7 Sales Skills Learned Stalking and Photographing Wildlife…

Wrapped in a giant down jacket while I watch a polar bear on the frigid Arctic ice, the parallels between my wildlife photography and my sales career are, frankly, the furthest thing from my mind.

Instead, I’m focused on the moment — capturing images of three yearling cubs, sprawled out against their watchful mother, or a curious loner, set against the backdrop of a glowing night sky. Back in the office, I’ve come to realize that the tools and tricks I use to make the perfect photograph are, in many ways, no different than what it takes to be successful in sales, especially for entrepreneurs.

As the leader of a team with dozens of salespeople and managers at a multinational company, I see the value of good sales skills for both the members of my team and the entrepreneurs they serve. Success in business, and some would argue in life, is all about good selling. What I’ve learned over years of training sales teams, however, is that sales ability doesn’t develop from just one way of selling or one discipline. It comes from the opposite: from thinking outside the box, from a willingness to explore and create, and from fearlessness.

This is why I use my experience as a wildlife photographer to train and inspire, most recently in Lake Tahoe, where I flew my entire sales team from CT Corporation for a retreat. Here are seven parallels between wildlife photography and sales.