Since childhood, we all have been in sales, and certainly we are stronger in one area but weaker in another. So daily, we should strive to improve ourselves to be more effective and ultimately more valuable where it counts. You may have had to sell your parents on giving you the toy or lending you the keys to the car. You may have to sell yourself to get the job even though your resume seems to say you qualify. You may have to sell yourself to get a raise. You may have to sell yourself to get capital. You may have had to sell your spouse on marrying you. You may have to sell that same spouse to undertake a particular venture with you.

But what are some practices of a good salesperson?

• Know your target audience. Ask questions to understand and become better acquainted with your prospect. You may find that prospect was not your prospect after all.
• Be honest even when it may result in you losing the sale because it will strengthen your brand.
• Be confident in yourself and your product. You have a unique way of representing yourself and you have a marketable product.
• Be resilient to be able to bounce back with enthusiasm when you have a bad day, week or even month.
• Follow up before the sale because a prospect may require multiple touches before they say yes.
• Follow up after the sale to maintain and even foster the relationship.

Do you think if you applied one or more of these practices to some area of your life, be it personal or business, you could improve your performance or results? I’ll use marriage as an example.

Know your target audience. How well do you know your spouse? Do you know why they seem to struggle in a particular area but excel in another? Do you know the one or two things that seem to pull them out of a slump? Do you know what’s best to diffuse a conflict even if it seems unnatural for you?

Be honest. We all do things we are not proud of sometimes, and you know it will upset your spouse in one way or the other. You may think it’s best to hide the offense to avoid a conflict. But this may be an opportunity to grow from this test. When you’re honest, at the end you would gain admiration for your stand. You would also raise or at least maintain your level of accountability both to your spouse and to yourself.

Be confident in yourself and your product. Nobody is perfect and intuitively your spouse understands this. Self-confidence may even be an opportunity area for you. But remember, there is something about you that drew you to him or her. Your special someone ultimately wants the best for you and your union. Why not use this as your default belief even when conflict emerges? You have unique gifts and strengths that contribute to the well-being of your spouse and your relationship.

Be resilient. Some hate conflict whereas others may enjoy a confrontation. You both will not always agree and sometimes a hurt cuts you so deeply that all you could think of is returning the pain. You may feel so disappointed by an offense that all you could think of is, “Where is the exit?” Maybe this is a test of commitment, love, or forgiveness. Strive to bounce back to remembering why you chose him or her in the first place.

Follow up. Since you’re married, you did some follow up before both of you decided he or she is the one to be your life partner. But are you still watering your marriage? Surely, after getting to know him or her better you would have noticed some tendencies or behaviors that drive you nuts. At the same time, there are other qualities you love, admire and respect. Celebrate those and be their support in the areas they are weaker in. Chances are, you are stronger in those areas and can help to maintain balance.

Be that select person you were created to be according to Psalm 139:14,

I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.