The World of Sales - A FABULOUS Profession

An amazing week. Let me describe the scene Thursday in the waiting room. Surgery was 4 ½ hours. Mom is 79 years old. In the room were almost a dozen family members. Every time the door opened we held our breath with anticipation.

The doctor walked in, breezed past my father-in-law without even looking at him, and talked to a couple of my sisters-in-law. His demeanor was intense, without a smile on his face. His first words were about how difficult the surgery was and how there was so much plaque that they had to spend extra time. We don’t remember all he said: we were just trying to read his body language and tone to prepare ourselves.

We all waited for the bad news. Interestingly, none came. The surgery was a success. After he delivered the message he quickly left the room. We all looked at each other, breathed a sigh of relief, cried a few tears and started hugging each other.

Fast forward 48 hours and I’m sitting in mom’s hospital room watching the TV show “House”. I’d never seen the show but, as you probably know, it is about a brilliant doctor who has a terrible bedside manner and just “tells it like it is”. Mom’s doctor could do well on this show.

Now consider The Office – my favorite sitcom. As I mentioned I watched a couple of episodes on the plane. The scenarios are just the opposite from the doctor/hospital shows. Instead of showcasing competent, hard working professionals, The Office depicts sales people who are basically inept, lazy, and non-functional in their roles.

It is funny but, as I thought about it, it dawned on me what I need to share! Doctors attend an enormous amount of schooling, work horrific hours, and have to compete for positions that create life/death situations for their customers. Many leave college with over $100,000 in student loans. But . . . there is a reverence for the title of “Dr.”.

Sales people, on the other hand, quite often are chosen because of their personality. Education and experience often have little to do with it. Unfortunately, the profession of sales isn’t appreciated in society as highly as the medical profession – even though top sales reps quite often earn a higher income than top physicians. And, more people will graduate from college and have a career in sales than all of the people who will enter the medical field each year!

Let's talk about those sales reps who DO earn a higher income than most physicians. Like good doctors, they study their profession. They understand rejection, know that professionalism is a must, and understand that their “bedside manner” will either earn them the sale or cost them the sale. They have confidence – but not arrogance. They know their product. They know their competition. They know what their prospect is going to say before they even walk in the door. And, like GOOD doctors, they build trust.

I believe sales is the greatest profession in the world. Remember, what you say and how you say it makes all the difference in the world. You’ll need to work hard at your craft and learn how to handle rejection – not the names of every body part and every new drug. What you can/will provide as a professional sales person will, without a doubt, be as honorable and professional as the doctors’ world.

You won’t have to pay malpractice insurance. You, most likely, won’t be in life or death situations. But you will, without a doubt, have to be as committed to your success as any other professional – regardless of how it is viewed in the media world.

“I do want the credit without any of the blame” Michael Scott – The Office