You hear that, Sales? I'm not afraid anymore!
One of my first interviews out of college was for a sales and marketing position. Which meant it was really for a sales and sales position. The interviewer was a professional man. I was a boy in an oversized blazer. The last interview question he asked was, “What motivates you?” I thought that was an excellent question, and I extolled the altruistic intentions for my life. I told him about how I wanted a life of purpose and fulfillment, how I wanted to give back to the world in a rich and meaningful way. He smiled and told me that was a very nice answer, but the correct answer was, “Money. This is a sales position.”
I love when life kicks kids in the ass.
I hated sales. Everything about it. It was manipulative. It was greedy. It was icky. I thought I would never need to work on selling myself because my work would do the talking.
Sweet baby Adam.
Sales is overcoming fear. Sales is saying to the world, "We built something that is so valuable, I believe you should give me your money for it." In many cases, large sums of it. Sales is freaking scary, because it means you’re on the hook to deliver on your promise. We’re not only scared of rejection, we're afraid that we have not brought value to the world. Worse, we confuse that value with our own value, and that can send you to a dark place in a hurry. Don't go to that dark place. Instead, mentally go where you know you bring value. If you don't know how to bring value, keep working on it. Make your service (or self) more valuable. Don't give up. It takes awhile.
It took 10 years to build our branding agency, this team, and this valuable work. Work that I know can transform an organization. I have a responsibility to share that with people who need that. It may be sales, but I don’t sell. I share how our team seeks to understand an organization’s unique position and then crystallizes that into beautiful and unexpected creations. It’s magical and rewarding and I love it. I feel like Kevin McCallister when he yells out into the cold Chicago suburbs, “I am not afraid anymore! Do you hear that? I am not afraid anymore!“ I have not fully conquered this fear, but I win more times than I lose.
