Bring up the topic of sales, and you’ll likely get eye rolls from people who believe that “selling” is all about high-pressure tactics, telemarketing calls at dinner, pushy, plaid-jacketed liars and smooth-talking, slick-haired hucksters peddling snake oil out of their trunks.
In a Gallup annual honesty and ethics poll, sales people consistently rank below Congressmen and lawyers. Only lobbyists scored lower.
Ouch.
I’ve been in sales for most of my career, and when I tell people that I do seminars for sales people, the reaction I often get it, “Oh god, I could never be in sales,” said in a tone generally reserved for discussing prostitution, gun-smuggling or mucking manure out of sheep stalls.
It’s kind of weird. We readily accept the idea that excellent communication skills are an important part of professional and personal success. But for many, the notion of selling is just plain gross. It’s as if once you start to sell something, you cross the line from merely being persuasive to being obnoxious.