EVERYONE IS A SALESPERSON!
by Rich "MR POS" Wilkins

Wow, isn’t that a scary thought? But it’s true! If you want to make more money in your job, want a promotion, want your spouse to be more accepting of you, as well as a better standard of living then you are going to have to sell. And guess who you are going to have to sell first? That’s right, yourself!

As a professional speaker when I ask the question of my audience, "Who’s in the selling business," most people won’t raise their hands. Or before they do, they look around the room to see who has raised their hand first. Unfortunately, most people have had a bad experience with a sales person because they have tried to manipulate them into buying. Recently my wife had a watch that she had purchased at a store while we were out of town. After a few months the band kept coming unhooked and she said that she was going to return it to the manufacturer for credit. She was disappointed because she really liked her watch. Once day while my wife and I were at the copy shop making some copies I spotted a jewelry store a few stores down from where I was making my copies. I suggested to my wife that she take her watch and see if they could fix it. Upon finishing my copies she hadn’t return so I thought I would check on her. As I walked through the door of the jewelry store, my wife exclaimed that they had fixed her watch and she was excited. Being a man, I asked her what they charged her and she replied, "It was only $2800 and look at the ring and necklace they threw in with the repair." Actually they repaired the watch at no cost, but because the lady who waited on her was so nice and gentle with her, my wife wound up investing in a ring and necklace! Mary, the sales person, had the desire to see my wife through her eyes.

My example helps us better understand that people don’t like to be sold, however they do love to buy. Effective selling is a relationship and it is not based on doing something to someone. It is based on an attitude of doing something for someone through asking them questions about what they value. Whether you are striving to grow a personal or professional relationship it all starts by meeting people where they are, asking them what they value, and conducting yourself in a manner that creates value for them. Live your life by this saying, "If you can see John Brown through John Brown’s eyes, you can sell John Brown what John Brown buys.