The Vital Activity That Everyone Does But No One Wants to Admit to Doing

There is a particular activity that has a bad reputation.  This activity is generally viewed as dishonest and pushy and the people that do it for a living are viewed with suspicion and even contempt.  Just saying the word is enough to make most people nervous and want to change the subject. 

However, it is the lifeblood of every economy and every business.  Without it, nothing would get done and no one would get paid.  The interesting thing is that people do it constantly without realizing it in their personal lives as well.  From the smallest children to the oldest adults, we all do it. 

What is this activity?

SELLING.

Does it have a bad reputation?  O yes.  When we think of sales, we think of used cars and getting taken advantage of.  Salesmen are viewed as dishonest, aggressive people who are trying to make money for themselves at the expense of others.

However, selling is vital to all economies and companies.  It is also vital to our personal lives and our families.

Why?  Because nothing gets done in any company, family, school or government without something being sold.

Company Sales

In the case of a company it is easier to see how this would be.  If a company makes computers, for example, customers need to buy the product and hopefully other products and services so that the company will be profitable.  Any company that makes a physical product needs to sell to bring in revenue.

If a company is a service business, they need sales as well.  A lawyer defending you in court must sell your story to the jury and judge.  A bank must sell you its accounts, credit cards, mortgages and investments.   A plumber must sell you his services to fix or install pipes and faucets.

When companies are hiring new personnel there is also selling involved. When someone goes in for an interview, they are selling their ability to do the job and to fit in with company culture better than other candidates. And naturally the opposite happens. If a company wants a particular person to work for them, they will sell them on the company and the job.

When you are working for a company, you are constantly selling your ideas and work to your colleagues and superiors even if you never deal with an outside client.

Family Sales

In the case of a family, selling is constantly happening.  When parents want their children to do something, they must sell the idea to them.  It might be as simple as getting a child to eat their dinner.  Though parents with picky eaters will immediately sympathize and state that getting a child to eat something they don’t want is often a hard sell.

There is also selling involved when you ask your children to do chores.  Sometimes, you can just ask children to do something, other times they will take some convincing. This also happens in reverse when children want something from their parents. Whether it’s a new toy, a new phone or to go out somewhere and do something. They have to sell their parents on the idea of what they want.

School

Selling is constantly happening at school and like the other examples it happens in both directions.  Teachers are constantly selling facts and ideas to their students to learn.  It may not seem like it, but the teacher that can sell most effectively will get more engaged students who will want to pay attention and learn.  Students are also selling their ideas and assignments to their peers and their teachers.  Essays are actually long form sales letters arguing the merits of the thesis that the student has chosen to prove.

In addition to this, universities and colleges also must sell the school itself to prospective students to get them to choose the school, just like a company that is looking to hire a particular type of employee.

The Government Too?

Even governments are in sales.  It starts with the leaders of government trying to sell us their positions and parties so that we will vote them in to power.  All parties are on a sales pitch to get voters to choose them.

The day to day functioning of government is selling too.  While it would seem that governments can just dictate laws and rules without input, the reality is that in a democracy they work for the public and if they are viewed as not making good decisions, they will quickly lose the support of the population and eventually be voted out.

Selling is a vital skill that we all need in our day to day lives, whether personally or in business and we are all constantly doing it.