Sales
No matter what the business, every company needs sales. It doesn't matter if it's in the business of manufacturing, services, a worldwide conglomerates or a corner grocery store. As difficult as specialized technical functions may be, with years of training and expertise, sales is equally challenging. While a salesperson could never do the job of an engineer or a programmer, they couldn't do the job of a salesperson either. Without sales, they don't have a job.
Every business is essentially a people business. Machines don't buy things; although they may execute transactions, people do the buying. When sales falter, every area of the business suffers - targets aren't met, investors lose confidence, budgets are cut, people are laid off, top talent looks elsewhere. Innovation feeds sales, and sales feeds innovation and growth.
Sales is oxygen to a company. There's a saying that goes "sex is like air, it's only important when you aren't getting enough". Sales is like that too. When orders are flowing and everybody is working to fill them and keep the customers satisfied, dealing with the logistics and problems, they might not really appreciate the contribution of the saleperson - sometimes the staff may even grumble and wish the sale had never happened, so they wouldn't have to deal with the customer and the hassles of getting the order through!
However, the moment sales slow down for even a short time, the company feels the impact. Everyone suddenly become acutely aware of the need for sales to feed the company.
In the movie business, before you make a movie you need a script. The screenwriter is the original creative person on the project, and if the writer doesn't write - there's no film.
Sales is like that too. If sales people don't sell, nobody else works for very long. It's the engine that drives every business on the face of the earth - and if you are really good at it, you'll go far. Many people have risen to CEO status mainly because they know how to drive sales. So, if you are in sales, be proud of your status. If you're not, don't forget that, without sales, there's no work!
About the author: David Geldart is a partner with Bob Gernon in www.salestrainingtips.com, which offers resources for sales training and development to sales professions.