There are many opportunities in your career to employ the same underlying skills used by the salesperson at the car dealer or the telemarketer who tries to convince you to switch television services. If you’ve convinced yourself that you are not in “sales,” how will you recognize these opportunities as just that—opportunities? Still not convinced? Take a look at the following lists and decide how many of these situations you’re likely to encounter over your career.

Sales

• Selling your skills in a job interview.
• Pitching your ideas to a client.
• Selling your work product—making the case that your report/ presentation/analysis/design is better than your colleague’s.
• Demonstrating your organization’s potential value to an angel investor.

Negotiations

• Justifying a salary increase.
  Seeking an internal job change.
• Convincing your manager that you deserve a promotion.
• Persuading your boss that you’ve earned some additional vacation.
• Requesting access to a training program or reimbursement for a part-time MBA.
• Making the case for you to work flexible hours.

If you are not in a formal sales function, you probably have no training in negotiations or sales skills. It’s up to you to become familiar with the basics so that you can sell yourself, your work, and your ideas or to negotiate with managers, clients, and vendors.

This post was adapted from Carer-ology: The Art and Science of a Successful Career, Chapter 6: Sales and Negotiation Skills.