Well so this man- this celebrated professor has to travel world and attend conferences, Presenting his research and papers- trying to convince investors to fund his research, trying to impress students to take up his research courses. Well friends- if that is not salesmanship in all its glory - what is it? This is a man who has no sales training and loves his research to utmost. But to succeed he has to get others interested in his work – and that’s what sales man ship is all about.

I can vividly recall times I have been in my family physicians office. With all her medical certificates framed on walls, one corner is dedicated to photos of all babies she has helped deliver. She even has a section set aside for grand parents reactions and appreciation letters – here again she is very successfully drawing attention not only to herself but also to her work- this is another example of salesmanship in all its brilliance.

Yes, getting people sufficiently interested in yourself or your work- that is arts and science of salesmanship. Well so how does this relate to you: Do you remember all those times you have cried as a baby trying to get your mom to feed you or change you... yes even as a wee little baby you were a perfect salesperson trying to get people interested in your wants and desires. - Or all those times at school when you were trying to impress your friends. - Or making presentations in your class assignments. - Or even preparing your resumes, applying for and bagging that perfect job. It all boils down to `selling yourself`. Yes in fact you can take any situations in your life and analyze them you will discover you were all time trying to sell yourself.

So my friends...Remove all your fears of word `sales`. You are a born sales person. Let your natural instincts come forward and make you rich.

Suddenly I realized I was talking to a human, not a machine. I was dumbstruck. The last thing in world I expected was to get Vice President of Sales in person. No one ever answers phones anymore.

My mind went blank; everything I planned to say totally disappeared. Words came pouring out of my mouth. I bumbled. I stumbled. I sounded like a blathering idiot. I would have hung up on me!

Sure enough, VP was quick to cut in, “We don’t need any of that. We handle it all internally.”

Under just about any other circumstances, I would have taken comment in stride and addressed it easily. Instead, I sputtered, “Oh ... Well, thank you for your time,” and got off phone as quickly as I could.

Shaking my head at my own incredibly stupid behavior, I started to laugh ... and laugh and laugh. It couldn’t get any worse. Now, I was ready to make calls.

LESSONS LEARNED

1. NEVER, EVER call your best prospects first. When you’re selling something new, there are always glitches to work out and new obstacles to overcome. I tell this to every sales group with whom I work. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times. “Practice on your B or C prospects - ones you can afford to lose.”

2. Have a voicemail plan AND a real person plan Even though 95% of time you’ll probably get voicemail, you must have a contingency plan in case a human answers.

3. Be prepared for common obstacles too. When you’re selling you can almost count on hearing things like, “We don’t need any” or “We’re happy with our current vendors.” Don’t be stupid like I was and say, “Oh.” There are much better responses. Plan for them.

4. Make process a learning opportunity. If you don’t get reaction you hoped for or you run into some obstacles that are difficult to overcome, simply consider that feedback. Look at what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. Make changes and try again. Don’t let yourself be defeated by a few rejections. Figure out what needs to be different and experiment. It truly isn’t end of world unless you let it be.

5. Laugh at yourself - we all make mistakes. Sometimes I can’t believe I actually called my best prospect first. I knew better. I also can’t believe I didn’t prepare for talking to a real person. Again, I knew better. Don’t ask me where my head was that week. I guess I just wanted to get out there and make things happen. And I really did want to do work with that company.

Fortunately, conversation was so short I didn’t make any lasting impression. I think I’ll call Peter again soon and do it right this time!

Jill Konrath, President of Selling to Big Companies, helps small businesses win big contracts. She has FREE monthly e-newsletter, "Quantum Leaps Selling: Ideas & Insights to Increase Sales.” To sign up, send a blank email to mailto:jill@sellingtobigcompanies.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.