The Problem with Selling

I started selling since I was 5. My mum had a kiosk in front of our compound. I would run errands and sell to customers from time to time. We grew up in the commercial city of Onitsha, popular for housing the largest market in West Africa. Suffice it to say that I have been tuned into selling from the get-go.

As a medical student, I sold things. Once I was handed my pocket money, I would enter Onitsha Main Market and find things that my classmates were willing to buy - quality ties. Ties were compulsory for male medical students. I bought in large quantities and sold as I got back to campus, with a good profit margin. Most of my classmates wore the ties till our final year.

We are all selling. Exchanging value for a fee. Every day, millions of professionals sell their time daily for a wage or a salary. You sell yourself in an interview, trying to convince an employer on why they should hire you and not the other 1054 candidates who applied for the same position.

We sell ourselves to potential partners and lovers, making our case to them - starting a family with us is better that doing that with several other potential suitors.

Now, selling has a big problem. People love to buy but don't want to be sold to. Again, many salespersons can be pushy, aggressive and off-putting.?

As a result of the stigma surrounding sales, most salespeople have developed sneaky tactics and gimmicks to still sell you even when it appears they are not. Have you attended a FREE webinar and ended up paying for an online course? Or subscribed to get a FREE ebook but ended up getting upsold and side-sold all manner of contents? You get it.

One proven way to overcome this problem with selling is to forget the product and focus on the emotions you want your customers to associate with owning your product.

Nike executed this to perfection. Their focus was on athletic excellence and superstars. Hence their motto is 'Just do it' and not 'the best shoes'. Apple sold a feeling, an emotion - 'Think Different', enabling them to develop a cult-like following of persons who will queue up to get the latest apple products.

You can sell yourself with your story. Stories always evoke emotions. Stories bind us all. Excellent marketing is hinged on storytelling. The most powerful interviews and personal statements are laced with powerful, personal stories. Find a way to weave this into what you are going for. The story can elaborate on your 'why' - the main reason you are applying for that job, that scholarship, that grant.?

Stories are powerful.?

Back to my story. Today, I sell tech solutions for some of Africa's?multifaceted problems. Looking back, it all made sense - the various unique paths that have brought me to the present moment.

As a doctor, my focus has always been on the business side of healthcare. You can take a boy out of sales. Send him to medical school, even. But, you can't take sales out of the boy.?

We move.

?Kelvin Alaneme, 2023.

#LocumDoc #CareerEdu #sales #marketing #storytelling #growth #AlaAfrica