Selling is not My Responsibility

How often have you heard this, “Selling is not my responsibility.”  If you are like me, probably more often than you would like.   I have wondered throughout my career if this statement stems from a lack of training, lack of interest in the job or lack of interest in the business.  

This statement was usually followed by such sentiments as,

1.    I do not have a sales title and sales is not in my job description

2.    It is the salespeople who are supposed to sell.  It is their job, not mine.

3.    If they do not sell, they will lose their jobs, but I will not lose mine.

4.    My job is always secured (isn’t that amazing)

I am ashamed to tell you how many times I have had such conversations with staff at all levels, including some in management.  

My first job at age 15 was working at a neighborhood Texaco gas station.   In those days, an attendant pumped your gas, checked the oil, checked tire pressure, and cleaned the wind shield for you.  It was full service and with a smile.   It was the second day on the job when I quickly realized that the gas station was a business and its principal product for sale was gasoline.  It derived its revenue from selling gasoline (at that time, it was 25 cents per gallon).   Even at that tender age, I realized that,

A.  If no one comes into the station to buy gas, the business will not survive

B.   Our job was not only to pump gas but to get more people into the station to buy other products/services and come back consistently for more

C.   We had to sell gas, engine tune ups, brake service, tires, battery replacement, etc.

D.  The gas station and my job depended on us selling all of these

My title was “gas station attendant.”   The title did not have the word “sales” attached to it, but it was definitely one of my responsibilities.   It did not need to be stated or printed on my name tag, it was clear.

Yes, it is the salespeople who have been hired to sell.  However, it is the responsibility of everyone to sell.  

I remember a conversation in the early days of my career with some staff who honestly believed that their jobs were always secured regardless of business.  They told me that they would never be terminated because selling was not their responsibility.   Salespeople can be terminated but others have no worries (they believed this).

Guess what? There is not a company in the world that would not terminate staff if there was insufficient business. All businesses survive on profitability, and profitability is derived from income and affected by costs, especially from labor, i.e.. Staffing.   This happens every day with companies large and small.  Lay off, furlough, downsizing, etc. are all common terms in the business world. There will be no jobs for anyone because there will be no company.            

Remember, if the business fails, we ALL fail.                                                        

Please believe that salespeople have the title and responsibility but every member of the staff share that responsibility in selling to keep the business alive.   The moral of this story is that if we value our jobs, whatever it may be, we all must help to sell and ensure the company can maintain its financial viability to stay in business.