Selling on Purpose

As a young new seller, I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I was totally money motivated. The thought of earning whatever I wanted, making lots of money on commission and what I could buy with that money was appealing enough to jump from being on the air over to the “dark side” and go into sales.

Then it happened… While attending a Don Beveridge seminar, I had an epiphany.

Don Beveridge was an early influencer on my career. I attended many of his seminars and had the pleasure of having many conversations with Don. Early in your career, it’s so helpful to have a guide that can point you in the right direction. The epiphany happened when Don spoke these words:

“I will not ask for your business unless I can first come up with a plan for improving it.”

There it was — a purpose for doing what we do. To improve businesses, to help them grow and reach their potential and derive the satisfaction of knowing your help and advice had a part in their success. It was truly an “ah-ha” moment that set the course for a successful sales career.

Last week, we held our final Sales Essentials one-day (virtual) training session and one of the key take-aways we always hear about is when we share that Don Beveridge quote. Knowing why you are doing this, and what the purpose is can be a powerful motivator.

As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday this week, we’d encourage you to pause and reflect on why you do what you do. What’s your purpose? Your purpose will lead to passion and passion will lead to many great opportunities for you.

We are in the unique position, as marketing and sales professionals, to be on the front lines of economic recovery and prosperity in our markets. We put buyers and sellers together with our communication platforms and resources and we provide the fuel for the economic engine.

Thinking of that as my purpose for selling advertising is inspiring to me. How about you?

Jeff Schmidt is RAB SVP of Professional Development. You can also connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.