Listen carefully the next time “sales” comes up in communication.
It’s often thought of as a function, department, or maybe just a person. Sometimes it’s a process that is intended to generate revenue, which is not always a synonym of sales. Accountants have very specific definitions of sales that are upheld by law. Yet a finance person may reference “cost of sales” that breaks rules of English because it does not include the literal cost of sales at all.
Listen also to the tone in which it’s said. Is it one of hope? Expectation? Disappointment? Gratitude?
An issue with “sales” can mean all sorts of things! Go deeper to get the real meaning. Here again the beginning of alignment is the definition of terms.
Merriam-Webster claims that sales are operations and activities involved in promoting and selling goods or services. Selling is giving or handing over something in exchange for money. Other meanings are disturbingly negative – to deliver or give up in violation of duty, trust, or loyalty. Wow. It’s no wonder people’s natural reaction is to run from a salesperson.
In the old days, selling was something you did to someone – convince or persuade, sometimes even manipulate with questionable tactics. In popular culture we see the same. Consider two classic sales movies Tommy Boy and Glengarry Glen Ross. Contemporary leaders promote sales as something you do for someone – help a prospective customer make great decisions along their journey of solving a compelling problem.
Everyone owes their paycheck to the system that has generated a sale. Some have a direct impact on this. All employees have at least some. “God bless our salespeople, especially our closers.”
Who are your best customers? Why do they give their money to your company? How do they naturally prefer to interact with your organization?