Sales for professionals not in sales

Through your career, I’m sure you have had an idea and opposition. It’s the catalyst that creates innovation. High productivity organizations focus on continuing education. Through seminars, expos, internal programs, and partnerships with companies like Linkedin.?All of which are geared towards the specific nature of their work. What I have found a special interest in, is the sometimes-subtle element in every one of those. Sales.

Most that I have spoken to, do not learn outside of their area. But I believe companies should bring a special consideration to sales mentality and development. I have sat in many presentations where the project/idea was discarded because of the delivery. Only later to be identified as a lost opportunity. It left me questioning the total package. The “7 Step Sales process” comes to mind. While simple, if you look at each category, it does not apply to sales. It applies to project management, process changes, cross-department collaboration, promotions, and much more.

So I have made sure that in my professional development learning, I add subjects like marketing, sales, and engineering to the list. Now, in my opinion, there are more bad than good books about selling. But some come to mind as powerful. One of the many I have studied is Straight line Selling, it is a method taught and created by the infamous Jordan Belfort. While we can all disagree with his ethics, and know the outcome of a lack of morals. His message in the book is a reflection on outcomes and focus.

Consider the total package that is you. Specifically, in my current position, I innovate, build and buy. But every innovation through automation and robotics is engineering that progresses into selling. So I need to know and advance myself in each category to be successful in the full project. Missing any element will result in project failure.

An example of this application was a couple of years ago. I was working towards a promotion. But I knew being great at a role, doesn’t mean you will be good at another. I studied what they did, spoke with my direct leadership, and asked questions about what others did and what business problems existed. Rather than asking for the position. These are the first two steps of selling. I then approached the senior leadership who creates roles, that mid-level management assigns, and asked if I could arrange a meeting to review a presentation that I created. This was unheard of. He agreed. I then presented to a leadership team of multi-levels above me. A presentation of business issues, forecasted volumes, focused ideas and planning, personal track record, and took questions. ?What it did was schedule an interview for a position that was not open, and drive the narrative. I did this with integrity and showed how they benefit more than I will. Yes, that statement sounds aggressive and overly confident. But I knew myself and what I could bring. Realistically.

The result was me getting that promotion. In a series of promotions that followed. I used a sales mentality to guide focus and objective planning, then organized it into a digestible presentation that showed the value I brought and what was needed. Sales for the professional not in sales. I take this approach in everything.

But the largest takeaway is that learning sales methodology teaches a results-driven approach. Instead of a complacent one that waits. ?Look outside your focus, we have something to learn from everything and everyone. That last part is a quote from a childhood hero Bill Nye.?