Executive Blog

Sales is the Key to Success

It has been said that "nothing happens until somebody sells something." I didn't always believe that to be true, but more and more I study business and learn from my own experiences in starting my own company I believe its true.

Let's consider the arguments against this statement first. Some people believe that it's snazzy marketing or gizmo technology that makes the business world go around. I mean look at the megabucks that will be spent at Superbowl time or the billions of dollars that VC's put behind company's like YouTube. This has to be where all the good stuff happens right? Then let's consider what we think of sales and salespeople. Salespeople are the telemarketers and the spammers trying to get a quick dollar off of us. Salespeople just look at commissions and kickbacks. What good do they do?

Though these points are valid and salespeople and sales in general sometimes are looked as very dirty work, sales are essential to the survival of every business entity. Here is why I think sales are the most important part of any business. Sales are when we cut the bullshit and get down to what makes our enterprises ultimately successful -- the exchange of money for goods or services. It's nice to have "brand awareness", "coolness factors", and all the other biz saavy terms than many times people place at the center of their strategies. But all of these should support the key function of sales.

I also believe that a focus on sales increases the quality of goods and services. When a company shifts focus and says, "how do we get more sales?" or "how do we get the customer?" they are forced to do things like provide more features, make equipment easier to use, etc. I think a renewed focus on what actually sales by small business and large corporations alike would be a very beneficial to the economy as a whole and reduce unnecessary wastes.

posted by Michael Anders @ Tuesday, December 05, 2006