, but took the risk. A entrepreneur can not be successful without being a good sales person. Rich Winley stated in his article on Sales and Entrepreneurship that, “when you’re an entrepreneur, you should always be working on talking to more people”. An entrepreneur is the first person to sell for their company and should believe in what they’re building and selling.
An entrepreneur could have the best product but if that person can not go out and SELL then their business will not grow and people will not know what they are missing. Just from personal experience with my own business I have learned quickly how sales are intertwined with entrepreneurship. My roommate and I have had to call many people, and send a lot of emails. We did not want too and I won’t lie and say it is our favorite thing to do but it is part of being an entrepreneur. We have faced a lot of rejections and awkward moments but our company has grown and continues to grow. Selling has opened even more door for. Selling is just as crucial as the product itself. I think the equation above explains perfectly what consist of a true entrepreneur. Product + Sales = Entrepreneur.
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