There's a cartoon that says a lot about the real role salespeople play.

It shows a king in his castle, about to be overwhelmed by an enemy force (carrying bows and arrows). The king's assistant is tapping him on the shoulder to let him know a salesman is waiting to see him. The king tells him he's too busy to talk to a salesman right now. However, this particular salesman was selling machine guns.

Oops!

This cartoon points out the essence of the salesperson in two ways.

First, the salesperson should find a prospect or customer who really needs what he or she is selling. Bingo! This salesman hit the nail right on the head.

Second (and this is the biggest challenge), he or she has to find a way to get his customer (or prospect) to change his current priority system. Sure, the prospect is busy and has no interest in talking with another salesman. But, as this cartoon makes clear, there are often very good reasons to stop what you're doing and talk to the salesperson. (The consequences could be dramatic!)

This is why we will always need salespeople. No matter how good we are at making decisions, we will never be perfect. We will never have all the facts about new trends, new products and new ways of doing things.

We will always have our own priorities that divert our attention from the world around us, a world we need to stay in touch with if we are to survive and thrive.

A professional salesperson will help us stay in touch with changes in our world and help us find ways to better manage our companies so we can continue pursuing our goals and our missions. They'll help us sort out what matters and what does not, what is worth our time and what isn't.

An effective salesperson will find ways to connect with us so we'll listen to them. They'll get us to stop for a moment and consider what they're saying. They'll help us trust them so we'll believe what they say. They can become trusted advisors and important factors in the success of an organization.