Preface: Don Mulhern is a great friend and colleague. One thing that struck me in Don’s contribution is the joy in “doing the work.” Reflecting on other stories, everyone is excited to “do the work.” Another thing struck me: “And I love what professional selling is not. It isn’t the smarmy, pushy approach using sleazy tricks and gimmicks that unfortunately is how it’s still perceived by many. Rather, it requires process, structure, discipline and collaboration with customers to help them improve their business outcomes.
Why I Love Sales
Dave, I found your question very thought provoking. As I pondered my response, I arrived at several reasons why I love Sales.
What I like most about the sales profession is that it is similar to managing your own little business. Sales IS business. You plan, you execute and you are accountable for producing results against tangible goals. It affords a great deal of freedom along with direct accountability. You are on the front line, making things happen. You initiate the work: securing meetings, creating opportunities with prospects and clients, and closing deals that produce revenue for your company (and income for you). There is direct reward for your success. Even forecasting and reporting, which can sometimes feel like drudgery, are like part of running a successful business.
“Plan your work and work your plan” as someone said a long time ago. Whether it’s territory planning, account planning, deal planning or sales call planning, YOU create the strategies and the plan. It isn’t prescribed for you. Then YOU do the work, sometimes by yourself and sometimes leading other team members. It’s all self-initiated. And you have the freedom and flexibility to manage your time as you see fit, as long as you are productive in pursuing your goals.
I was fortunate to have a great mentor who embraced the notion that sales is work, and all work is a process. I am a firm believer in following a documented sales process, but at the same time realizing it’s not a prescribed robotic assembly line type of process that works the same way every time. I enjoy navigating through the process with customers and working through the various twists and turns to get to a mutually beneficial end result. So, I like the structure along with the flexibility, creativity and problem solving aspects.
And the customer facing role energizes me: working with people, figuring out how I might help them achieve goals and solve problems, aligning with them on priorities, creating plans to work through the process, engaging with all the “stakeholders” and bringing it to a mutually beneficial conclusion. I have enjoyed many fulfilling relationships with so many customers over the years,
some even beyond our business interactions.
I’m highly competitive, with myself as well as against customers’ alternatives to me. I HATE to lose! And the sense of satisfaction when you win is unlike what you get from any other job that I know of. Maybe it’s my sports background!
And I love what professional selling is not. It isn’t the smarmy, pushy approach using sleazy tricks and gimmicks that unfortunately is how it’s still perceived by many. Rather, it requires process, structure, discipline and collaboration with customers to help them improve their business outcomes.
Oh, did I forget to mention Sales has provided me with a very good living ��!
Now, in my consulting practice, I love having the privilege of coaching others to become better salespeople and sales leaders, and hopefully igniting in them the same enthusiasm I have for this profession! It is so very rewarding to see them grow and succeed.
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