Why every leader must adopt the mindset of a salesperson

This was a common theme throughout our marketing class.

No one wanted to go into sales.

In fact, we despised it.

A sales job was considered to be the equivalent of the ultimate hustle.

Moving around in the scorching heat, knocking door to door, and dealing with rejection after rejection.

For good reason, no one wanted to go into that emotional and physical warfare, let alone be at the frontline.

But in retrospect, what we had was a narrow view of sales and what it means to be a salesperson.

You see sales is much more than a title of a job, it is a lifestyle. Perhaps you don't realize it but we have all had to be sales persons at some point in our lives.

Every time you have tried to court a girl, you were in a way pitching yourself to them. When as a child, you tried to convince your parents to buy you a particular dress, you were playing the role of a salesman. Whenever as a wife, you have tried to convince your husband to buy you a particular gift, you had to take on the mindset of a salesman.

I have started personal businesses in the past that ended in failure simply because I was good at the creative side of things and could not be bothered with the sales side of things. This ultimately affected my bottom line.

What I didn’t recognize at the time is that the ability to sell is what often separates successful leaders from failures.

This is why am so grateful for my current job as a digital sales strategist with Pulse Uganda.

The fact that I have to pitch the company and its products on a daily has taught me invaluable lessons that, in Nafuna- style, am only too happy to share as below.

Here is why every leader must be a salesperson.

Number One: You can know every inch of your job and the intricacies of what it entails, but if you can't explain it simply, to your clients, staff, or investors, it will be difficult to earn their trust and buy-in.

Number 2: You need to be able to sell your brand story, whether you're the CMO or the CEO. If you don't tell the right story to your target audience, they'll be resistant to change and things will just take longer, much longer to materialize.

Number 3: Network: As a leader, you should be able to go into the world, network, and get the word out about what makes your company great.

Number 4: Build relationships. From my interactions with the best CEOs around, I have learned that to sell well you must build strong and dependable relationships. It is in these relationships that influence happens. Good salespeople know how to read another person and connect with their hopes, fears, and perspectives. As a result, they’re able to bring people along on their journey, and ultimately get things done. For example, as a CEO, ask yourself; how well do you know the team you manage?

Number 5: You must be persuasive. Persuading people to buy into your ideas can be challenging; it requires a certain degree of real-time analysis and constant vigilance. Successful leaders recognize that these sales skills are central to their success, and have honed them over the years in various sales roles.- Chris Myers.

If anything, I hope this helps you to adopt a sales mindset when leading your organisation in whatever capacity.

What other reasons could I have left out?

Share in the comments section below.