Until Somebody Sells Something

Why do salespeople make the most money?  Why does the wait staff get all of the tips? Why do stockbrokers make a commission whether the security goes up or down, whether you’re buying or selling?

Simply put, because rainmakers make rain!  They, like the hunter & the fisherman, bring home the catch that will sustain the enterprise.

Those who invent, produce, manage, account, etc. are always at odds with Sales & Marketing. Although these business functions are vital to any endeavor, they don’t generate revenue.  At best, they can control costs, typically they increase them.

 

A business’ lifeblood is its sales.  Nothing happens until somebody sells something!

The sales profession continues to be vilified in these United States.  It is sometimes justifiably ridiculed, but more often than not, the lampooning is committed out of jealously and/or misunderstanding.

We are continually reminded by popular media that the best opportunities are those that don’t require “selling”.  How ridiculous!  Sales is the engine that delivers you (and your associates) from poverty. It must be the main obsession of everyone in an organization.

 

I recall an old sales trainer reminding me that when calling on potential clients, if you are not selling something, then you are just a commercial visitor.  Get into the revenue stream and find your fortune.

Marketing is akin to broadcasting, while sales is more closely aligned with narrowcasting – it’s personal.  Salespeople are tasked with finding out what people want and then helping them to get it.   It is amazing to me that customer service personnel (back at headquarters) are so often ignorant of the herculean efforts put forth in the pursuit of a sale, believing instead that the steady influx of orders somehow magically appears on the fax or email.

Given the current marketplace generational shift - the greying of the baby boomers - we are due to experience a lack of qualified sales and marketing professionals. Very few Gen-X’ers are in the profession, and a certain lack of appeal to Millennials almost guarantees a paucity in their ranks as well.

The disruptive influence of e-commerce is often cited as the salvation of an enterprise’s top line.  This can be true in more commoditized offerings.  For high value, intricate, system sales, solution sales, luxury items, and a plethora of other categories, people still want to buy from people.  Relationships matter. 

Networking is at the core of the modern sales profession, and social media is now taking a leading role in customer “touches”.  This bodes well for future generations of digital natives.

If properly trained, anyone can do it!  Success in selling is open to every personality type, ethnic group, gender, and whatever other subcategory of folks that you can conjure. 

 

Like mercenaries, hired guns, and pro athletes, a sales team’s loyalties reside with their current offering.  That loyalty can only be sustained by the maintenance of an ethical proposition.

Besides the lucrative nature of the endeavor, a sense of pride and achievement permeates any successful sales operation, due to the satisfying of the needs of clients.

So, defend sales and marketing, befriend sales and marketing, and hug a salesman today.  Your next paycheck depends upon somebody selling something.