What does your mind conjure up when the world salesperson is mentioned? Do you think of sleazy used car salesmen or high pressure tactics used on you by a door to door saleswoman?  Why in the world would a sane parent want to teach their child sales techniques?

Why Teach Your Child To Sell?

Like it or not, selling is an integral part of life. Learning, practicing and honing your child’s sales skills will not be taught in school, but will be core to his or her success in life.

Sales Are Part Of Every Transaction We Do.

Want a job? You have to sell your ability, experience, training and ability to fit in to the organization.

Want to join that special group at school? You have to sell yourself to the group – present your mindset, belongingness and readiness to part of that ‘in’ crowd.

Want to start a business? You have to sell customers on what you are offering.

Want to buy a house? You may have to sell the loan officer on your loan worthiness.

Want to go to that certain special school? You have to sell the school on your academic readiness, your persistence, your activity levels and interests.

What to be in politics? Need I really say more?

Want to be a singer? You have to sell your song through your voice and get the listener involved. You have to market yourself to venues to get before an audience.

Knowing They Can Sell Builds Their Self Esteem.

If your child can meet a need with a product to satisfy a need for someone and earn a profit, he is more confident. She is more confident that she can go get a new job if she loses her current one. He is more confident that he can start a successful business if he has had good luck with sales.  Having success at selling builds your child’s esteem.

Knowing Sales Techniques Helps Your Child Resist Marketing Attempts.

If your child can see sales techniques he has learned and practiced – being used on himself, he can be more adequately prepared to resist those techniques.

Knowing How To Sell Builds Your Child’s Financial Skills.

As she practices selling things and ideas, your child gets expertise in handling money, making change, tracking cash flow, marketing her product, negotiating, identifying and meeting needs, being verbal and being confident.

Knowing How To Sell Helps Build Empathy For Others In Your Child.

By learning to study and read people in sales situations, your child learns to interpret body language and facial expression and to really listen to the other person’s problem, so she can figure out how to present her product and whether or not it will actually meet the needs of the person they are trying to sell.

Knowing How To Sell Helps Your Child Build Relationships.

To make continuing sales, your child will need to learn how to understand their customers, learn about their likes, dislikes and their needs. He will need to present a likeable face to customers, listen to them and present their products to the customer so that the products are shown to meet customer needs.

All of these are skills needed to build and keep a relationship going – and that is necessary in building a network of people he feel free to call on and be called on from.

Knowing How To Sell Helps Your Child Learn More.

A successful seller knows her product, her industry and her competitors. To be successful, your child will have to learn more about what she is selling.

Intentionally teaching your child selling techniques may seem crass and miserly, but based on the fact that sales techniques are required for just about each every day transaction, it makes sense for a parent to want their child to excel at sales.

Will you teach your child how to sell?  How will you do that?