The S Word
Yes today’s post is about the S word. No not that S word! The other S word. A word that also strikes fear in the hearts of many and seems not to be uttered amongst polite company. And that word would be Sales. Or Selling. Both can apply.
How often at ZIF do clients say “I’m not good at selling”? Well let’s just say this - if there was a loonie to be made every time that phrase was tossed out, ZIF would have shuttered and retired already. Truly.
And the thing is that’s bull. Horse pucky. Road apples. Total crap. But the point is everyone has it in them to be excited about something. Passionate. Really, really, (really) into stuff. And what happens when someone is excited about a movie, TV show, book, sports team, new shoes, or [insert object of choice here]? They tell you about it! Usually with urgency in their tone, hand gestures, funny voices, and the like. They extol its virtues. They give you a brief synopsis (sometimes not even brief). They quote lines. They tell you how hilarious or amazing or well-crafted it is. They push you to check it out. And they do all this without really thinking about it.
Now what if we could turn that same enthusiasm toward:
1. Yourself. (As in touting your own strengths & skills to your job of choice.)
2. Jobs that involve some aspect of sales or selling.
And not freak out about it?
That would be awesome. Because honestly it’s the same thing. It really is. Maybe you need to practice to get comfortable thinking about yourself as the next best thing since sliced bread. Maybe you need to rally the troops that support you and believe in you/your skills/your talents to bolster your confidence now and again. And maybe you need not shy away from any position that smacks of having “targets” or “deliverables” or some other kind of expectation/measurement of a job well done. (That last point works if you truly believe in the product or service.)
So let’s kick the S out of our fear of Sales/Selling! And reclaim this S word out of the bad words category shall we?