Recently I was reading an article in the New York Times called, “Does Your Language Shape How You Think?” Of course, that got me thinking about how sellers talk about this profession.

Take Xerox, for example. I’ll never forget the first time I sat in on a team meeting after I’d been promoted to major accounts. We were supposed to “get in bed with our customers.” Sales was about seduction and scoring was the ultimate goal!  [I'm not a prude, but as a woman I was appalled at the conversations.]

Then there are the companies where sales is war! We blitz our territories. It’s us versus the competition. It’s an all out battle to win the account, because there is no second place. Salespeople read The Art of War, think strategically, draw up battle plans and try to catch the enemy sleeping.

Another similar metaphor is selling as a game – which we all know has winners and losers. Gordon Gekko perhaps played it the best. It’s a “win at all costs” mentality coupled with “the end justifies the means” thinking.

Maybe the companies you’ve worked for focused on hunters and gatherers. The best sellers had a killer instinct that served them well as the pursued their prey, bagging the big corporate behemoths. And, the nice gatherers stayed home and tended to the existing client base, showering them with tender loving care.

The truth is, none of those metaphors work for me anymore. They feel banal. Old school. Trite. Manipulative.

Our prospects need us to do more today. They need us to lead, guide, provoke and inspire.

YOUR TURN: What’s the best metaphor for the next decade? Share your ideas!