We're All in Sales

I used to hate the idea of sales. That's mainly because I viewed it as trying to get someone to buy something that they didn't really want. Sometimes I still think that way - except with a newer understanding. It's when I don't believe in what I'm selling that it's hard to be motivated to sell it. If I don't believe in my company or product or service - or myself - it's hard to be convincing in trying to persuade someone to "buy".

Selling doesn't always involve an exchange of money. It is also required for other things - ideas, position, time.

On our Projects, like it or not, we're all in sales. That's not a new idea, but it is a true idea. I know that some of us "just want to do our work". But, even if we "just want to do our work", it takes some sales ability. In order to be able to do our work, we have to sell someone on the idea of letting or allowing us to do that. But, if we don't believe in it, we won't be very convincing and probably won't be convincing enough to sell the idea.

More than that simple example, we have to sell in several areas of Project work:

• The Project Itself - at almost any level, there is someone who has to agree with the idea of the project itself. Seldom does the go-no/go idea come from a single person. We sell the Project to an outside Customer or to someone within our own organization.
• Working on a GREAT Project - someone has a GREAT Project. We want to be on that team. We have to convince someone (or maybe several someones) that we should be part of that GREAT Project. We sell our skills and talents. We have to demonstrate the value that we can bring to the Project.
• Getting the Best People on a Project - great people are in demand. Everyone may want them on their Project. To get these folks on our team, we have to sell them on the idea of the Project so that they will want to choose our Project over other choices. We may sell the idea to them several times in several ways before they agree.
• Other Project Resources - we sell others on the idea of using space, or time, or equipment, or materials, or other Project resources. We don't always get them just because we say we need them for the Project.
• Selling Ideas within the Project - once the Project is rolling and we are on that GREAT Project with a GREAT team, the selling is not over. If we are leading, people on our Project are not going to blindly follow our ideas. If we are at the lowest level of experience and "ranking" within the Project, we have to convince others that our ideas are worth pursuing.  Whatever our role, ideas have to be sold.

Every day, we are all in sales. Even on Project work. We can't sell it well if we don't believe in it. Now, let's go sell something for our great Project work.