Are you a salesman?

Contributed by Jim Lutz (Owner: Arena Graphics, Inc. | www.arenagraphics.com)

As a small business owner I have my hands in a lot of things.  Primarily sales, marketing and client relations, but also production, administration, finance, management - all of these on a small level.

One thing a very successful friend told me years ago that is so true - very few kids go to school wanting to be a "salesman."  We all have this picture of what salesmen look like - like the guy trying to sell used cars or selling cleaning detergent door-to-door.  Who wants to go to college to be a salesman??!!  But most men absolutely must have "salesmanship" to be successful in their careers.

I'm part of this Business Leadership Group that is hosted by Nelson Cooney (along with Chip Grange, Pat Ennis, Michael Winn, Eric Newquist, Paul Switzer).  I am learning so much from these men.  And one of the things I notice about each one of them is their "salesmanship."  Others might call it something different, but that's really what it is.  And the other thing I hear them mention A LOT is how the companies they lead are always in need of people who can be successful at "business development."  That's just a fancy phrase for someone who has good salesmanship and knows how to find new business opportunities, who knows how to interact with clients, who knows how to serve clients, etc.  Reality is, in many companies the highest paid people are the sales people. 

I've tried to teach all of the young guys I've worked with the importance of being able to interact with not only the other folks in the office, but also with clients and vendors.  I'm somewhat amazed at how little priority is placed on this skill while kids are in high school and college.  If nothing else, it's a skill they need to develop to successfully interview for most jobs.

I have a desire to see the young people I work with learn how to do a better job interacting with people in the workplace.  I see this skill diminishing among the next generation as they are busy on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.  And this is a skill that the men in my Business Leadership Group are having a constant need for in their own businesses.