So You are Afraid of Sales and Want Nothing To Do With It? You are Selling All The Time!

The word "Sales" is a terrifying word for most professionals.   The thought that they have to peddle some product or service to some stranger is one of the most terrifying ordeals of anyone's life.   Even worse is if you are forced into old school sales practice such as cold calling or door-to-door sales.  Yikes!  I think I am going to crawl under the nearest boulder and not come out!

Being a sales professional can be one of the most lucrative opportunities you can do.   Some sales professionals, depending on their product or service, can make more money than a doctor, lawyer or even a successful TV personality.   It is one of the hardest professions, but can be one of the most rewarding, especially if you were an introvert and you were "forced" to get out of your shell to make a living.

Sales comes in different formats.

There is direct sales, such as network marketing.     Network marketing is promoting a product or service using your network of contacts.  The marketing process is key since it makes the sales process easier.

There is also inside sales, where you are in the relationship building business and outside sales where you are the hunt for prospects.  There are also account managers, sales support where you are working to keep your current customers happy.

Are you overwhelmed yet?  This is probably why a lot of people avoid getting into sales.  One of the biggest objections I get when recruiting business partners in my business is because the person is terrified of sales!

The reality is that we are all in sales all the time!

Think back when you were a kid and saw this cool toy or candy in the store and wanted it bad.  You proceeded to scream your eyes out at your parents until they budged and ended up buying your favorite toy or candy bar.   You won your first sales challenge!

Also, you were out and about and saw the person of your dreams.   You built up the coverage to talk to them and they next thing you know, you are dating them and then comes marriage and then the family!    If a lot of people were afraid of sales, there would be a lot of single lonely people out there!

Another example, is when you got that big job interview after graduating from a prestigious university and you need to convince your future hiring manager that you are the best professional for the opportunity.  You are in constant selling mode until the big decision is made.

If you think about the three examples I provided from convincing your parents to buy you something, to dating then getting that dream job, the reality is that 95% of us have all had to sell/convince others to get what we want.   We are always convincing someone to give us what we want.   So why does only 5% of us love sales?  I mean really love sales?   Sounds backward to me.   It could be fear or rejection, or we are simply shy.  But even the shyest people get married or interview for a job, so why don't they like to sell?

I will leave my question open-ended since there are a lot of reasons people are afraid of sales.   But the next time you are approached by a sales professional, listen to them since they took the next step to conquer their fears and they probably realized that they have been selling all of their life anyway.

The one tip I will leave to the sales professional, the most important organ is your ear, listen to others and that sales thing will become fun and lucrative!