Sell Yourself First

Grant Cardone, author of Sell or Be Sold: How to Get Your Way in Business and in Life, is what he calls a professional salesperson.

The reason many of us associate selling with slime, as per Grant, is due to the amateurs who have given the field a bad name. He explains that a professional salesperson is in it to help and truly believes it is a disservice to allow a potential customer to walk away unsold.

This of course requires that you be totally sold on your service or product first. If you do not believe it is the absolute best and own or use it yourself, you have little chance of selling others on it. And if it is the best, price is not an issue since it's well worth it.

Although Grant is a bit extreme in his approach to sales (he never eats meals with anyone he cannot sell to), I appreciated his advise about needing to sell yourself first. 

I also appreciated Grant emphasizing the listening and communication aspects of sales and reminding us that we all need to sell—whether a service, product, or our ideas. Therefore being a good salesperson, whether that is your title or not, is key to succeeding in life and work.

Are you a good salesperson? What do you think makes you one?