Selling should be fun, so why isn’t it?

Selling is a form of art: the art of communicating what it is you want and what it is they want. Art presupposes the existence of an artist and artists as a whole are generally passionate about what they do. Most of them seem to be endowed with a one-track mind and a phenomenal ability to focus on what it is they are doing. These character traits allow them to get to the heart of the matter quickly and surely, without being sidetracked by things of no import or getting discouraged by adversity. And that is precisely what we may expect of sales people in the 21st century.

Where does it go wrong?
Most companies get bogged down under the pressure of needing to perform and become obsessed with results. When sales are lagging, artificial measurement tools such as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are introduced by management in an effort to get a better grip on the sales process and the sales person. This puts more rather than less stress on the sales person, which frequently announces the beginning of a downward spiral. The fun goes out of selling; plodding takes the place of creativity and artistry and customers begin to sense that the sales team has lost confidence. This in turn leads to even worse sales results and the negative spiral continues, resulting often in the hiring and firing of sales people.