Aren't you self-employed? If not, who are you working for?

All sales professionals are self-employed entrepreneurs and unless they consider themselves self-employed they will not succeed. The real question is- if you are not working for yourself then who are you working for? In a free economy nothing happens unless a sale takes place. A sales professional moves products and service from the producer to the end user. He keeps the wheels of the economy moving and helps generate income thus playing a very important role in the economy. In fact, without the profession of selling one wonders what would happen to the national or international economy? Hence, a robust economy strongly depends on good salesmanship. Many countries have thousands and some millions of sales people. Just imagine if each salespersons in each company made extra sale per year or even better in a month, what would happen to the national economy! It would shoot up!!

The way i see it, Marketing strategies the sources of revenue, but it is sales that actually bring in the revenue

Selling is considered to be a function of marketing . When sales results are good, marketing takes credit. When the sales are bad, the sales department and sales people are blamed.

Why has selling become a bigger challenge today than it was yesterday?

1. Today a buyer has many more options.

2. Competition has also become sophisticated.

3. Media has made people more knowledgeable and aware.

4. There is a terminology called 'Caveat Emptor' which means 'Buyer Beware'. Why seller beware? This is because the seller is perceived as an expert in his field. The buyer who may or may not be knowledgeable in this area is relying on the seller's trustworthiness. Today the buyer is relying on the seller's character and competence to sell him the right product. This is where the seller's integrity is put to test.

People often complain of competition. The way i see it, if you had no competition how could anyone rate or grade you? When you have competition, if you are good, you look better and if you are bad, you look worse because people have something or someone to compare you with.

Success in selling really demonstrates the survival of the fittest. Fitness is the professionalism in a sales professional, which is a learnt trait. Isn't it a small premium to pay for a great life?

The profession of selling really is the domain of the elite. The elite professional is like the cream that rises to the top, no matter how big or small the container.

Business or Professional Development

Selling is Win-Win or Lose-Lose Game

When a sale is complete and we have sold a solution to someone, it means we have helped them get rid of some pain or achieve some gain. If either of these 2 things hasn't happened, then we are doing a disservice. The buyer is deprived of a gain or continues bearing his pain, and both the seller and buyer have lost the time forever. The seller has also lost an opportunity to provide a solution elsewhere . Imagine if something could be of benefit to someone and you don't provide that benefit for investment. In that case, both of you are losing. This is called lose-lose. The seller has lost his time forever and the potential source of revenue, and the buyer has been deprived of a solution.

By completing the transaction, both parties gain-the buyer by purchasing the solution, and seller by getting paid for serving the buyer.

When a seller sells the solution, it is called win-win, because both parties end up gaining.