The ability to sell, which could be considered as the ability to convince all the parties involved in the entrepreneurial project, is the propagating element of an idea. It’s an element that can’t be missing in the set of skills of an entrepreneur, because an idea, a product or a service, have to be bought by someone in order to be successful, that means they must first be “sold”.
An entrepreneurial leader usually is a great communicator, an excellent persuader who can tell dreams like they are already real things and who is able to spread enthusiasm and convince anyone that their project is worth the effort. This ability springs from being self-confident and from knowing for a fact that their business intuition is valid. They know that if nobody is willing to buy, they won’t fulfil their project and they won’t do business. This is what distinguishes them from an inventor, who finds satisfaction in the act of inventing and in the idea of finding new technological solutions.
Being able to sell is useful in involving people in the project, in creating positive energy and in dealing with financial partners. The more the entrepreneur is convinced of the genuineness of their intuition, the more persuading and determined they can be. The entrepreneurial leader is the “missionary” in their own enterprise. If their sales skills are bad, the project won’t see the light.
Sales skills will improve with daily experience. Every success in sales will strengthen and improve these skills to the point of excellence. It probably happened to all of us at some point: we talked with an entrepreneur and ended up being charmed by their products, their brand or by their service, to the point that we felt the impulse to buy them.
As they constantly fine-tune their selling abilities, entrepreneurs create their own classification of interlocutors and of the different situations they may face. This allows them to grasp and interpret all the small signals coming from their conversation partners, and to change and adapt their attitude to better match those of the interlocutors, all to convince them to support their project.
Entrepreneurial leaders are masters in the art of selling. They believe in themselves and they are good at public relations. They are assertive and empathetic, they have clear goals and are determined to achieve them, however gradually.
Angelo Vergani
President
Contract Manager s.r.l.