Sales and selling have a bit of a bad rap these days – the idea has become synonymous with manipulative and pressuring behaviour. However, we forget that we spend our days selling. Have you ever been in a conversation where you had a belief or opinion that differed from someone else’s? Have you ever had to convince your child to pick up their toys or convince your partner to take out the garbage? Have you ever had to convince a company to hire or promote you? Last week, we talked about what skills someone learns from a sales job: persistence, perseverance, discipline, punctuality, confidence, determination, persuasion, and negotiation, but, how do they relate to real-world scenarios?
Parenting
As a parent, you are always selling and using sales skills. Parenting a child is a lesson in negotiation and persuasion, convincing your three-year-old that it is in their best interest to take off the Spiderman costume and have a bath or negotiating with your teenager for more responsibility in exchange for more freedom. However, parenting also utilizes your time management skills, your persistence, confidence, and determination.
Personal Life
If you’re part of the world of online dating, you sell yourself as someone who is honest, trustworthy and worth the time and effort of the other person. As a salesperson, you are not only selling this idea, but you are also using the other skills you learned: confidence, punctuality and perseverance after yet another terrible date.
Even if you’re not single, you are still selling yourself- As an on-going long-term partner! Negotiating on what to have for dinner, who does which household chore, or what to watch on Netflix tonight. You are also using the perseverance and determination you learned on-the-job to work through the inevitable arguments or tough periods in the relationship.
Work Life
No one wants to remain stagnant in their career. Growth, and movement is what challenges and rewards you. Selling yourself to your company or a prospective company is essential to this growth process. You should view an interview similarly to a sales pitch, you are pitching yourself to the company, and they are selling you on coming to work for them. A meeting with your boss to discuss a promotion or a raise is a negotiation; you pitch why you are worth the new position or the added investment and then the negotiation process beings. Failing to be confident, persistent and determined in your pursuit of the growth will equate to lack of growth.
The skills we learn from a sales job, persistence, perseverance, discipline, punctuality, confidence, determination, persuasion, and negotiation become an unconscious part of the way we present ourselves to the world. Making sure that you are comfortable and confident in the use of these skills will ensure success as you move through life.
Bill Gosling Outsourcing (BGO) can help you to learn and grow these skills. Ready to expand your skillset? Visit our Careers page for opportunities available today!
