Exactly How to Sell

1A Shift in Mind‐Set

It is rare that you meet a child who has aspirations of growing up to be a salesperson. You do hear alternatives such as politician, lawyer, doctor, sports professional, or artist—and in all these examples, the commonality is that without the ability to influence, persuade, and negotiate, the chances of success are highly reduced.

Having a talent or ability to perform is not enough by itself to secure success. Through the years there have been countless examples of highly capable businesspeople failing because of one simple reason: they did not know how to sell.

Salespeople or Sales Professionals

Finding yourself in a sales role quite often happens by accident. Perhaps you have just started in business or had an urgent business need, or maybe somebody else has put you into the role. The truth is we are all salespeople, and in every part of life, sales skills are useful tools in helping us to climb the ladder and realize more of our potential. When you reflect on almost everyone who has achieved a significant level of success, you will typically find that their achievement has been enabled, amplified, or accelerated through their ability to sell.

“Sales” is certainly not a dirty word. To illustrate my point, here are some high achievers I would class as being some of the most successful sales professionals on the planet:

• Steve Jobs
• Martha Stewart
• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Nelson Mandela
• Sir Alex Ferguson
• LeBron James
• Richard Branson
• Oprah ...