Did you know… You can’t go a single day without someone trying to sell you something?
In fact, most people get hit with hundreds of sales pitches every day.
You might sell yourself on getting out of bed in the morning. You sell your spouse on where to eat for dinner. You sell your kids on the importance of doing their homework. And the list goes on and on.
We are swimming in sales pitches, and half the time we don’t even know it!
In business, sales is obvious and it’s the heartbeat of any company — so much so that we have to stop calling sales a “department” in the business — sales is the business. Read it again: Sales IS the business! Without it, there’s no pulse.
Upwards of 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years due to cashflow issues (lack of sales!). That’s half of all businesses, dead as a doorknob without new business coming in.
Without sales, there’s no revenue. Without sales, the owner starves and the employees starve. And without sales, we lose a vital way of connecting with our fellow humans on this journey of life.
Don’t worry — it’s not all doom and gloom. We’ll pivot and use this to our advantage. After all, great products need great positioning, great storytelling, and great selling. That’s where you come in!
FYI: One great product that failed due to poor sales is the Apple Newton MessagePad of the mid-90’s. It was one of the first PDAs with a touchscreen and stylus interface. It flopped because Apple didn’t put nearly enough firepower behind the sales efforts (and it didn’t help that there was misalignment with product/market fit).
Who Sells to Survive?
Almost every human sells to survive…
Entrepreneurs sell — They sell their products or services to investors and a defined market, or they go out of business.
The average employee sells — They sell their value and skillset to their employer and the market, or they lose their job.
Politicians sell — They sell their agenda items, or they don’t get elected.
Teachers sell — They sell their students on sitting and listening, otherwise the classroom falls into anarchy and everyone loses.
Policemen sell — They sell the gunman to drop the weapon, or they get shot at and potentially die.
The point is… Everyone sells something — every single day! — whether they’re “in sales” or not!
It’s been true since the beginning of time. Go back 50,000 years ago, and you’ll find cavemen trading meat for flint. A primitive sales transaction!
So who sells to survive? You do! I do! And everyone around us sells or starves.
It stands to reason, then, that selling is not just business. It’s biology. I’d argue that it’s as important (or at least as ubiquitous) as the blood flowing through your veins. There is almost no way of communicating without selling your ideas to another person.
RELATED: The 2025 Sales Playbook – 5 Proven Strategies to Dominate the B2B Market
Survive or Thrive?
Surviving is the baseline of existence. You need to eat and breathe and have a roof over your head. You want to acquire these bare necessities, so you sell yourself there.
But…
Is that all you want in life? Just to survive?
Look around — most people are average. They drive average cars, live in average homes, have average bodies. Don’t get me wrong, average is fine… if that’s what you want for yourself.
But others reject a life of mediocrity. These are the top performers. They desire optimal performance on every level — including sales.
That’s why on any given sales team you’ll have one or two underperformers (they eventually get weeded out), a handful of average performers (they tow the line), and maybe one or two sales rockstars (they tap into their true potential and enjoy the good life as a result).
If you can sell, you will make a living.
If you can sell well, you have the opportunity to make a true impact and leave a legacy.
So it’s up to you: Survive or THRIVE?
RELATED: The War Cry of a Sales Pro – Why Average Won’t Cut It
It’s More than Money, It’s About Influence
If you’re in sales, you have an incredible amount of influence. You have the ability to persuade others to join your side… Whether that’s joining your political party, or purchasing your product, or casting you in a play.
Salespeople are the original influencers. And sales is a skill that will serve you in every domain of life, for as long as you live.
But here’s the kicker: The influence you ultimately have in the world is entirely up to YOU.
Your influence depends on how consistently you show up to bat. And it depends on the behind-the-scenes training that went into getting you there. Let’s unpack this next.
Thankfully… Sales is a Learned Skill Set
You can — and must! — learn to sell like a pro.
If you’re not in the field of sales right now (selling a product or service for income), then it’s time to change that. I’ll be writing another article soon on how AI is about to create millions of new sales jobs at every level. So the timing has never been better.
And if you’re already in sales, it’s time to level-up your game.
Professionals of all stripes go to school and train to perform optimally in their career. Think doctors, lawyers, architects, firefighters, teachers, etc. So why should it be any different for sales?
If you want to succeed in the game, and truly rise to the top, then you have to read sales books, take sales courses, attend workshops, get a mentor and actually learn from him/her, and do sales training drills often.
RELATED: What It Means to Be a Lifelong Learner in Sales
As rewarding as a sales career can be, it is unforgiving in that it doesn’t allow for underperformers to just skate by. You will 100% reap what you sow in sales.
You can either pull in a measly $20K base salary, or take MASSIVE ACTION and add another zero worth of commissions to the back of that number. Entirely your call. And all it takes is a promise to yourself.
So… you might as well learn to sow success, right?
And if you made it this far, I bet that’s exactly what you plan to do.
You’ve got this.
Until next time…
Johnny-Lee Reinoso