Everyone is a salesperson. Understanding this one fact could have the biggest impact on your career advancement.

Check out this article and short slideshare presentation on presenting to executives.

Whether you know it or not, whether you want to be one or not, you are a salesperson.  Don’t think so?  Ever had a job interview?  You were selling yourself.  You might find yourself in a meeting discussing a new project.  You had to sell your idea or opinion.  How about at home where you need to convince your partner the family needs a new car?  Shoppers coming to visit your garage sale?  Yes, even though your official title may never come close to salesperson, everyone finds themselves in situations of selling on a regular basis.

I think I.T. professionals are particularly challenged by this.  We are accustomed to working with computers.  They are predictable.  As Spock would say, “pure logic”.  So dealing with the unpredictable nature of people can be frustrating.  If you fit this description, set your Javascript manual down for a few weeks and pick up a book on marketing.  You might be surprised that there is actually logic to the concepts.

There are two books I particularly like that cover this subject: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini and Neuromarketing: Understanding the “Buy Buttons” in your Customer’s Brain by Patrick Renvoise and Christophe Morin. (Terrible title, but great book).  These books combined have a wealth of insight.  These books and slideshare on the topic will help you understand where executives are coming from and how to give them the information they need in a manner that will maximize your impact and value.