An Army of Salespeople, Not Limited to USAREC
MG Allen Batschelet
USAREC Commanding General
How closely related are sales and recruiting? While professionals in USAREC have long debated the comparison, a book I just read shed new light on sales. In sum, every leader -- whether in recruiting or in an operational unit -- is in sales. Like it or not.
Initially,
I bristled at this idea. Sure, I get the fundamental similarities between
recruiting and sales. The comparison is helpful, to a point. But when our
organization is lumped into the big ‘sales’ category, I want to push back
hard. Becoming a Soldier is so much more
than sales.
Daniel
Pink's book “To Sell is Human” persuaded me to overcome my visceral reaction
and rethink what most of us do as ‘non-sales’ selling: persuading, influencing,
and convincing others. For example, physicians sell patients on a remedy.
Lawyers sell juries on a verdict. In social media, whether LinkedIn or Twitter,
we sell ourselves, claims Pink. His argument that we must all be elastic in our
duties, considering how we are influencing others, starts to ring true.
Pink's
compelling discussion describing the attributes of the new "sellers"
-- attuned, buoyant, and clear -- is worthy of at least three professional
development brown bag lunches down to the company level. While I don't believe
all the author's points directly translate to Army Recruiting Command, they
shed a different and illuminating light on how we view ourselves and operate.
The
three chapters dedicated to practically selling ideas -- in our case the idea
of becoming a Soldier -- hold the greatest practical application. His tips on
clarifying our messages for all forms of media and situations are challenging,
and his examples are very helpful.
Improvising when the “sales pitch” hits turbulence with the audience
illustrates what our best recruiters do well, an area we all can improve on.
The closing chapter on inspiring service is right up our lane: make our sales
‘message’ one that is a call to service, both personal and purposeful.
Wherever
you find yourself in USAREC, you are involved in sales as Pink describes it.
Filtered through one’s own experience, each of us can be better if we read and
apply in our own way the key lessons in “To Sell is Human.” I would definitely
put it on your must-read list in the next quarter.
Professional
and trade journals are also part of my regular reading. I pass along a few recent articles that
piqued my professional interest:
·
If
the Story is Viral, Truth May Be Taking a Beating (NYT) https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/410369758077681664
·
"Generation
Wait": 4 years after recession, mobility for young adults stuck at 50 year
low (AP): https://twitter.com/ap/status/400921073346424832
·
Here's
where teens are going instead of Facebook (Forbes): onforb.es/1bzfvmN
As you keep reading, let those of us in the USAREC
Professional Community know what -- whether a book or an article -- is shaping
your leadership here
on MilSuite.
