Are you in sales? Actually, we all are. We're all trying to convince others to accept our ideas, to back our plan, to agree to choose one option over another. Even in your personal life, you're convincing your friend to go to Japanese restaurant over at Thai, or to see the action film rather than the romantic comedy. Once we accept we're all in sales, all the time, it makes sense to get better at it, doesn't it? But sales is a dirty word. Even some of the world's top sales teams I've worked with haven't wanted to be called the sales team. Why? Because we have connotations of a salesperson selling us something we don't need or want for an inflated price. That means that whenever we sell something to someone else, an idea, product, or service, that person becomes suspicious. Their default position is, you're going to rob me, you don't care about me, so I don't trust you. Can we get something straight before we go any further. To be a top salesperson, it's good to set guidelines. Then you can do what you need to do it without any self-loathing. Okay that's a bit strong, but you know what I mean. Number 1, only sell something to someone who needs it. Number 2, only sell something you believe is of good quality. Number 3, only sell it at a price that you think it's worth. There you go, that's it. Reputations, self-esteem, and career intact. There are many books about sales; Getting to Yes, by William or Bill Ury is one of my favorites. Sometimes however, you don't want to get to a yes, maybe they're not your ideal client, it's not profitable for you, or their demands are simply unrealistic. For all other cases, you will want to know how to get someone from no to yes. That's what this week is all about. Getting to yes ethically, consistently, and unashamedly. Because if people need it, they're going to buy it from someone. Let's make sure it's from you.