Back in the day, only people in the sales department worked with potential customers. Most big companies still do it this way. However, with the popularity of instant engagement via social networking, we’re all in sales now.
If you work at a big company and you’re on LinkedIn or Twitter, you can instantly engage with your network no matter what department within the company you happen to work in.
If you’re an accountant at a technology company and somebody you follow on Twitter happens to mention that he or she is researching a technology like the one your company makes, bingo! You can point the person to a video on your company’s YouTube channel.
Even though you’re not formally in the sales department, you’re still driving your contacts into the buying process.
If you run a small company, you’re in sales.
If you’re a doctor or lawyer or accountant, you’re in sales.
Entrepreneurs are in sales, too.
Everybody who lives by their wits by going independent or starting something new should always have their sales hat on.
By sales, I mean educate and inform instead of interrupt and sell. I’m not talking about spamming your network.
The new world is about being helpful no matter how your business card describes your role in your organization.