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Becoming a Selling Organization By Don Buttrey, Sales Professional Training, Inc donbuttrey@salesprofessionaltrain ing.com Motley made clear the importance of the sales function to any organization. As a distributor in the supply channel, the importance is even more acute. Selling is your lifeblood.The selling func- tion is a significant part of your activi- ties. Oh yes, operations, service and technical support are essential, but today's FEDA distributor or manufactur- er must be a "selling machine," where everyone who serves the customer directly or indirectly delivers and com- municates (sells) value.When this think- ing permeates your culture, it assures "N 38 FEDA News & Views othing happens until some- body sells something." With that simple statement, Red growth and profitability.What I have just described is a true"selling organization." Leaders:creating a teamwhere every- one sells and has a selling mindset will not happen by accident.You must do it on purpose. If you tell people to do the right things and your system tells them otherwise, the system will win every time. This article will highlight three things you can start immediately to indoctrinate this culture into your sys- tem: 1) Teach everyone to sell; 2) Sell the house; 3) Standardize your selling process. Teach Everyone to Sell This part of the transformation starts at the top, as you might have expected. First and foremost, the dealer principle and top management must be selling experts—not that they are out in the field closing deals (although they may have ke y involvement in some accounts.)Yet theymust possess sharp- ened selling skills in order to sell ideas, expectations, tools, systems,etc., to the entire team. Sell, not tell! They must also have a clear understanding of value and benefit selling in order to present, market and perpetuate the required factors that differentiate you from the rest of the competition. Only leaders that understand the strategic and tactical requirements of successful selling can direct, inspire, coach and motivate a true selling organization. Visible,enthusiastic support of any sell- ing-skills training is a must.