As salespeople we live in a funny world.
Our job is to help our organisations grow by selling more and more of the stuff our organisations produce. Growth is at the centre of the expectations of the people in our organisations who set sales targets, budgets and forecasts. And you can bet that this year’s targets are higher than last year’s – and next year’s will be higher again.
I talk with lots of salespeople and sales managers from all sorts of industries – large and small – here in Australia, and from other parts of the globe. From these discussions, I’ve noticed a couple of things regarding this relentless push for growth.
Firstly, most sales managers accept the targets they’re given, but know that they’re often unrealistic & unachievable. They simply move forward as discussion on the subject with others in the organisation is usually fraught with danger, and can sometimes be an act of organisational suicide.
And secondly – at a personal level – many salespeople realise that an insatiable quest to grow – to consume more and more “stuff” at the expense of world resources and personal and social compromise is something that doesn’t fit with their world view.
Here’s an alternative vision from Professor Tim Jackson of how we can prosper as individuals and organisations – and move from the constraints of an economic model built on inexorable growth.
Unrealistic? Maybe – maybe not.
As more and more people look to balance their lives with competing forces – internal and external – ideas like Tim’s could gain great traction. And the implications for how and what we sell are enormous.
Professor Tim Jackson is Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of the Research Group on Lifestyles, Values and Environment (RESOLVE) at the University if Surrey in the UK. For over 20 years Tim has been at the forefront of research and teaching in sustainability. His latest book – “Prosperity without Growth” – provides an alternative view of how our economic future could look.
You can find out more about Professor Jackson and his work here:
http://www.ces-surrey.org.uk/people/staff/tjackson.shtml
You can read a review of Tim’s latest book – “Prosperity without Growth” here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/23/properity-without-growth-tim-jackson
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Thanks for reading this post – Paul Sparks, Sales Effectiveness Australasia.
“Taking you beyond sales training and keeping you informed about the latest ideas, trends, innovation, research & best practice in professional selling and sales management”
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