The Definition of Sales - Professional Selling Defined

Before I define professional selling. Let's look at some of the related professions. Below are some definitions of professions/occupations that relate to professional selling from Wikipedia:

Marketing is defined as an ongoing process of planning and executing the marketing mix (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) for products, services or ideas to create exchange between individuals and organizations
Advertising is defined as a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service.
Public relations is defined as the practice of managing the flow of information between an organization and its audiences.
Sales Promotions is defined as the pre-determined actions designed to increase consumer demand, stimulate market demand or improve product availability for a limited time (i.e., contests, point of purchase displays, rebates, free travel, and sales incentives.)

What about the sales profession?

Notice in the above definitions, the profession is *not* defined as the individual. For example, marketing isn't defined as "people who market." Yet, the sales profession is often explained as "individuals who sell." Therefore, selling shouldn't be defined in this manner. Notice also, that the above professions are *not* defined by the activities of those individuals. In other words, the profession of advertising isn't defined as "placing ads on television." Therefore, selling shouldn't be defined in this manner.

Academically, selling is thought of as a part of marketing, however, the two disciplines are completely different. Sales departments often form a separate grouping in a corporate structure, employing individuals who specialize in sale specific roles. While the sales process refers to a systematic process of repetitive and measurable milestones, the definition of the sales "profession" doesn't exist (until now with this article).

So the questions become:

Who is "in" the profession and who is not?
How does selling relate to marketing, advertising, promotions, and public relations?
What shared competencies do individuals within the sales profession need?
How do these competencies align to roles in terms of focus and differentiation?

A definition should provide a meaning. To determine the meaning of the sale profession, it is useful to determine what the sales profession *must* contain.

The following three tenets are required for professional selling:

The focus of the sales profession centers on the human agents involved in the exchange between buyer and seller
Effective selling requires a systems approach, at minimum involving roles that sell, enable selling, and develop sales capabilities
A specific set of sales skills and knowledge are required to facilitate the exchange of value between buyers and sellers

Within these three tenets the following definition of profession selling is offered by the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD):

Professional Selling is:

 "The holistic business system required to effectively develop, manage, enable, and execute a mutually beneficial, interpersonal exchange of goods and/or services for equitable value."

Note: this definition was published by ASTD in 2009.

What does this definition accomplish?

First, it creates a definition of world class selling. An organization wishing to benchmark its selling effectiveness can leverage the above definition to clearly understand strengths and weaknesses. Without such a definition, most adjustments to the selling team are arbitrary and subjective. By understanding the system's view required for selling effectiveness, organizations can look at indidual sales team members as well as sales team processes and tools and how they align to the buyer.

Second, it allows for more consistent results in performance through the clear establishment of roles regarding who is "in" and who is "out" of professional selling. For example, if it doesn't involve a human agent, it is not within the sales profession -- it's a marketing function with a transaction (i.e., a "sale"). For this definition, sales operations, sales recruiters, and sales trainers are "in" the profession because they possess unique skills outside of their regular job titles. They posses knowledge and skill that is unique to enabling the definition.

Third, the definition lays the foundation for sales talent management/people strategies. With such a definition, sales development employees can create learning solutions that fit the unique aspects of a sales culture. At the same time, front-end recruitment strategies and more clearly tie to retention strategies.

Fourth, it helps organization on exemplary performance. By setting a bar with such a definition, organizations don't have to settle for mediocre sales effectiveness. They can use the definition to help bridge the gap between sales capacity and sales team competency.

Dr. Brian Lambert is a senior analyst for Forrester Research serving Technology Sales Enablement Professionals. He covers the strategy, processes, and execution associated with helping sales team members achieve their desired business outcomes through more effective collaboration and behavior change. Brian researches key challenges associated with sales enablement, including helping sales team member's effectively model customer needs and map solution capabilities to those needs within each sales conversation. He also researches the impact of today's complex and changing business environment on portfolio, marketing, and sales team members as they design; implement; and reinforce training, talent management, leadership development, performance, and adoption strategies needed to improve the skill, expertise, and results of team members.

Brian is a highly sought after world-wide speaker, author, and trainer on sales competency, sales performance, sales process, sales professionalism, sales ethics, and sales process.

Find out about Brian at http://www.forrester.com/rb/analyst/brian_lambert

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Demons Defined - Evil Beings in History and Literature

A demon is generally understood as a metaphysical or mystical being, generally characterized by their evil nature or origin. While good demons are found occasionally in literary works from authors such as Shakespeare and Hesiod, in general a demon refers to a malevolent being that acts as the "enemy" in most works of fiction.

