Why sales is a "numbers game"

I'm Baz and I build time-saving systems for companies that send people out on site visits.

And I hate doing sales.

Or at least I used to.

People say "sales is a numbers game" and I never understood why.

But if you think about it, how often do you see an advert? And how often do you buy because of it?

Maybe you've been looking for a new sofa, and you see an advert and you think "that's the one for me" and you go and buy it. But most of the time, you're not looking for a new sofa, so you see the advert, shrug and move on.

It's the same for your product. Or your service. Or whatever it is that you do.

Most of the time, you talk to someone and they listen to what you're saying, shrug and move on. It's not that they're not interested, it's just that they're not ready to buy. That sofa isn't front of mind.

And that's why sales is about numbers - you need to catch people at just the right time and then make sure you don't piss them off if, as for most people, it's not the right time.