"I work as a massage therapist in a day spa and I do not do any sales. They handle all of that at the counter. My job is just to do massages. I couldn't sell if my life depended on it!" This is a very real conversation I had with a young women one day and I have had this same conversation so many times. What i told this women may surprise you, but I hope you will understand the concept and the very real nature of the truth in it. My answer to her is very similar in nature to the employee who asks me,"what does your money have to do with my money?" Here is what I said to her, or how the conversation went.
I asked her," why do you say you are not in sales?" You are after all, in a sales persons job. She said," because I am not in a a sale persons job, I do massage therapy."So I said, "then why do you think people come to the spa?" She said, "because they want a massage." Ok, well answer me this then. If I were a salesman selling massages, and I was brilliant in my sales persons job as a salesman, and the perspective customer likes me, then they will make a purchase, right? She said, yes. I told her people want to buy, but they do not want to be sold. Ok, then I pass them on to you and right from the beginning you are rude, rough and give a horrible massage. What happens to the sale? "What do you mean," asks the girl. Well, do I still have a sale? She did not know how to respond. I said to her that the sell is not complete until you work your magic and the most important part of the sale is, YOU!" I told her she is the sale and the very important part of the sale. There is no sale without her. She was silent as she thought about what I was saying.
The simple fact is this; Everyone who works in a company is a salesperson in one form or another. You may not have a title as a salesperson but every single person in a company is in sales, like it or not. Even if you only interact with internal personnel, you are in sales. The question is, how good of a salesperson are you and do you know that you are in the position of being one?
Internally, companies need to attract and retain employees and nothing will do this better than having internal sales people. These internal sales people need to be recruited and trained in order to help you keep your work force happy and thriving. They may have a secondary duty but having internal cheerleaders and employee retention specialist are paramount. Even if you were never directly hired to be such a salesperson, that does not mean you are not. Internal sales are just as important as external sales. Either way you are a salesperson so you need to do a great job.
If you interact with the general public at all, then you are also in sales. I do not care if you vacuum out the cars and the customer never sees you, or are the bookkeeper who sends out the invoices or are the message therapist, you are more in sales that what your primary function is. Sale people are in the most lucrative industry in the world. Do not fight it. Learn to master it and harness it. Sales does not have to be a dirty word.
When the word salesman or women is said, most people get some type of idea in their head and it is usually in a negative way. It is like I said what do you think of when I say hooker? The reality is though that a great salesperson is not hooker. He/She is a professional who understands the craft clearly and does not resort to cheap tactics or pressure sales. A long lasting customer is one who is completely your fan. They like you and your product or service because of the way you service them. They do not like you because you are pushy, or manipulative. They are a fan because you are good at what you do and your motive is to show up and help them.
By the time we were finished with our conversation, I believe the massage therapist friend had a much different understanding. She said that she had never thought about it that way before. I know she is not alone. There is not enough being taught in these companies about this idea of company wide sales. She is one of their best salespeople and she doesn't even know it.
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