You need sales skills, even if you are not a salesperson!
Very few parents say they want their kids to grow up to be a salesperson. Many MBA students say that sales is something they never want to do in their careers. And yet, sales is the most fundamental skill! Scott Edinger, the founder of Edinger Consulting Group and the author of The Hidden Leader, says that the resistance to sales stems from an "antiquated idea that selling is pushing people to buy something they don't want, don't need, or can't afford." But that notion is outdated. "Selling is moving somebody else to action," he says. And that is part and parcel of professional life. "If you look at things you do over the course of your day, from internal meetings with colleagues to client calls, almost all of your interactions involve some form of selling." Here's how to get better at it.