OK, here’s the deal…we all sell in 2014

How many of us, when asked what we wanted to be one day, said, “I want to be a salesperson”?

No one.

The truth is that most of us sell overtly or indirectly every day and 2014 will place even more importance on selling. As we automate more and more of the work environment, we need fewer people who do sit and do “stuff” and more engaged, creative and persuasive people. We will need more people who get a thrill from winning in a competitive environment, love solving problems, and aren’t fans of a cubicle. In short, people who sell.

If you want to get ahead and secure your future, improving your selling skills is increasingly essential.

Role models for selling

These people already exist in every company’s sales force. They’re the ones who go by many nicknames, including whales and tigers. If you stop and watch a great salesperson, you’ll see that they have diversity in personality and approach, but in execution, they are similarly relentless, disciplined, continuous learners and very goal-driven. For fun, check out the Inc. list of the 10 greatest salespeople of all time. Some made the list by being aggressive (um, Larry Ellison), but by and large, the best salespeople are enjoyable and easy to like. Even charming (Zig Ziglar).

So why does it seem hard?

Sales seems hard for some but it shouldn’t be. Perhaps selling seems hard because it takes a level of focus and effort that few are willing to undertake. For some, selling takes a level of confidence and belief in one’s self that is hard to muster. The truth is that anyone can learn to sell, no matter how many say it is an innate skill. Here are a couple of tips from experience:

• Get outside of the doubts and distractions in your own head
• Focus instead on the needs and perceptions of the person who needs to buy
• Be vulnerable and sincere
• Ask questions to find the pain avoidance or reward being sought by the other person
• Be as methodical as the situation allows
• Relate your experience through engaging stories
• Know what you want before you engage (have purpose)
• Make sure everyone wins, early

The best sales people I’ve worked with are more prepared and better equipped for anywhere a meeting goes. They know the landscape for decision making and the motivations of the buyer(s). They have a clear idea of the deal’s playing field and rules. They aren’t afraid to take the deal off the table, and this is perhaps their single greatest tool.

Selling in pop culture

It would be a shame to end a post on selling without looking at a couple of pop culture classics on the topic of selling. Most everyone knows the Alec Baldwin speech from 1992′s Glengarry Glen Ross. But how many know the less-famous speech by Ben Affleck in the 2000 movie, Boiler Room?

There is no such thing as a no-sale call. A sale is made on every call you make. Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you on a reason he can’t. Either way, a sale is made. The only question is, “Who’s going to close, you or him?”

Affleck’s character may seem over the top, but there’s a real nugget of truth in what he says. Every interaction is moment of selling…like selling time for and attention to an interesting story or convincing someone to take an action. We’re selling in every conversation.

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Christopher Taylor