One Minute Muse: Everyone is a Chief Movement Officer

We’re All in Sales Now

A teacher, a lawyer, a customer support engineer, and a firefighter are having dinner together. Which one is the salesperson? Most would say none, right? One is in the business of saving teaching, another keeps people out of jail, one helps troubleshoot computer or software problems, and the last one saves lives. They’re not in sales – or are they?

Forget your professional or desired job title. The fact is that every job is a sales job — even yours.

No matter what kind of job you can think of, it’s got a sales component, at least unofficially and in varying degrees.

“The only thing you got in this world is what you can sell. And the funny thing is, you’re a salesman, and you don’t know that.” – Arthur Miller

Think about it, we’ve been selling since we’ve been kids – children learn early and naturally how to get what they want from their parents. They figure out at a young age that being nice and helpful—not demanding and stomping their feet—will get them that special toy or special dessert treat, or in my case – a dog!

Think of teachers – what skills does the teacher/ professor use when she tries to convince her students to focus and power down their phones and take notes during her lectures? Sales skills.

Think of a lawyer who spends a day influencing a jury on finding their clients “not guilty” and judges to rule in his/her favor.  Will that help his reputation for more referrals?

Think of a customer support engineer who wants to solve customer problems in a way that makes the customer happy for high ratings and high customer retention so they come back to buy more.

Think of a firefighter visiting schools to talk about the dangers of playing with matches and fireworks. Selling safety is a critical part of a firefighter’s role.      

Think of parents who would like their children to finish their homework, eat nutritional foods, clean their rooms, etc.

What about a non-salesperson who wants a raise from their manager? That person is selling themselves and their capabilities.

Everybody wants something. Once you identify the person who can help you get what you want, you are “selling” or “influencing” that person.

Sales is a verb.

Traditional sales isn’t anyone’s job. It’s everyone’s job – and this paradoxical relationship is becoming more and more common – in business and in life.

“Learn to sell. Learn to build. If you can do both, you will be unstoppable.” – Naval Ravikant

The ability to move others in ways where we exchange what they have for what we have is critical to our survival and our happiness. The more we can learn these interpersonal and influential skills, the more success we will have.

Thank you for reading — and remember, directly or indirectly, and to varying degrees, everyone’s in sales!

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