Sales Sets the Ceiling on Your Influence

Let’s face it: most people fall into two camps:

1. Those who love selling.
2. Those who think sales is sleazy, manipulative, and self-serving.

But here’s the truth we overlook:
“Nothing happens until someone sells something.”
– Henry Ford

Sales isn’t just about closing a deal. It’s about opening minds.

If your ideas are worthy, important, and good, then you have a responsibility to position and persuade—because the best ideas don't always win. The best-sold ones do.

In my book, The Lens, I challenge readers to rethink their relationship with positioning and persuasion. When we refuse to develop these skills, we don’t look noble, we just lose influence.

“Selling is inherently persuasive, but it’s not inherently wrong.”
— The Lens

Take this real-world example: Two books, same topic. One: profound insights, brilliant writing—but barely marketed. The other: average content, killer promotion.
Guess which one sold over 100,000 copies?

The difference wasn’t the content. It was the positioning.

This isn’t just about books. It's true for everything:

• The best artists don’t always sell the most art.
• The most talented singers don’t pack stadiums.
• The finest restaurants aren’t always the busiest.

Want proof? Just look at smartphones. There are phones on the market with better cameras, more features, and stronger specs than the iPhone. But which phone dominates globally? The iPhone.
Why? Because Apple doesn’t just build a product, they build a story.
They position.

Great leaders understand this:

‍Marketing isn’t manipulation. It’s stewardship.

If your idea can make the world better, you owe it to yourself, and others, to sell it well.

So stop judging the salesman.
Be one.
And remember: Nothing happens until someone sells something.

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