You’re a salesperson. Can you admit it? I’ve met plenty of “recruiters,” “financial advisors,” “insurance agents,” and “loan officers” who tell me, “I really don’t see myself as a salesperson.”
This mentality even affects our job titles! There are hundreds of job titles that could be replaced with the word “salesperson” and be just as accurate—if not more accurate.
Let me start with a big, fat, bold statement: Being a salesperson is an honorable profession! So why are so many people in sales reluctant to admit that they’re in sales? And why don’t more businesses that rely entirely on sales embrace a sales culture?
Your business is more important than your ego
Newsflash:
If you trade money for goods or services, you’re a salesperson!
Just because you say you “aren’t a salesperson” doesn’t make it true. Don’t kid yourself. If you’re an account manager, loan officer, recruiter, or financial advisor, you’re in sales! And that’s okay! Better yet, it’s awesome!
When you don’t want to admit you’re in sales, all you’re saying is that your ego matters more than your actual job.
There are tons of reasons to love your sales position. A flexible schedule, full control over your income, the freedom to work with whoever you want to, and a dozen other factors make sales a great job to have.
Once you embrace your inner salesperson, you’ll thrive more than you ever imagined. Many “reluctant salespeople” don’t realize that their attitude holds them back from even greater success. When you admit that you’re in sales—and admit you like it—you’ll be open to new possibilities that will take your career beyond what you’ve imagined.
Embracing sales culture isn’t just for salespeople
If your company’s revenue relies on someone selling something, you’re a sales organization. But too often, a company places more focus—and more pride—on its operational and support staff, while the sales department is an afterthought!
From the janitor to the CEO, every employee in the company owes their job to the sales department. If you’re an underwriter, you have a job because a loan officer brought you a loan. If you’re a customer service rep, you have a job because an insurance agent sold a policy.
When I was a sales trainer at Wells Fargo, we made buttons for the operations team that said, “I’m in Sales at Wells Fargo!” The company knew that its entire business relied on sales, and every employee needed to embrace sales culture—even if “sales” wasn’t in their job title!
Sales isn’t a dirty word.
If you want to love your job and be effective at it, attitude is everything. And by downplaying what we really do, we can lose sight of what’s important and let our egos get in the way of our success. This applies to individuals and organizations alike!
Until next time—go sell some stuff!
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.