Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

It's Only Common Sense: Do You Love What You Sell?

Editor's Note: To listen to Dan's weekly column, as you've always done in the past, click here. For the written transcript, keep reading...Do you truly love what you sell? Do you believe in your product or service? Do you honestly feel you are providing customers with the very best solution on the market today? Do you think you're selling a product so great that you’re doing customers a big favor by letting them have it?

Are you passionate about what you sell? Are you excited about selling it? Do you wake up in the morning thinking you are doing some good in the world by selling your product?

Think about that for a minute…or maybe more than just a minute, because this is a very serious question. So serious, in fact, that you might want to be looking in the mirror while asking it.

This is a critical question we’re dealing with here. Probably the most critical, life-changing question you can ask yourself, because if the answer is not the right one, you're in jeopardy, your career is in jeopardy, and your life could be...well, I’ll say it. Your life is in danger of being wasted if you’re not in love with what you’re selling. Not to mention the fact that you’re doing your company a disservice as well. If you don’t love your product, if you don’t believe in it, you’re not going to be doing a very good job for your company, are you?

If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, you’re not going to get anyone else to either. When you get out there in front of your customers you must convey such contagious enthusiasm and passion for that product they will catch it as well. Enthusiasm and passion spreads like a good virus. Apathy and disinterest spreads like a bad plague and is also, unfortunately, contagious.

You cannot hide how you truly feel from customers--they can figure it out. They can smell it like a dog can smell fear on you. If you don’t believe in your product, service, or the company you represent, that will come across as well.

Do you believe in the product you're selling? If the answer is “no,” you have to do something about it--you're obligated to do something about it. The first is to try to change the product or the organization so that it is something you are proud of, something you are passionate and enthusiastic about. That’s not an easy task, but it is doable, and, if accomplished, will benefit all involved. But, if you feel this is too odious a task, if you feel that making your product or company something you can believe in is not something you can make happen, you must face the facts and get out. You have to change not only your company, but maybe even your career. That will be up to you. Life is too short to be spending it doing something you don’t believe in.

Here are 10 questions you should ask yourself tomorrow morning when you’re looking at yourself in the mirror:

1. Am I excited about going to work today?
2. Do I have everything at my disposal to help people?
3. Do I believe I'm selling the best product on the market today?
4. Can I say that I'm a true evangelist for this company?
5. Am I proud of what I'm doing?
6. Is this the one thing in life I want to dedicate my career to?
7. Am I proud to tell people what I do?
8. Do I want to be doing this for the rest of my career?
9. Am I always thinking of creative ways to sell my product?
10. Am I enthusiastic about my product, service, and company?

The way you answer these 10 questions will change your life. Are you ready for that? Are you prepared to make the changes you have to make to become the great salesperson you know you can be?

If you decide you're not passionate and enthusiastic about your product; if you do not believe in what you do, take the first step to doing something about it. It’s up to you. It’s only common sense.