You Are A Salesman

Think about this; You might not like the idea of being in the "sales" business, but you are. In fact you may think that because you're a doctor, lawyer, teacher, police man, actor, or even Catholic Priest that your chosen profession keeps you from ever having to go through the demeaning ordeal of trying to sell a product to someone. Well I am unfortunately here to explain to you why you are wrong. The good news is, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

I know I know. When you here the word "salesman" you think of a guy or girl in a suit and tie or retail store uniform coming up to you with a fake smile awkwardly spitting out a high energy "hello, how are you doing today!" But, in reality every single person around you is either trying to sell you or themselves something.

Let's look at the definition;

Salesperson (noun) - a person who sells goods, services, etc.

Now think about that. What do you do for a living? It doesn't matter because you don't even have to have a job or profession to be a salesperson. Take me for instance right now. I am not a expert on selling, but right now I'm trying to "sell" you on the fact that I know what I'm talking about. All I have to do now is make sense.

Insert the question, "what do I have to do to get your business?" This now translates into, "what do I have to do to convince you that I'm right?" In this scenario, "your business" would be "your approval" that I am right. Now that you get the main idea, let me elaborate a little to make things clearer.

Donald J. Trump winning the presidency was no surprise to me. I could show you proof of me saying he would win right after he came down the escalator and made those controversial remarks about illegal immigrants. You see becoming president is not much different from selling someone a pair of $300 sneakers at Footlocker. All you have to do is convince the buyer that he is getting his or her money's worth or better. "I'm an expert in sneakers, these $300 sneakers are very expensive, but you said your feet are always hurting and you need the most comfortable shoes in the store right? So here they are". The outcome when I did this? SOLD.

Where applicable change the word "Money" to whatever you are trading or giving up in order to get what the seller is selling. In the case of this election Trump was selling "change". Not the sorry excuse for change that his predecessor Obama promised, but he found a way to tap into the needs and wants of rural America and beyond. Even though he hasn't held one day in office at the time of this article he did and said enough to sell 'change' to enough Americans in the right places on the Electoral Map to win. What about Hillary Clinton? She tried to sell her product as well, but her product was the same old item from the last several decades. Pair that with the lackluster job Obama did and her problems with dishonesty and there weren't enough people in the right places buying what she was shoveling...I mean selling. So just like in this election your whole life and how it turns out is a direct result of three things in my opinion;

The ability to:

1. Find out what problem you need to solve. (American's want change)
2. Convincing people to trust that you can solve that problem. (a non-politician = real change or at least something different)
3. Solving that problem for a price that they can afford to pay. (you just have to cast a vote)

Truth be told, the idea for this article came from a Grant Cardone video I watched where the salesman extraordinaire talked about how you can't live your life without selling. When I heard the phrase, "If you're not selling you're sold" I paused the video, because I had to let that sink in. I understood what he was saying before he explained it. If I'm longer trying to sell you on the fact that this whole article makes sense then I am already sold on the fact that you agree. Or I am sold on the fact that you disagree and I will never be able to convince you otherwise. In the latter sale I wouldn't have finished and posted this. It's as simple as that. Now let's look at how all of this is responsible for the way your life turns out.

Your whole life will depend on the products you are selling and how much you believe in them. That goes for you selling to others or selling to yourself. For instance think about your life right now. Is there something you are really good at and love to do, but you are totally against trying to make a living off of it? If so you have sold yourself on the fact that your love and skill is not enough to make a decent living from, when in fact it is the opposite. Find something you love to do and you're good at and you are almost certain to find success. Just ask Michael Jordan or Mark Zukcerberg.

I know it sounds cheesy and hard to believe, but I believe we all hold a certain amount of our destiny in our own hands. Unless you are somehow physically or mentally challenged to the point where it is not logically possible for you to make certain moves, the only person stopping you is you. If you don't believe this to be true then you're selling yourself short. For your sake and mine as well, I hope no one buys.