Over my career as a salesperson and a sales speaker, I have met some salespeople who aren’t too excited about the title salesperson.
Maybe that describes you.
You cringe a little when, in a casual conversation, someone asks what you do and you respond that you’re “in sales.”
Unfortunately, the word “salesperson” sometimes carries a negative connotation.
This is because bad news travels faster and further than good news. A customer who has had a bad experience buying something is more likely to talk about that experience than the countless customers who have great experiences buying something.
Don’t let negative stories floating around start to determine how you feel about yourself as a salesperson.
Let’s get this straight — the sales industry is about helping people.
And there are many salespeople who do exactly that — they help people, day in and day out. And they do it with the utmost of integrity and pure motive.
I think when salespeople start feeling uneasy about viewing themselves as a salesperson — or when they don’t believe in the price they charge for their product or service — it is because they have lost sight of the fact that what they are really doing is helping people.
If you are a salesperson who doesn’t feel positive and proud of what you do, then start peeling back the layers on why. If the answers at which you arrive show that you need to be more ethical in your selling tactics, then definitely right the ship on that.
But if you don’t feel positive simply because you’ve bought into other people’s tainted viewpoints about salespeople in general, then choose to build your attitude on truth.
You help people. That is an admirable profession.
If you are not comfortable saying “I’m in sales” — try this instead:
“I help people.” Then go on to expound on a specific benefit of what you sell.
EXAMPLES:
“I help people gain more free time to do the things they really want to do.”
“I help companies fill their orders faster.”
“I help CEOs make their companies more customer-friendly.”
“I help companies better manage their communications systems.”
No matter what you sell, it exists because it benefits people some how.
You help people. Does that sound better than “salesperson”?
No matter what you want to call yourself, if you are in sales, you help people.
Copyright 2011, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
