“Ahhh SALES!  I don’t sell things.  I hate sales.  I don’t even know why I opened this article in the first place!”

Even if those thoughts are racing through your head right now, I’m glad you at least made it this far.  I dare you to stick with me to the end…  What do you have to lose?

Let’s start with the word “sales.”

People have come to despise the word sales.  It is often associated with pushy, conniving car dealership employees, Applebee’s waiters who are convinced you still have room for chocolate cake, and that guy from GoDaddy who calls every two days begging you to renew your domain name.

Look, the point of this article is not to talk about the perception of sales or overcoming a fear of sales.  There are thousands of articles on these topics, so let’s not waste time.

Instead, I want to tell you one quick story and leave you with one valuable insight.  That’s it.

The Story:  I was with a friend the other day who was convincing me to buy a Vespa.  I don’t need a Vespa, nor do I think motoring a Vespa around Miami’s hellish drivers sounds like a particularly good idea.

Nevertheless, I was ready to walk over to the store and buy one.

Did my friend rattle off all the cool features, gas savings, paint options, etc?  Nope.  He didn’t even tell me how much he paid for it.

So what was the secret sales recipe?

He was beyond pumped about his Vespa.

By the end of the conversation, I was more excited about his Vespa than he was.  My friend talked about that Vespa as if it was the greatest purchase of his life — a quasi out-of-body experience.  He told stories of riding it with friends and relaxing days cruising around the beach, all thanks to 50cc’s of pure Italian scooter glory.

I haven’t stopped thinking about that Vespa since.

The Point:  Sales begins with a transfer of enthusiasm.

At the end of the day, sales is remarkably easy.  It’s human nature to be attracted to people/things that inspire us, incite our emotions, and make our lives easier.

Tap into that recipe, and you’ve unleashed the power of sales.

No matter if you’re conducting a job interview, giving a presentation, pitching a new product, or convincing that half-dead airline gate agent to upgrade you to first class, it all starts with enthusiasm.

Make that gate agent feel special, show them with the utmost passion how your lives will improve thanks to their single act of generosity, and you just might get those extra inches of legroom.

See you next Sunday at 8:30pm.  🙂