I grew up long before caller-id existed and my mother was rarely madder than when “some SALESMAN called up and interrupted” her at home.

Sales people were irritating to my mother whether they called on the phone, knocked on the door or even hovered too closely in the store.

It’s hard growing up with this mindset, oh and of course haven’t we all heard plenty of jokes about the “used car salesman type of personality” which means someone with low moral standards — so it’s hard to grow up with this and then aspire to sell and sell a lot.

But we all have to sell, whether we are selling the idea that we’re the best candidate for the job or selling life insurance policies. If we have a negative association with sales and advertising, then we better consider how to get over it.

I recommendthe following two books, Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul: A Woman’s Guide to Promoting Herself, Her Business, Her Product, or Her Cause with Integrity and Spirit by Susan Harrow of PRSecrets.com and How to Sell Without Being a JERK!: The Foolproof Approach to the World’s Second Oldest Profession.

I’ve read the latter and plan to read the first as well. Sorry Mom.

Actually, see that’s the thing, it isn’t that those salespeople HAD to be pests, it’s just that they WERE being pests and so I need to figure out how to get more comfortable with selling. There are ways to advertise, sell and promote yourself and your products without begging, badgering or ‘being a jerk’.