An Encouraging Sales Revelation

I’m learning that sales experience can help you in many different ways and often comes from unexpected sources. Whether you’re selling a revolutionary stapler, the latest Top 40 hit or a new house, it’s the same basic idea to get from prospecting to collecting. If you know the item you’re selling well enough, a knowledge of the sales process will help you thrive. Today I discovered firsthand though that even penniless transactions can be selling. (No, I’m not talking about trade deals.)

This morning I had a meeting with one of my new bosses, the Assistant General Manager, Cory Whitted. Cory explained to me that I may have no experience selling tickets, advertising or merchandise, but I have sold myself. I’m no Roxanne, and contrary to popular belief, my soul isn’t property of the Devil thanks to 2004 or 2007. I have sold my abilities in the business world, and if you have ever created a resume, written a cover letter or had a meeting with a potential employer (either informal or as an interview), you have too.

(By the way, if you want some good advice on resume writing or general career tips, CAREEREALISM is a powerful tool to use, including this post on tax deductions for professional resume help. Hopefully, you’ve done your taxes already. I need to get to work on mine.)

Before you can sell anything else, you have to be able to let your confidence shine through. If you are comfortable with yourself, that’s when expanding your expertise comes into play. I’m going to use the next week as a crash course in the Hudson Valley Renegades Brand and the Hudson Valley Community so I can sell the team in any way possible to whoever wants to get involved.

There’s no way I’ll be a ‘Gades Guru after seven days, but with a solid structure of baseball and local business information at my disposal, it will be considerably easier to promote the team and contribute monetarily. (If you can find a way for broadcasters to make a team money, you’ll be my new best friend.)

On a semi-related note, the Director of Promotions, Andy Willmert, helped keep me in check earlier today. When I mentioned my goal to be “as good a salesman as I am a writer,” he reminded me that I’m not a Pulitzer Prize winner just yet. Andy was kidding, but sometimes even a joke shows you that you’re never perfect. I hope through writing more in this blog (and hopefully some other formats), I will improve my writing AND engage my readers more and more with each entry. If you have a story about working in a small business, selling anything at all (especially tickets or advertising), or just want to talk baseball, join in with a comment. I appreciate whatever feedback you can give me.

I’m also fairly active on the social media wave, so give me a tweet or facebook message instead if you want to bring the conversation there.