What I Learned About Sales from My Journalism Career

Early in my newspaper career, I wrote a weekly article – I think we called it “On the Job” – in which I interviewed business owners and professionals about their businesses and work.

I wrote those articles a long time ago, but I still remember visiting the Paulsen Wire Rope Co. to learn how wire strands were braided into rope strong enough to suspend the Brooklyn Bridge and wrinkling my nose at the smell of cheese aging at Sun-Re Cheese Co. Both are no longer in business in Sunbury, Pa.

I had no idea those assignments were preparing me for a much later career in sales.

Different jobs, same questions

These days, I get some coaching to help me improve sales for my marketing business. Recently, I began to see similarities between my work as a reporter and the sales work I do now as a business owner. About time, right?

A basic journalism tenet is to include the five Ws at or near the top of every newspaper article: Who? What? When? Where? Why?

That’s also a starting point for sales.

• Who is the prospective client (company name, principals)?
• What does the client do?
• Where do they do it (location, service area)?
• When did the company start?
• Why does the company do what it does? 

For good measure, let’s throw in an “H” question. “How” does the company do what it does?

Getting answers to these questions is the foundation for any business-to-business relationship between a salesperson and a client.

Similar tools

Of course, there are a few ways to get answers, all familiar to me as a reporter. 

Research is one way. There was no Google when I started my newspaper career, so I relied on published business directories, government records and newspaper articles for most of my research.

Interviewing and listening to people was key to my reporting. Good reporters and salespersons know how to ask questions that lead to the heart of the story, whether that story ends up as an article or a sales presentation.

Persistence is another quality shared by good salespersons and good journalists. For a salesperson, persistence means following up with potential clients. Never stop calling until you get a hard no is common sales advice.

Good reporters keep calling information sources until they get the answers their readers need.

Lists and follow-ups

Reporters also keep lists of contacts, phone numbers and email addresses just as your business keeps a customer relationship management system that tracks potential clients, their contact info, when they were last called, and when they should be called again.

In the end, both reporters and salespersons provide something their constituents need. Journalists provide information their readers need, and salespersons provide products or services their clients and customers need.

Similar stereotypes?

I admit that I turned up my nose at “selling.” The stereotypical salesperson is pushy and manipulative, I thought. (Come to think of it, that might also describe the stereotypical journalist.)

My attitude evolved as I moved into roles in which I became both a potential client for a variety of services and a seller of services. I often appreciated persistent follow-up calls from salespersons, even if I wasn’t ready to buy. And in my sales role, I saw myself as an educator, not someone only interested in making a sale.

That’s how I see myself today as a small business owner, helping other owners understand and use digital marketing to grow their businesses.