MoneyWatch

My 5 Principles of Sales Success

By Geoffrey James

Updated on: February 8, 2011 / 1:21 PM EST / MoneyWatch

I'm NOT a sales guru. I'm not even particularly talented at selling. I mean, I can sell, but the biggest deal I've ever forged was only for five figures -- and not the high end of five figures, either.

Where do I come off writing a blog about sales then? Let me explain.

I may not be a sales guru with some fancy seminars to sell, but I am definitely the world's first and only sales fanboy.

I love Sales. I love hearing about Sales. I love watching Sales folk do their thing. I enjoy learning everything I can about selling.

I like talking to sales gurus, sales stars and sales managers. I like hearing about what works (and what doesn't.)

I'm fascinated by the "culture" of selling, and how the groups that sell operate. Why do I find this subject matter so interesting? I honestly don't know.

Maybe it's because I've been exposed to so much BS in the business world, I like hanging around the people who really get things done.

Or maybe it's because I always have fun when I party with the sales folk. I like upbeat people.

The reason that Sales Machine "works" (it's the most popular sales oriented blog in the world, according to some measures) is that I'm not beholden to any particular agenda... other than to communicate what I learn as I follow my own inclinations.

In other words, you Sales Machine readers are the beneficiaries of my odd obsession about everything that has to do with selling.

Over the years, I've come up with a philosophy that guides me as I write Sales Machine. This philosophy is my touchstone of what to include in the blog and what to leave out. It consists of the following five basic principles:

#1: Sales is the heart and soul of the entire business world.
#2: Every organization (even management) should be in service to sales.
#3: A sales career means improving yourself as an individual.
#4: When selling, use what works and you forget what doesn't.
#5: Selling is all about making friends and then helping them.

I've observed that every highly successful sales professional adheres to some variety of those five principles. They don't always list them out that way, but the same kind of ideas are there.

READERS: How about you? Do you have some "principles of success" that help you organize your career? If so, I'd love to hear them. I'm already ready to learn something new.