The concept of respect is foreign to sales people. What I have found that sale people are not aware that it is important to command respect and have respect of their profession. Our families make fun of us when we say we are in sales because all the myths are there - people think all sales people do are have coffees and drinks and lunches and sign deals. There is a social stigma surrounding the sales industry.

The idea of sales needs to be understood - we are influencing, persuading and changing another person's mind (be it a client, employer, your child, teen, partner, team, acquaintance) to a new way of thinking - which may lead to selling an intangible which can be that idea/concept (first date, job promotion, salary rise, performance ratings, or getting your children to eat greens, take the garbage out, for society to learn about climate change) or could be a tangible product like software or product offering.

For way too long, we have been thinking sales is something external of us, so the sales industry and people are chasing this idea of doing an activity outside of themselves, making someone believe that their idea or product or service is the answer and yes there is a significant place for influencing skills. What is missing is the internal work - because you can't influence, persuade or change someone else's mind to think your way, unless you believe in your own self and that comes from the basics of self respect.

If we have understood ourselves which is what respect about - the origin of the word respect is to from Latin (respectus) is to look at - consider, regard and what i am asking is to have consideration for self because as social beings, we have that sense of inner knowing that we are being fooled, manipulated, taken advantage of, lied or deceived and that is the problem of the sales industry - it is too focused on the outside and they are not aware of that - that no matter how great the sales scripts are, the refined processes are - if the sales person that is pitching that idea to another and have their own hesitations, fears, doubts, resistance or whatever the blocks are - our clients are able to suss it and they may not say to the sales face, but that is when they disappear and lie - its an external facade of game we are playing with each other. you may know that time when your date just doesn't call back, or makes an excuse or even during break ups - its not you, its me...”