Rise Above The Sales Precariat

Another new word. When I first heard it I got quite excited.

Precariat.

A term for those who push at boundaries? Live on the edge? Always trying to make something happen? The inventors, innovators, problem-solvers, creators, iterators, game-changers, shapers. Not driven by the folly of financial reward, rather that joy of accomplishment.

Then my heart sank a little.

It’s a portmanteau no less, combining precarious with proletariat.

Alas it seems a word coined by The Left. As befits most of their ilk, they too often these days seem to stand against, rather than for, something.

The context in which I went on to hear this, was with not-so-youngsters that felt their job was going alright, yet a home of their own is kept forever tantalisingly out of their reach. Wikipedia preaches it is “existence without predictability or security”.

In this sense I immediately thought on the dontcareiat. Salespeople that seem to have no truck with any correlation between funnel size and eventual won business. For whom deals remain on forecast despite not displaying any markers of successful process.

A precariat salesperson indeed. One constantly existing by luck, not judgement. Any salespeople who neither understand nor embrace sustainable selling are destined to remain no better than a 99-percenter over the course of their career.

I do love neologisms. And got to thinking of what this Sales malaise could also be termed.

Hopescenti?

Distractarati?

Deuterologic?

Omnitwoth?

You know a seller that is an expert in misplaced hope? Always distracted by the next shiny prospect without completing work on the last? Or someone that is forever coming second, and so nowhere, on a bid?

There are so many steps to take to get away from such debilitating state. Here’s a rough outline starter:

Tightly define the problem you resolve.

Find the exact people afflicted by it.

Know why, how and when they’d buy.

Refine and repeat.