RAB Insights

RAB Research Archive

Selling With Purpose



As a young new seller, I'm embarrassed to admit it now, but I was totally money motivated. The thought of earning whatever I wanted, making lots of money on commission and the things 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 in my career. I attended many of his seminars, and I had the pleasure of having many conversations with Don. Early in one's career, it's so helpful to have a guide that can point you in the right direction. My 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, 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.

A couple of weeks ago, we held our final Sales Essentials one-day training session (virtually) of 2021. One of the key takeaways we always hear about is when we share the Don Beveridge quote. Knowing why you are doing this and what the purpose is can be a powerful motivator.

As we prepare to breeze through the holiday season, 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 a 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. In today's business environment, the work we do is more important than ever.

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

Happy Monday!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com. You can also connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Source: Jeff Schmidt, RAB