You may have had a bad experience with a salesperson. Say, while buying a car, or perhaps it was a hawker on the street who was pressuring you to buy something you didn’t need or want. But it’s more likely that you’ve experienced numerous positive experiences with salespeople almost every day. Sales is a service, and if done correctly, it doesn’t feel like pressure; it feels like help.
In The Wall Street Journal, Emma Collins discusses this idea and achieving success by selling products that make people’s lives better. Her story centers on Joy Mangano, creator of the Miracle Mop, and the now-famous infomercial that sold that mop, helping millions of people who bought it.
Collins concludes with a reminder that sales is not an inherently nefarious business, and at its peak it helps the consumer. She writes:
It bothers me that some people regard buying and selling as inherently greedy or nefarious. I loved being a salesperson, connecting with clients and showing them something that could add beauty to their lives. There’s nothing unseemly about having passion for a product, and nothing empty about being a consumer. Benign business does exist, and even a humble mop can be miraculous.
Action Line: The centerpiece of capitalism is buying and selling goods and services that produce desired outcomes for the consumer and profits for the producer. Both parties gain from the sale. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
