This article is dedicated to one of the greatest non-profiteers of all time -- Moses.  Although this is a article is about sales, and I would love to embrace Moses as sales kin, to my knowledge and history's, God never slipped him a twenty on Mount Sinai for his time and efforts. 

Moses acted on faith, not commission, thus excluding him from our profession's storied lineage.  However, he did promote a divine formula for human kind to live under: ten elementary rules to obey at all times.  Since then, a million variations of those commandments have been spawned and altered into fundamental guidelines of a different kind, for a different purpose.  In this article I am introducing the Eleven Commandments of Sales.  If you are speculating on why eleven, you should know that in sales ten simply wouldn't be good enough.

1) Thou Shalt Take It Personally-  If you took a small survey of ten salespeople, and asked how they cope with the plague of rejection, nine out of ten would answer that they "never take it personally."  Eight out of nine would be lying.  I don't care if you are Zig Ziglar or have shark skin, being turned down stings beneath the surface.  If it doesn't, you are in the wrong business.  Every sales call is a game; there is a winner and a loser.  If a rep rationalizes each loss or always exonerates himself/herself from fault, he/she has surrendered something far greater- accountability.  How can you become an all-star if you always blame the company, the product, or the customer when you get beat?  You can't.  Producers expect to close on every appointment, and when they don't, they do take it personally.  They get pissed off, replay the call for mistakes, sniff their armpits, and then re-channel that anger into a selling locomotive.  As for the one person who told the truth, he/she will be a trainer, work in corporate, or unemployed within six months.

2) Thou Shalt Self Promote-  If you intend on climbing the ladder in sales, you better listen to your Don.  There are too many salespeople with competitive numbers for a rep to practice the "I let my play do the talking" attitude.  You need a successful image (or even a nickname) at your company, a promotable repertoire that encourages management and colleagues to root for you when opportunity knocks.  That can't happen by staying quiet.  Your career is not a silent film with subtitles; you have a voice, use it.

3) Thou Shalt Ask for Referrals-  This should be a habit with every sales person.  It seems obvious, but after a toe-curling salegasm it can feel a little awkward.  Imagine having incredible sex with someone, then when it's over, immediately asking, "Do you have any friends that I can meet?"  Fortunately, most clients are cordial about referrals because they understand the importance of networking, but occasionally you run into an asshole that gets offended.  Don't let it dissuade you; keep on asking. 

4) Thou Shalt Covet Thy Neighbor's Prospect- Nobility gets you nowhere in sales.  Save your magnanimous gestures for the last junior mint on a movie date.  In this business, you need a piranha's voracity to secure longevity.  If an account does not have valid notes, a pending contract, or is being worked by a former/future groomsman or bridesmaid, all bets are off.   

5) Thou Shalt React, Not Think- Last time I checked, there weren't many Ivy Leaguer's or PHD's populating corporate America's sales force.  Our intelligence exists within our advanced social IQs which enable us to read body language, anticipate dialogue, and flash quick wit.  In most cases, the more academic and systematic that a sales call sounds, the less likely a customer is to buy. Don't memorize, improvise. 

6) Thou Shalt Bend Thy Truth- Honesty is most pliable in sales.  To get from point A to point B, we have to occasionally get creative with the truth (I just did).  The best salespeople treat truth like silly putty; they reshape it, play with it, stretch it, but always keep it intact. 

7) Thou Shalt Always Ask For The Business- Duh.     

8) Thou Shalt Be Greedy-  Saying that you don't need greed in sales is like saying you don't need height to play in the NBA. I recognize that greed is an ugly word, but it cuts to the core of what drives salespeople.  You can possess all the tools of a top producer, but if your appetite for signatures is satiated too easily, expect a short career.

9) Thou Shalt Cold Call-  I included this one as a matter of principle.  Although I detest cold calling and being cold called, every sales person should don a headset at some point in his/her career.  Consider it sales spinach, it may not taste very good, but it will make you stronger.

10) Thou Shalt Be Self-Confident- I think I have written enough about self-confidence, but I will say it one more time, if you don't believe in yourself, how can you ever expect it of the customer?

11) Thou Shalt Vent-  A career in sales is a career in stress.  The only way to manage the angst, pressure, and strain in our profession is to periodically decompress, to vent.  Just make an effort to do it legally...