farmdoc's blog post number 77

Marilyn Monroe. Arthur Miller. Death of a Salesman. To me, every person falls into one of two groups: either they can sell, or they can’t. I have no doubt about myself – I am not a salesman; unlike my friend and sharefarmer Sharon who boasts she could sell ice to an Eskimo. I reckon she could, too. Whilst there are legion ‘how-to-sell’ guides and checklists, I believe salesmanship is innate. And a major part of it is empathy – which my dictionary defines as understanding and entering into another’s feelings. I have previously written – sceptically, or perhaps realistically – of the motives of salespeople. It’s hard to tell if their empathy is real or ersatz. But from the buyer’s viewpoint it doesn’t matter: because both buyer and seller aim for a sale on satisfactory terms, which doesn’t require the seller’s empathy to be genuine. This notwithstanding, each excellent seller sees the situation from the buyer’s viewpoint by metaphorically standing in the buyer’s shoes. The medical reports I write are used by lawyers and company claims staff to make operational decisions. The last thing I do before I print each report is to look at it from the reader’s viewpoint – to ensure it’s clearly written, each conclusion is supported by evidence, and it clearly articulates my conclusion(s) regarding the matter(s) at issue. Gee, maybe I’m a salesman after all.