Now granted, I’m old. When I first became a “car salesperson”, the stereotype of us were less than flattering. I would meet someone at a party. They’d ask what I do (as I didn’t always disclose it until it was a topic of conversation) and I’d reply with “I sell cars”. That answer would usually be met with a frown, a shrug, a cuss at me under their breath, their back as they walked away, or some version of disdain. The perception of a salesperson has changed somewhat, but not all the way.
One exercise I perform while training car dealers is doing a Google image search for “car salesman”. It used to deliver pics of middle-aged men with mustaches, plaid jackets, pinky rings, flared collars, tinted glasses, and Italian horn gold chains as they danged keys. Nowadays, it has gotten a bit more professional in the imagery, while still not perfect. This negative visual still impacts how we’re viewed today, the type of candidates our industry fields, and in many ways the lack of pride a salesperson feels about what they do for a living.
I’m here to tell you the self-worth of a salesperson should be through the roof. Being a salesperson, regardless of industry, to do it well, takes dedication, effort, commitment to a process, determination, thick skin, and personality. Some people are born with the ability. Some work at it. All who are successful at it grow better as people because of it. It is a skillset that is invariably useful your entire life. That is why the old adage is, “Learn to sell, and you’ll never starve.” In other words, “Get good at sales, and you will always get a job.”
Sales isn’t just getting someone to buy a product. When you’re a salesperson, you sell far more than that. As a salesperson, it is your responsibility to sell…
- Not the product, but the value of the product. Its benefit. Its advantage.
- The brand.
- The dealership or place of business.
- The process.
- Yourself.
Having the ability to influence others as to the benefit of each of the above can be adaptable to most any position, and any company. It improves how you engage with others, communicate with people out in the world, and gives you an uncanny ability to tell when you yourself are the mark, and someone else is trying to do the selling.
It is a powerful skill to have. A powerful title. No more “product specialist”. Not “client advisor” or “customer advocate” or “Guest purchasing executive”. No… salesperson. If that is what you are… who you are, you need to embrace it.
Do not hide from the title of salesperson. Do not run from it. Do not be scared of it. Don’t shroud it in secrecy until someone asks. Accept it. Own it. Wear it like a badge of pride. It’s rewarding far beyond the paycheck.
