Any successful salesperson will tell you that “sales” is about relationships. And more often than not, the better your relationships, the better your sales. But what about professionals without the word "sales" in their job title? How about you? Whether you're sharing a product, a service, or an idea to upper management, chances are, you're selling something.
Einstein Was a Salesman; His Market Was Physics
It may seem strange to think of Albert Einstein as a sales guy. Sales isn't the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of his name. But consider how many fellow physicists he had to present his theories to. How many discussions, even heated ones, he engaged in before his theories and evidence were accepted. How much effort he put into applying for grants among the competitive field of educational research.
It's not difficult to imagine his dedication to the selling of his ideas went hand-in-hand with the study of physics. The study led to discoveries, which led to theories, which led to sharing those theories. Selling those theories was part of doing what he loved. The sharing of his findings was no less important to him than the discovery.
I'm No Einstein, But I Know I'm in Sales
We tend to categorize people and professions, in general. If you divided everyone in business into only two categories, you might put sales people in one category and everyone else in the other. However, a better distinction would be to recognize that professionals in every field are also, in some respects, also in sales.
To make the most of your reach within your market, you should understand and apply the principles of contact management as they allow you to better sell whatever it is you have to offer: product, service, or idea.
Peter Drucker, renowned grandfather of the study of business, stated that the only reason to be in business is to create a customer. Why don't more owners, executives, and managers apply this principle to their business interactions? I can tell you why. They don't understand the value of selling. And that’s a big mistake.
Everybody Sells—And That Means You
You and everyone else in your organization need to realize that selling is an integral part of what you do. It may only represent a small percentage of your time, but that doesn't make it any less important. In today's market, customer attentiveness is more crucial than ever. Turn contacts into customers by adopting the attitude that selling is a fundamental business act.
Mike Muhney the co-inventor of ACT! is now the CEO & co-founder of VIPorbit Software, creators of VIPorbit contact management apps for iPhone, iPad and Mac. viporbit.com
