I thought I was bad at sales. Turns out I'm just not a scumbag

I thought I was bad at sales. Turns out, I’m just not an unethical scumbag. And sales is not inherently unethical.

It’s strange that I believed that, considering I personally landed every contract that kept my company afloat for 13 years. Most of that came through word of mouth, which I’m proud of, so really it was only cold sales and marketing where I had room to grow.

Admittedly, some of that false belief came from self-worth issues. But it also came from society's conflation of sales people and the used-car-salesman archetype selling lemons; I didn't identify with that warped perception.

Too often I hear excuses "well, that's just the nature of sales." Sleazy salespeople will always exist. But so too should our scorn of them. In my world, I’ve lost all tolerance for the ones who swoop in promising dreams and then disappear, leaving behind an implementation team or product that doesn't deliver on their promises. This was particularly frustrating in the nonprofit sector, but it's wrong everywhere.

Software has become key infrastructure upon which companies operate. When a salesperson sells a false dream about software or what their development team can deliver, they’re gambling with other people’s livelihoods. That’s not “just sales,” it’s vile.

Sales doesn’t require deceit. Ethical sales is persuasion rooted in truth, helping someone recognize the value you’re offering. If you lie about which needs it fulfills, or hide the full cost / timeline, just to close a deal... you’re an asshole. Plain and simple. Having “sales” in your title doesn’t absolve you.

#EthicalSales #Consulting #SoftwareDevelopment #Codality #Leadership #Integrity