Professional selling is usually perceived as an extroverted activity, a career choice for those with a particularly outgoing personality, well suited to that profession. While this may be generally true, there are countless examples of successful salespeople from a variety of backgrounds with an even wider variety of personalities that are hardly traditional with regard to the typical stereotype of a salesperson.

Selling requires a skill set, hence is an art that must be successfully learned. Yes, while it is true that some persons are predisposed to a career in sales because of their extroverted personality and charm, there is far more contributing to their sales success than mere congeniality and charisma. Successful selling requires learned skills, ongoing study, practice and experience. Selling is definitely a learned profession.

While qualities such as integrity, confidence, positive attitude, patience, persistence, effective listening, a sense of purpose, established goals, planning, knowledge, questioning skills and countless others typically combine for an individual's sales success, there is often one single trait that is evident among successful salespeople across the board. It involves the most important sale each of us will ever make that is selling ourselves that we are good enough, capable enough and able to successfully sell to our prospects, converting them into repeat customers.

A successful career in sales begins with that first sale: Selling you on yourself. Everything else follows. That initial sale propels you into the world of successful selling and prepares you for every other skill that follows. For without that first sale, you will be unable to sell your ideas to anyone else. You must be sold first. The development of your superior selling skills demands that first sale.

There is no arrogance or conceit to be found here. Fooling yourself is not an option. Your initial sale is indeed a private one. While it is the most important sale you will ever make, it will establish your belief in yourself. Your resulting confidence will create your selling platform for all subsequent skills and resulting successes to be built upon.