“Everything is sales!”
My colleague was certain he was right. Sales was everything and everything is sales.
Except…I hate selling. I have always felt like selling is manipulation, and it requires lying. I don’t want to lie.
When the internet is trying to sell me things, there is this tendency to push it so hard it’s impossible to live up to.
The Best!
The Greatest!
The Most!
Even that early acronym BFF—Best Friends Forever
Categorically, this can’t be true. How do I call someone a best friend? There are a lot of friends, hard to say who is best. And forever?
ForEVER ever?
These are promises impossible to live up to. And I shudder and refuse to participate.
But if my colleague is to be believed, I am missing out. THIS kind of overpromise is sales.
And I am missing out. If I knew more about psychology, I might be able to talk about this kind of developmental milestone—and ability to suspend disbelief in an approximate feeling.
Can “best” also mean ‘really good’? best for the present moment?
Or even good enough and that feels really good?
I’m trapped in my own logic. The people who know sales tell me that it’s the emotion that sells. That the logic can help but the gut is what makes the difference.
I don’t think anyone believes that the one choice is the best of all possible solutions. But finding a choice that solves the problem sufficiently in that moment is really fantastic—dare I say the best ever?
It could be like riding a bike. I have to learn the ride of the sales story. If what I have to offer will be sufficient, and even a little better than enough, it could be indeed the best thing ever for right now. That glorious perfection of motion and balance like when I get the bike moving forward just right.
I have to sell myself first, and then let the other person in on how great and perfect this solution will be.
Then we can both celebrate. Right here, right now, this is the best it will ever get, and that’s really good.
So I have to make sure that I have my story straight so I can show it—sell it—to the next guy.