According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, ‘a profession is a “vocation, especially one that involves any branch of learning or science”. Profession may be defined as an employment not mechanical but requiring some degree of skill.
Most often the question is raised whether salesmanship is a profession or not. In order to ascertain the same, the basic characteristics of profession should be discussed in detail. A profession has the following characteristics:
1. It is an organised body of knowledge.
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2. It must possess a formal structure of specialised knowledge.
3. It must possess an organised plan of individual training for the people who prefer to enter the profession.
4. It must possess an established and accepted code of ethics.
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5. It must possess a set of standards for admission and disqualification.
6. Service to others before self interest must be the prime motto. In other words, principle of service first and profit last, must exist.
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If the above characteristic of profession is examined for salesmanship, it can be seen that it has yet to become a true profession like law, medicine, etc. Salesmanship, like other professions, is yet to have a ready-made knowledge for application in each “and every situation. Skill and technique applied by a salesman to clinch a sale varies from person to person and with place and time. A particular selling method and technique cannot claim to have a command over all possible selling methods and techniques.
Therefore, salesmanship cannot unhesitantly be called a profession. A great deal of effort and perfection is needed before salesmanship achieves the status of true profession. It is, however, capable of growing into a profession with substantial development of knowledge.
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In developed countries like the USA and the UK, salesmanship has already been recognised as a profession. In near future, salesmanship is most likely to achieve a regular professional status in India also.