Sales Doesn’t Need to Become a Profession. It Already Is.

Sales does not need to become a profession. Sales already is a profession. Even if there are not hundreds of university courses. Even if there are not degree programs on professional selling. Even if there is wild disagreement as to what would make sales an actual profession, like a doctor, lawyer, or certified public accountant.

There are thousands of people who get an MBA (Master’s of Business Administration) as part of their professional development as a manager. Does that impact the quality of managers? Are all managers that go through a professional course better managers for having done so? Or, are some managers far better than others, even without the degrees? Is someone somehow more virtuous, more moral, or even more effective because they have a certificate that says they are certified?

Doctors are professionals. So are lawyers. So are accountants. All of these are so-called professions. Just because all doctors are required to go to school for more years than almost any other profession does not mean there’s an improvement in the professionalism of the field generally. The effectiveness is distributed in the form of a bell curve, with some being exceptional, some abysmal, and most something close to average. This is true, even though they took the course and got the sheepskin.

Whether or not something is your profession is a personal decision you make. It’s a continuous development and honing of your craft. It’s the commitment to excellence and how you go about your work in the outcomes you produce. It’s the intentional decision to be a professional. The diploma, the certification, or the professional organization does no more to make you a professional then the ticking alarm clock gave the Tin Man a heart. You are a professional because you believe and behave as if you are one. Nothing more is needed