(What I Really Mean by That)
A story of failure, intention, and what it really means to grow in this craft.
“When I said I wanted to master the craft of sales, I didn’t realize I was really trying to master the craft of me.”
🪞 Why This Blog Exists
This blog isn’t just about techniques. It’s not a motivational push or a list of sales tips. This is a reflection of the path I’ve walked often painfully, sometimes triumphantly, toward understanding what it means to sell, to serve, and to grow.
This is where my journey toward Sales Sovereignty truly began.
And it didn’t begin in a book.
It began in a meeting I didn’t see coming.
📉 The Dreaded Email
I had a new manager, yet another one in a long string of changes. We’d just come out of a customer meeting that hadn’t gone our way. The deal was already slipping through our fingers, and the energy was off.
A few days later, the email came. My manager made it sound harmless.
“Just a few thoughts about the meeting,” he said. “Nothing major. Just read it.”
So I opened it.
It was a performance letter.
Not a coaching note. Not helpful feedback. It was a formal warning. A quiet message that said, without saying it, “Your a$$ is on the line.”
I picked up the phone and called him. He admitted it. ‘Yeah… It’s exactly what you think it is.”
It was a gut punch. But used it as motivation.
🚧 Hustling from Fear
Instead, I went to work.
I built a pipeline from nothing. I chased every lead I could. I created movement where there was none. I worked nights. I pushed. I fought. I refused to let the story end that way.
And I closed a deal.
The irony?
That manager quit before any of it landed. A few weeks later, he emailed me from his personal account: “Congrats.”
I didn’t respond.
🧭 A Different Kind of Decision
What happened after that was subtle, but it stayed with me.
I didn’t make a vow out of spite. I didn’t say, “I’ll show you.”
This wasn’t about revenge or ego.
It was about clarity.
I said to myself, out loud, with full intention:
“I will master the craft of sales.”
Not just survive it. Not coast. Not try to prove anything.
I wanted to understand it. I wanted to live it. I wanted to become excellent.
Because I was tired of the rollercoaster.
The emotional highs and lows. The doubt. The shame. The politics.
I wanted peace. Consistency. Self-respect.
So I made the commitment.
📚 Student of the Craft
I read everything I could find. I had always loved to learn, but now there was an absolute focus.
SPIN Selling. Gap Selling. The Challenger Sale. Pitch Anything. Anything from Robert Greene(I’ve always been a big fan).
I devoured podcasts. 30 Minutes to President’s Club became my daily rhythm.
I studied not just techniques, but psychology, strategy, behavior, and more.
I went further. I read books on life and presence.
Letting Go. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Way of the Superior Man, The King Within, Warrior of the Light, Minset, and so much more.
Books that didn’t just teach me how to sell, but how to be more of myself.
I became a student. I committed to mastery.
And what did I get?
Failure.
More of it than I expected.
But I also got wins.
Real ones. Measured not just in revenue, but in confidence.
Presence. Trust. Self-awareness.
🕳 What I Didn’t Know Then
Looking back now, I can see something I couldn’t see then.
When I said, “I will master the craft of sales,” I meant it.
But underneath that was a subtle fear.
Maybe if I mastered this…
I’d never be on a PIP again.
I’d never be judged again.
I’d finally be safe.
Finally respected.
Finally seen.
What I didn’t realize is that you can’t master sales to avoid pain.
You can only master it by going through pain (The Obstacle Is the Way by Ryan Holiday).
Sales doesn’t protect you from who you are.
It reveals who you are.
🔍 Sales as a Mirror
Sales will show you everything.
Where you hide. Where you posture. Where you give too much.
Where you resist. Where you soar.
If you want to know yourself, sell enterprise software for twelve months straight with no guarantee of success.
It will test your discipline. Your EQ. Your endurance.
It will challenge your confidence and break your assumptions.
Sales is not just a profession. It is a mirror.
And eventually, if you stay in it long enough, you’ll realize:
This isn’t about the deal.
This is about the one showing up to sell it.
🎓 The Real Meaning of Mastery
So when I said, “master the craft of sales,” what I really meant was:
Master the craft of Robin.
That’s the truth.
And that journey never ends.
You keep learning.
You keep falling short.
You keep finding your rhythm again.
You keep returning to the intention.
To serve.
To lead.
To tell the truth.
✨ Why I’m Writing This
Just like that email/meeting I didn’t see coming, this path of mastery shows up without warning, but when you meet it with truth, it becomes your teacher.
I’m writing this for anyone who’s ever had that uncomfortable meeting or email from your manager, heart pounding.
For anyone who’s chased perfection to avoid pain.
For anyone who’s loved this craft and suffered because of it.
If this story resonates with you, then I’m honored.
And if it doesn’t, I’m still honored.
Because this is me, standing in my truth.
Sharing what I’ve learned not to teach, but to serve.
Sales, at its highest level, is service.
To the customer.
To your craft.
To yourself.
Thank you for reading.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Robin
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