Membership Overview
Learn what being a member does for you
The Seller Styles
NASP Programs
Catalog
See a summary of all our programs and certifications
Online Certifications
Certified Professional Sales Person(CPSP®)
Develop your potential as a certified sales professional
Certified Professional Sales Leader(CPSL®)
Grow your impact as a certified sales leader
Certified Master Sales Professional (CMSP®)
Join the elite group of sales professionals and leaders
Certified Master Sales Trainer (CMST®)
Online Programs
Advanced Sales Influence (ASI)
Take your influence and leadership to the next level.
Certified Professional Sales Associate (CPSA®)
Learn foundational sales behaviors, strategies, and skills
Power of Contact Marketing
Learn from marketing expert and author Stu Heinecke
ProSeries Programs
Join the top 1% of sales professionals in the world.
Next Level Virtual Coaching
Sales Mastery
Join our ongoing dynamic virtual coaching community
Career Center
Explore job postings from some of the best companies in the country looking for sales professionals
Training Resources
Daily Dose of Influence!
Enjoy our video series of influence tips and strategies
Leads To Growth
Dig into our podcast featuring industry leaders and experts
Coaches Corner
Learn from our high-level sales coaching video series
Women of Sales & Influence – Facebook Live Series
Be inspired by our Facebook Live series spotlighting top women influencers
Women of Sales & Influence – Video Blog
Enjoy valuable, high-level sales strategies to empower your sales goals
Sales Resources
The Growth Quotient
You’ve heard about IQ, but what is your GQ?
Our Commitment to You
We are here to help your approach to sales, how you interact with others, and how you perform and execute
Articles
NASP Sales Blog
Learn from our member-submitted articles for sales professionals
About Our CEO
Standards of Conduct
Testimonials
Common Questions and Answers
Contact
by Gavin Ingham
Is There Such A Thing As A Professional Salesperson?: I want to be professional”. I’d have a decent sized pot of cash if I’d received a pound for every time a salesperson has said this to me.
“I want to be professional”.
What do they mean by this? Is there such a thing as a professional salesperson? Does it matter anyway? And how can you become a professional salesperson?
It always intrigues me every time a salesperson says that they want to be professional. Do they mean that they want to act professionally or do they want to be seen as more professional by their peers or something entirely different?
Certainly, many salespeople do not see their chosen career as a professional one, that’s for sure…
Take the case of a young salesman I spoke to recently. He’s earning decent money, he has good promotional prospects and he is well thought of by his company, his peers and in his industry… Yet he is thinking of doing something else. He’s considering something “more professional”, something with a structured career in place. Perhaps going back and studying again.
Whilst I think it is important that people follow their dreams it would be wrong to change jobs simply because selling might not be “professional”. Particularly in the UK people sneer at sales as a profession anyway. Maybe this is because you don’t need a degree to get into sales, perhaps it’s because there aren’t any recognized qualifications, exams or governing bodies or maybe it’s just tradition. Is it because of the old class system, old school ties or maybe just because the people who run the country aren’t very good at it?
So let’s knock this one straight on the head right here and right now… Selling is a profession.
Dictionary.com defines “profession” as:
A vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science – selling then. Any vocation or business – err, selling then. The body of persons engaged in an occupation or calling – and , ummm, selling again! So selling is most definitely a profession then. What’s more, selling as a profession has a lot to say for itself:
Money! From a monetary point of view people entering sales can earn good money. With commissions, bonuses and other benefits , very good money. I know salespeople with only a couple of years worth of experience earning more than lawyers with the same amount of experience (and they’ve done years worth of training).
Opportunity. Selling provides huge promotional opportunity. Every company needs sales and people who can sell well wield a lot of power. Rapid promotional prospects are often available to them. These paths to the top are often a lot quicker than more structured and traditional professions and paths where the path is laid out for you.
Fun. Selling is a varied and interesting job in which you meet people, can travel and where every day can bring a new task.
Challenge. Selling is challenging. In sales we deal with people and people always provide challenges. Learning to be flexible and dealing with different people in different situations, from different backgrounds and with different levels of experience is very rewarding.
But I don’t think that the reality is really the problem here. The problem is usually the salesperson’s perception. The issue is that they don’t see sales as professional therefore they don’t see themselves as professional…
And this often means that they don’t act as a professional!
But you’re not one of them!
There are unprofessional lawyers but that doesn’t make all lawyers unprofessional. There are unprofessional accountants but that doesn’t make all accountants unprofessional. There are unprofessional surveyors but that doesn’t make all surveyors unprofessional. Far from it, in fact.
Just because there are unprofessional salespeople does not stop you from being a professional salesperson! And if you want to get on in sales this is exactly what you need to be.
Unfortunately, many salespeople don’t take action. They don’t do what is necessary. They mistake low barriers to entry for low effort being required to succeed. Turning up at 9, leaving at 5 and doing the bare minimum is not the way to behave as a professional. Taking the easy route is not the path to professionalism. Ultimately, professionalism is not where you came from, which school you went to or which career you picked – professionalism is what you do consistently.
If you want to be a professional, if you want to be treated like a professional, if you want to feel like a professional then you need to take consistent action.
So the answer to the question, “Is there such a thing as a professional salesperson?” is a resounding yes! And, of course, yes, we do care! So the only question worth considering is, “What are you going to do to attain and maintain your status as a professional salesperson?”
About the author