Things I've Learnt about Writing from Working in Sales

So my last job was as a sales representative. It was competitive and demanding, and I learned a lot from it. Some of which can actually be transferred to writing.

1. Law of Averages i.e More is more

The first theory I heard when I started working was the Law of Averages. This law states that the number of times you do an action, the more likely you are to get a result. This is the tenet of Grant Cardone’s book The Tex X Rule which my leader recommended to me; massive results require massive action. The way I think this relates to writing is the simple fact of needing to write more at least at first instead of focusing on writing ‘better’.

Those words on a page, your first drafts or zero drafts are the sand you gather into your sandbox so that later you can build a masterpiece. The hardest thing may be starting but the most important thing is continuing to take action, even in the midst of difficulty.

2. Ask Questions of Those in a Better Position Than You

This was the piece of advice that the assistant manager gave me on my first day. I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I realise how much I don’t know or can’t do, I can get discouraged. Now I’m learning how to network and ask questions and most importantly apply the answers.

It isn’t enough to just admire someone, find out why you admire them; what they did and what they do on a regular basis to get them where they are.

Now, I’m not just reading articles or watching videos on writing, I’m becoming a student of writing by breaking down parts of my favourite books, and asking questions to try to become better. I once heard that if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. Always be learning.

3. Focus on ‘Can Controls’

Lastly, I learnt about focusing on what we can control. In sales when we go out to the field, the three things in our control are our pitch, pace and attitude.

The same could really be said for writing.

Your pitch, in this case, are the words that you write, only you control them unless you’re doing a co-writing project.

Your pace in this example would be how many words you write or how long you spend writing and attitude is consistent across the board; the mindset in which you approach a task.

Those three things are yours to control so come hell or high water, traffic, bad weather, crazy schedules or just bad days, there are some things in your control and that should be where your focus and energy go to achieve results in sales and writing.

So those are some of what I’ve learnt in sales and writing. What do you think?