Be Proud to be in Sales
Be Proud to be in Sales
I have trained thousands of salespeople over the years and I notice that they never seem to describe themselves as such. What I hear are words like: “account executive” or “senior advisor” or “specialist consultant”. Of course once promoted they are all quite happy to be Sales Manager! I think we can lay some of the blame on popular books, movies and television with characters like Willy Loman and Herb Tarlek doing little to improve the image of salespeople or their careers. However we all need to look in the mirror from time to time to insure we are doing our part to maintain the professional image we deserve.
I remember being at a family gathering shortly after I graduated from university. My father was speaking to his brother about the careers of their children. When it came around to me I heard Dad say “well Donald is in sales but I’m sure he is looking for a real job”. I remember thinking that I was quite happy and making at least twice what Dad earned at the time. However the sentiment was still there and it was (and still is) a common one.
After more than 30 years in sales I decided that I would try to give my children a more rounded view of sales. So not long ago when my youngest boy, Alexander, asked me what I do for a living I proudly said “I am a Salesman”! He looked at me and said OK but what do you DO? I thought for a moment and asked him to go get his favorite toy. He returned shortly with a Transformer. I then asked him how he got the toy. He replied” Mommy and I went to the toy store and a lady found this one for me”. AHA. I said that lady was a salesperson. Ok he said still not sure. Encouraged that he was still listening I went on. The person who arranged for the toys to get from the factory to the toy store was a salesperson too. As was the person who helped the toy factory get the materials to make the toys. We went all the way back to the beginning of the process finding as many salespeople as we could. He thought for a moment and replied “so salespeople help you get things you want”? Exactly I said.
Earlier this fall we attended an open house at Alexander’s school. His grade 4 teacher remarked that each of the students had prepared a booklet describing things about themselves and their families. They were asked to talk about their siblings, pets, what they did over the summer, what they wanted to be when they grow up and why. Alex had proudly answered “I want to be a Salesman when I grow up because salespeople help everyone get all the things they need and want”. I was proud to read this after all these years in sales (and I think his grandfather would have been as well).
At my company we help salespeople and managers to do what they do better. We specialize in making “appointment making”, the bane of the professional salesperson’s life easier and less stressful. I hope we also instill a little pride in the Profession as well.
Be proud of what you do. Oh yes, make an old pro happy and try to stick “salesperson” somewhere on your business card!
Be Proud to be in Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Don Mersereau's Website.
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Have you ever noticed how rare it is for salespeople to introduce themselves as “salesperson” when they first meet someone?
I have trained thousands of salespeople over the years and I notice that they never seem to describe themselves as such. What I hear are words like: “account executive” or “senior advisor” or “specialist consultant”. Of course once promoted they are all quite happy to be Sales Manager! I think we can lay some of the blame on popular books, movies and television with characters like Willy Loman and Herb Tarlek doing little to improve the image of salespeople or their careers. However we all need to look in the mirror from time to time to insure we are doing our part to maintain the professional image we deserve.
I remember being at a family gathering shortly after I graduated from university. My father was speaking to his brother about the careers of their children. When it came around to me I heard Dad say “well Donald is in sales but I’m sure he is looking for a real job”. I remember thinking that I was quite happy and making at least twice what Dad earned at the time. However the sentiment was still there and it was (and still is) a common one.
After more than 30 years in sales I decided that I would try to give my children a more rounded view of sales. So not long ago when my youngest boy, Alexander, asked me what I do for a living I proudly said “I am a Salesman”! He looked at me and said OK but what do you DO? I thought for a moment and asked him to go get his favorite toy. He returned shortly with a Transformer. I then asked him how he got the toy. He replied” Mommy and I went to the toy store and a lady found this one for me”. AHA. I said that lady was a salesperson. Ok he said still not sure. Encouraged that he was still listening I went on. The person who arranged for the toys to get from the factory to the toy store was a salesperson too. As was the person who helped the toy factory get the materials to make the toys. We went all the way back to the beginning of the process finding as many salespeople as we could. He thought for a moment and replied “so salespeople help you get things you want”? Exactly I said.
Earlier this fall we attended an open house at Alexander’s school. His grade 4 teacher remarked that each of the students had prepared a booklet describing things about themselves and their families. They were asked to talk about their siblings, pets, what they did over the summer, what they wanted to be when they grow up and why. Alex had proudly answered “I want to be a Salesman when I grow up because salespeople help everyone get all the things they need and want”. I was proud to read this after all these years in sales (and I think his grandfather would have been as well).
At my company we help salespeople and managers to do what they do better. We specialize in making “appointment making”, the bane of the professional salesperson’s life easier and less stressful. I hope we also instill a little pride in the Profession as well.
Be proud of what you do. Oh yes, make an old pro happy and try to stick “salesperson” somewhere on your business card!
Be Proud to be in Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Don Mersereau's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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 Don Mersereau (Visit Don's Website) Don Mersereau is an expert sales training consultant who has over 30 years of experience. In the last 3 years alone Don has worked with clients in 5 countries and 23 US States. No wonder his business is booming! Your company can naturally benefit from his wisdom and his experience. Mr Mersereau continues to work with clients from all over the world coming from various industries. If you or your sales team are beginning to plateau or just can't seem to shake bad habits, give us a call. DEI Ottawa wants to help you stay ahead of competition with highly efficient selling techniques taught by experienced sales training consultants. See how efficient sales techniques can increase your company’s productivity! Visit us on line at www. powerfulsalestraining.com or call toll free at 1866-434-1492
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