North Star Writers Group

For starters, the word “sell” is derived from the Old English word, “sella,” which means “to give.” Apparently, money had nothing to do with the term until somewhere around the beginning of the second millennium. The evolution of the term would have certainly gone hand-in-hand with the invention of the used car. And finally, as we have embarked upon the third millennium A.D., the idea of sales generally triggers thoughts of phone calls about long-distance carriers that inevitably happen during dinner, car dealerships, life insurance and Ben Affleck arrogantly screaming:

“There is no such thing as a no-sale call! A sale is made on every call you make! Either you sell the client some stock or he sells you a reason he can't! Either way a sale is made, the only question is who is gonna close? You or him? Now be relentless! That's it! I'm done!” (“Boiler Room 2000”)

Upon looking down this list of modern sales-related images, it does not seem as though one would consider himself flattered when compared to a salesman.

The primary emotion conjured up is annoyance. Salespeople are pushy, sleazy, inconsiderate, dishonest and concerned exclusively with commission checks.

Interestingly enough, in a recent conversation, I was told: “Sales is a very honorable profession.” Bear in mind, the guy said this with absolute sincerity.

It forced me to wonder, what is honorable about urgently advising people how to spend their money, especially if an inevitable motive is to pad your wallet?

The most obvious answer is that perhaps the product is exceptionally good. You are giving the customer information, and encouraging them to pull the trigger and buy something you’re convinced will improve the quality of their life. This criterion alone probably eliminates a substantial portion of products involved in sales.

But even when considering only those products that truly will enrich a customer’s life, such as a better mattress, a musical instrument or an incredibly powerful semi-automatic rifle, you’ll find that salespeople are still employed. The question arises, if a product is genuinely better, why would anyone need anything more than a piece of paper that clearly lists the facts?

The fact is that no two people maintain the same definition of necessity, beauty or honor. Some consider it necessary to attend and graduate from college as early as possible, while others consider it necessary for each member of the family (ages three and up) to be represented by a cell phone. One person finds meaning in controlling the pet population, while another considers nothing more important than hybrid vehicles.

And of course, we know that nothing is ever quite so simple that it makes the need to purchase one product over another a matter of fact. If this were the case, we wouldn’t need capitalism. More specifically, we wouldn’t need salespeople.

But we do need salespeople. And we need them for more than simply giving us information. If information was all we needed from salespeople, the most successful salespeople would be the ones who read the most encyclopedias, history books and consumer reports.

But this is not the case. The most effective, successful salespeople are the ones who help us to feel comfortable about all the money we are spending. This is where it gets morally messy. This is where it gets manipulative. I think the real question is, is it morally acceptable to manipulate someone? Technically, I think the answer is yes.

Most salespeople are instructed to ask as many questions as possible that the customer can answer with “yes.” Do you live around here? Do you like sleeping in? Do you like vacations? Do you like driving fast cars? Wanna buy this one? Yes is comfortable. No is awkward.

Another important technique is to always know where the conversation is going, so you’ll have something to say. The two primary purposes of this are, first of all, to keep the ball in your court. You only want to discuss those things that will eventually contribute to the idea that such and such a product will solve all the customer’s problems. Second, you want to avoid awkward silences. These generally make the customer uncomfortable.

There are many, many techniques and strategies involved in sales, and almost all of them are psychologically manipulative. But the point is not to brainwash. It has nothing to do with dishonesty. The point is that, anytime someone is considering spending their hard-earned money, it does not take much to make them uncomfortable, and once they are uncomfortable, they will not buy. It could be that the room is too hot, too cluttered, they don’t like your tie, your hand-writing, anything. Ultimately, the product is often no more responsible for the sale than the environment created by the salesperson.

I find that there is nothing inherently wrong with this. The only problem, or perhaps more accurately put, the only intangible issue in every sale is the customer’s reluctance to part with hard-earned cash. This intangible finds itself in the same category as the environment, both having nothing at all to do with the product. And these are the issues that a good salesperson knows how to conquer.

Considering these ambiguities, it seems that, perhaps the definition of the Old English word “sella” has more relevance to sales today than we might think. Of course, in monetary terms, no one is given anything, at least not in America.

However, those few honorable salesmen among us are giving us something that may be just as valuable. They are giving us pertinent information. And more importantly, they are giving us a chance to relax and make an informed decision with peace of mind.

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This is Column # NS39. Request permission to publish here.