When you picture a salesperson, does it look like this?
(my apologies, the image is borrowed from the internet without asking)
I didn't know the origins of the "snake oil salesperson" expression. Seems like there was a time when some were sold snake oil as a "cure for all".
How about like this? Do you picture her as a saleswoman?
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Looks like she could sell you an insurance, a bank product or, on the higher-end, pitch a project to the management? Do you think management will be sold by her ideas?
Ok, you are right, I couldn't forget about this situation:
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How many times have someone tried to sell you something over the phone? Directly I mean, not as part of a conversation with a friend. And if we are here, how many times was a friend trying to sell you something? It didn't even have to be a physical product of some kind. What about an idea? A vacation together to a place he or she chose? A job offer you should try out?
Let's take a look at this "family":
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Of course this looks like a set up photo of a perfect family. But you notice something? The older child has some small bags of sweets in both his hands and looks pretty happy. Seems like a familiar situation?
Kids are tough sellers! They find out your weak spots and hit you hard until you give in to their desires demands. Lucky for us they don't want lambos at that age. Some sweets will generally do the trick.
Everyone is a salesperson! Your wife/husband, your mother and father, your brothers and sisters, your neighbors, your friends, people you know and don't know. And of course, YOU!
How good of a salesperson each of us is, well, as long as we are not of the "snake oil" type, is an important part in our success.