Sales?? Ewwwww......

That's the first reaction that the majority of us have when we hear salesman being mentioned as a potential job opportunity. The first image that comes to mind is that of a person lugging a huge bag of encyclopedias around from door to door or a person at the local car dealership pulling out all the stops trying to convince you. Salesmen are ostracized so much for being "little" but in essence, they are the core of any business. You can't run a company without sales!

What most people don't realize is that in one way or another, every person is a salesman.

While the dictionary definition of sales refers to the exchange of goods or services for monetary remuneration,most experts take a broader view. The broader definition of sales could be viewed as "The ability to convince or persuade a person to do some action". Thus, your ability,or inability,to "sell" determines the degree of success you will achieve in your life.

Think about the time when you convinced your teacher to give you that 5 extra marks so that you could get a neat round score. Think about the time when you convinced your employers that you were the right person for the job. Think about the time when you convinced your girl/boyfriend to go out with you. These are all examples of selling.

Selling affects everyone, right from the CEO of the biggest companies in the world to a car cleaner on the streets. They are at their current positions because they "sold" themselves to their employers. Think about it,would you hire just any guy on the road who offered to wash your car or a guy who came in and sold himself on how he's fit for the job and why he is the perfect person for the job.And wouldn't you hire the person who "sold" himself the best? (Let's leave salary demands out of this)

Similarly, would you want a company head who knows how to sell the product or do you just want a dud who's just a wiz at numbers and theory? Think of all the great people you know.... Some people that commonly come to mind are the likes of Steve Jobs, Richard Branson etc.They are at their respective positions because they know how to sell; sell products to consumers; sell the company vision to employees; sell themselves to investors.

At the end of the day,selling is not a job..... It is a way of life. The one constant in any company, industry or demographic is sales. So before you scoff at your friend for attempting to learn sales, remember that he has much better chances of getting a job than you, even when the market is low.