The Power of Selling

Many people I encounter today still have a negative attitude about sales people. Apparently…I used to look down at sales people! I used to perceive sales jobs are only for graduates with bad grades. And I have never been so wrong…

Sales is the driving force behind every start-ups, business and even non-profit organization. We need to sell and we sell everyday. How you dress, the brands you carry, the way you talk, the way you choose your books or movies are ways of selling your personal image.

Here’s a simple (true) story to illustrate why selling skills /sales are so important – it shifted my entire paradigm towards sales:

In a time when the majority of the world was still lit by candle, an electrical system known as the “alternating current”  was invented and to this day..is what powers every home on the planet. So who do we need to thank for such brilliant invention that catapulted the industrial revolution into a whole new level? It was Nikola Tesla – The Father of Electricity.

But hey..wait, I thought Thomas Edison was the father of the electricity? Nope. It was Tesla!

When most people think of Edison, they think of the men who invented light bulb. Nope, Edison did not invented the light bulb either. He improved upon the ideas from the other men who pioneered the light bulb before him.

Edison simply figured out how to SELL the light bulb.

He believed such invention will gauged by how much money his company made. He was no scientist. He believed he could just hire people to do that for him.

Edison was not a geek, Tesla was. 
Edison is just a CEO who died rich.

The Dumb Me

The inability to think on the spot and respond makes me feel dumb.

Example Scenario #1
The host or the MC decided to invite you to go up to the stage. Next thing you know is that he is going to interview you in front of so many people.

Example Scenario #2
You met your crush standing somewhere, talking to somebody at a party. You do not want to let go such opportunity to approach her/him. You try to start a conversation.

Example Scenario #3
You are having a meeting with your colleagues and bosses. Everybody started to contribute ideas. Out of nowhere, someone asked you, “What do you think?”

Your main concern is how to give a good answer, to impress, to tell the world that you are smart and not boring. You try but in the end, you failed. People are confused with what you are trying to say. Your self-esteem is greatly reduced. Many of us fell into that circumstances because our mind were so busy preparing for the best answers we could give even when the questions weren’t completely asked. Sometimes, we get so imaginative that our soul wonder off a few thousand miles away from our present moment. We listened to the conversation /presentation but we did not actually listen actively and attentively. Consequently, we all ended up not producing anything nice from the back of our head. To get it over, we tend to reply in a very short and uninspiring manner. If you feel how I feel, Then here is 1 simple exercise for you to practice.

(1) On-The-Go-Quick-Meditation

The perception of meditation only happens when there is some pretentious Balinese style parlor with Buddha statues all over the place are not true. Meditation is about mindfulness. We can practice it almost everywhere and anytime.  Here’s what you need to do. Clear your mind (don’t think of the outcome), be mindful of your surroundings (eye contact, mood, atmosphere), listen first before you do the thinking (active listening, interpret the questions /messages), clarify (“So what you are trying to say is…?” “…i see, so that’s what you mean”) then reply. Trust me, it creates differences. By the way, don’t just practice it when there’s an urgent need or when you want to talk to “that cute girl”. Practice it with everyone you meet everyday.