Sunday, August 03, 2008

professional skills of value are present in selling





Good writing is probably a little like salesmanship.
Selling is often thought of as a poor way to make a living or a less than polished approach to being part of society. I would disagree with that idea and suggest that being able to really sell something takes a great deal of skill. Selling in my opinion requires many skills and a great deal of thought and effort. First off I would reject the idea that we really every cause someone else to buy something they don't want or need and the idea of a "pushy" salesman tricking the buyer into something they don't want is "not salesmanship" and in fact is not really selling. The first question a seller needs to ask is what is it that the buyer wants or needs. This question requires often "asking" and always listening. If you know how to listen the question of how to sell answers itself. A customer or buyer or whomever you are talking to will tell you what they want or need if you ask the right questions. Nothing wrong with "what is it that you want?" as a question but often you have to go a lot deeper and various ways of asking "why" will open up those doors. So what if the person you are working with wants or needs something that you have no way of providing? Really finding out what a customer, buyer or person might really want takes a lot of listening. The process probably has a payoff in and of itself for both parties. Most people want to be understood. Honest feedback can be valued as much as if the actually need were filled. Or an honest answer that you have "no clue" as to how to provide what is needed by iteself can be fine. Also there is nothing wrong with suggesting where and how the need may be filled by someone else.
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Good writing fills a need for the reader. Selling can fill real for a buyer customer if the right approach and work is done in the process. A big difference in writing and selling for me is where the "voice" for the next step in the process comes from. In selling it is all about listening. In writing I listen but can't find the customer. I just hear my own voice and I guess I haven't really listened as of yet.
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Did someone say something?

1 comment:

BJ said...

o come on, that eskimo really needed those ice cubes. He mentioned it as I listened close to his story about polar bears and stuff