“It doesn't matter whether you're selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or 'How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down.' That doesn't make you a human being; it makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are - just to find out, for no other reason. Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it's not a conversation anymore; it's a pitch. And you're not a human being; you're a marketing rep.”
--Phil Cooper, in The Big Kahuna
Wherever we end up in our career, we are always promoting our opinions, selling our ideas.
But selling implies a pitch and a product.
In your first job or two, you may find yourself drinking the company Koolaid, feigning your alignment to the organization’s mission. It will dawn on you that you’re working in the wrong job. You feel dishonest, distant. You are certain you will be found out.
On the flip side, when we are passionate about an idea and we love what we do, we don't feel like we're selling anything. We proselytize our ideas in a very different way.
Finding our passion and promoting our best ideas because they are a representation of who we are is what makes us authentic.
In the early stages of your career, it’s good to work in a few different industries and with different kinds of people and companies. Go ahead and dabble—don’t worry if your parents call you a job-hopper. Sometimes you have to know what you aren’t passionate about to appreciate how you feel when you do discover what excites you.
Have no regrets. Eventually you stumble upon a service or product that is worthy of your time and energy. Suddenly you are in the company of coworkers and clients whom you genuinely like and who like you.
And even in a difficult economy, you find yourself in a role where evangelizing your ideas is effortless.
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