The most famous demons are found in Christian literature, where they are understood to be the fallen angels. These being are said to have once been angels in heaven, but they joined forces with Lucifer when he rebelled. When the rebellion failed, Lucifer and all of his compatriots were cast out of heaven into hell, where they became demons.

The goal of the demons of hell, as stated in literary works such as Milton's "Paradise Lost," is basically to cause trouble for earth, heaven, and the world, in order to undermine the order of the universe. In Revelations and other biblical prophecies, demons are predicted to fail in this endeavor at the end of time, when they will be completely destroyed.

Philosophically speaking a demon is actually a result of the idea of angels. In general people's religious and metaphysical beliefs encompass ideas of unity, where the good side is balanced out by an equally powerful negative side. Often the balance of power is skewered to some extent to the good guys, but the demon is what allows the good side to have a reason for existing.

The reason you need both sides of the conflict is that life itself is full of both good and evil. Describing a world full of angels without demons, doesn't make sense, because bad and evil things happen all of the time. It is in the balance that the story becomes more plausible.

For more information about Demons, Vampires, and Magic visit http://www.TrueLore.com True Lore is an interactive social community where you can meet anyone, from a reclusive demon summoning necromancer, to a flirty wood elf. It also contains a huge wealth of information on the magical secret side of the world.

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Four Authors of Classical Contemporary Literature Defined the Craft of Writing Perfect Prose

From academicians to book critics to lay readers, each is often eager to recommend a list of authors who will provide aspiring writers with a sound foundation from which to build.  Any suggestions should be revered, and it would be ridiculous for one person to state that her/his idea of quality prose is better than another's.  

However, there are four aspects of the craft of writing that many who understand literature would argue have never been better addressed:  Steinbeck's perfection with dialogue, Faulkner's depth of characterization, Hemingway's precise narrative, and Fitzgerald's palpable creation of mood.

One of the quickest ways to appreciate John Steinbeck's brilliance in the realm of dialogue is to read TORTILLA FLAT, THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT, and OF MICE AND MEN.  Accents are often hard to maintain in a novel without eventually grating on the reader, yet Steinbeck's last line of dialogue in TORTILLA FLAT is as fresh as his first.  THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT provides a perfect medium for demonstrating his range.  And it is then a simple step to OF MICE AND MEN to gain an understanding of Steinbeck's genius in the art of writing divergent dialogue at an extraordinary level.        

The mere mention of William Faulkner can cause many to quail.  But a lot of Faulkner aficionados, of which I am included in this group, feel he is unchallenged in the realm of characterization.  (As an aside, if his work is broken down to the length of his clauses, it is often much easier to appreciate his talent.)  Many erudite souls recommend ABSALOM, ABSALOM as an ideal example of why Faulkner rules the world of characterization, and one needs to read only the first paragraph in the initial chapter to realize the reason for this praise.  Another suggestion is that serious writers read THE SOUND AND THE FURY.  The characterization of Dilsey the maid is, in itself, a masterpiece.  

Hemingway's art is an example of elevating a single element of writing to such a high level that the weaker aspects of (his) prose can be ignored.  With simple words his narratives were so powerful and his depictions so poignant that he is credited with creating a unique style.  An efficient way to experience his skill is to read THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA.  What is often overlooked about Hemingway's crisp, concise style is the quality of pitch his technique enables.  His passages of perfect pitch, in themselves, can be important to analyze by anyone desiring to become a better writer.     

Mood like voice is one of those magical areas that is easy to recognize but impossible for a great many people to define.  But whatever mood happens to be, it can be experienced in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald.  In THE GREAT GATSBY, THIS SIDE OF PARADISE, and TENDER IS THE NIGHT, there is an unmistakable mood that is so sentient the reader can easily (and pleasantly) become enveloped by it.  A leading example is the opening paragraph in TENDER IS THE NIGHT, which sets the mood for the entirety of a story as well as any novel that comes to mind for many learned readers.  Whatever Fitzgerald's voice was, he found it.  And whatever mood is, he created it with exceptional flair.  

There are numerous other writing elements, and subcategories of each, that anyone serious about becoming a novelist must consider.  But for those who desire an understanding of what many regard as the four pillars necessary for developing a proficiency in writing quality prose, especially if the interest is to be published by a major royalty publisher, it is difficult to argue against venturing into the oeuvres of Steinbeck, Faulkner, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald.

Robert L. Bacon

http://theperfectwrite.com

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