Seriously Considering What Sales "Sense" Really Is: An Introduction to Sense

The word "sense" frequently comes up when chatting (or drinking) with sales managers and colleagues.

Senior: "Great job on the presentation! So glad we won!"
Junior: "Great job, everyone! It really was great! Being involved up close taught me a lot!"
Senior: "Oh, like what?"
Junior: "Like... how Manager ○○ handled the Q&A at the end of the presentation!"
Senior: "True. Being able to handle that comeback like that? That's pure sense, plain and simple."
Junior: "Exactly!"

I've only ever worked in advertising, but conversations like this seem like they could be heard all over the place (in izakayas).

So, what exactly is "sense" anyway??

Even though it's a frequently used word, it feels like everyone's understanding of it is slightly different, and somehow, it seems hard to put into words clearly.

Even in the conversation above, the senior seems to know what they're talking about, but dismissing it with "it's just a matter of sense" doesn't really help the junior learn anything, does it? (laughs)

While checking out new business books at a local bookstore near my home to write this column, I spotted a book titled 'Introduction to Sense' (Chikuma Shobo) stacked prominently on the shelves. It wasn't a business book or a new release, yet there it was. The author is essayist, bookstore owner, and former editor-in-chief of 'Kurashi no Techo', Mr. Yataro Matsuura. I couldn't help but pick it up.

First, confront your current "sense" and find role models

First, I want to clarify that the "sense" and "good sense" discussed in this book refer to people in general, not just business professionals. Also, it's not just the author's own ideas; he uses many "people with good sense" he's encountered as examples.

For me, "sense" is first and foremost about "choosing" or "judging." (...) It would be nice if we could always make good choices or choices we don't regret, but that's rarely the case. (...) However, for most things, there are plenty of people in the world who can serve as role models. These people aren't in some special place; they work and live in ordinary places, just like us. (P12,13)

Honestly facing myself, I realized anew how fortunate I am to have so many senior salespeople and colleagues within the company who make me think, "This person has great taste" or "They radiate excellence." At the same time, I had to ask myself: What exactly am I learning in this environment? Am I honing my sense? (sweat).

Better to be someone who thinks about everything than someone who knows everything

This book is sprinkled with the author's insights on "sense" – observations that make you nod in agreement regardless of gender or age, considered from various angles and perspectives. Yet even the author, who seems like a "bundle of sense" to us,

When someone says "sense," I feel completely helpless. I'm sure I'm not the only one. (P8)

declares the book's opening.

Reading on, I found many compelling statements, but listing them out of context felt like a cliché of quotes—and doing that would be "lacking in sense" (laughs)—so I'll share the passage I resonated with most. The author, who argues that the Japanese word for "good sense" is "virtue," seemed strongly convinced of this when writing the book.

I believe "thinking" is the act of catching those very sensory things floating around in your head and translating them, one by one, into words. (mid-sentence ellipsis) "Being a thinker" is one of the virtues. People who can think are undoubtedly charming and have good taste. (P75)

I realized that the numerous references in this book attempting to answer "What is sense?" are precisely evidence of the author's persistent "thinking." The sharp retorts of the sales manager (based on a real person) featured in the conversation between senior and junior colleagues at the beginning of this essay were surely a skill only possible because that sales manager had thought more deeply than anyone else about the client and the people he wanted to reach with their products and services.

The Sense of Remaining Humble

Chapter 3, "Exemplars of Sense," often expands beyond mere references to "sense" into life lessons. These sections felt like the author was posing his ongoing reflections on various aspects of sense, asking, "What would your sense say about this?" Reading it, I found myself thinking, "Well, this kind of thing rarely happens in actual sales negotiations... but wait..." and gradually found the process of pondering these ideas increasingly enjoyable.

The final chapter's "Afterword" contains what seems like the author's tentative answer to "What is sense?", but I'll refrain from revealing it here.

Just as there are no qualifications or set formulas for sales work, the concept of "sense" in sales might not only be impossible to codify but might not even exist in the first place. However, while reading this book and reflecting on sense, I realized that what my role models—superiors, seniors, and colleagues—have in common might be the sense of remaining humble. Humble people always listen to others, always keep learning, and always have the opportunity and courage to change themselves. That's why those they interact with think, "That person has great sense. I'd like to meet them again." Just realizing this makes me feel like I might have honed my sense by a millimeter. I'll conclude this piece while basking in that post-reading satisfaction. After all, it was none other than myself who carelessly threw around the word "sense" without even considering what it truly meant in that opening conversation with my junior colleague (laugh).

【Dentsu Inc. Modern Communication Lab】