Sales

We're all in sales.

The skill is to sell oneself without joining the oldest profession in the world.

There are all kinds of sales, catalyzed by completely different styles.  The hard sell, "selling a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves."  The immoral salesperson, "selling your mother."  And then the soul-crushing, trudging mediocrity that is shoveling crap for cash.

So much has been said, written and debated on the topic, yet we cannot agree on the primary objective.  Are we striving for "yes" or should we view "no" as progress?  In classic engineering form, it depends.  If you need to sell what you have, then "yes" is the only path in the end.  If instead, you know what you need, but are flexible in how to get there, the customer can sell themselves on it.  '"No" marks the trail boundary along the way to a win-win deal.

With more than twice the power per word of the the nine most terrifying words in the English language, "Hi, I'm in sales" is the professional equivalent of declaring celibacy.

Give people what they want, only then find a way to make it profitable.

The first rule of sales is: Do not sell.