Scales....Yes, Scales

My hobby is music.  I play a couple of instruments (piano, bass, ukulele) and the thing I hate most about learning music is learning scales.  Scales are patterns of notes based on a "root" note.  The foundation of music is the "scale".  The foundation of any song is the scale.  Learning scales on an instrument involves learning finger patterns that are unique to the instrument and that produce the sound that makes the music beautiful.
I went to a concert recently ("Dead and Company"--the re-made "Grateful Dead" group) and was amazed by the perfomance of the 38 year old lead guitarist (I mention his age because the six member group's accumulative age was 485 years).  The camera closeups showed his fingers dancing over the guitar fretboard--seemingly randomly.  But NO!  He was playing scales as fast as a human being could in a pattern that created a wonderful musical sound.  The foundation of this music was scales.  And he would do these solos night after night in town after town--and they would sound fresh and exciting every time.  Just like a great actor in a play running on Broadway year after year.
What does this have to do with the fine art of selling?
We are musicians; we are actors.  We need to learn our scales or our lines (product knowledge) so intimately that we can perform them day after day.  We need to love what we do so much that the performing of these "scales" sounds fresh every time we solo.  Our fingers need to dance over the fretboard so well that the customer's only possible decision is to buy our product.
We, salespeople, often sell our profession short (pun intended).  Done properly, the sales job is just as wonderful as the rock musician's job, or the Broadway actor's job.
I was introduced to a church minister a few years ago and he asked what I do for a living.  I said that I was a salesman. He responded "I guess someone has to do it".  I wanted to say (but didn't out of respect for him) "Mr. Minister, you are a salesman.  Every Sunday you are selling."  And everyone, at some point in their lives, are salespeople: applying for a job, convincing your kids to do something, etc. etc.
Selling is a great profession.  Be proud of it.  Be good at it.  Be the best at it. Practice it like the musician practices his scales.