Sales, Speaking, and Leadership: Why They’re All the Same Act
When I did my Master's in Creative Practice, one of the most powerful lessons I learned was this: speaking is an act of influence.
It hit me that this isn’t just true for keynote speaking. It’s the same for leadership and sales. In fact, I realised that all the different roles I’ve played in my career — from selling on live TV shopping to leading businesses and speaking on global stages — are connected by one thing: influence.
Let me break it down.
Speaking is an Act of Sales
When you stand on stage, your role isn’t just to share information. It’s to take people on a journey. You’re “selling” an idea, a vision, or a possibility. You want your audience to lean in, to feel something, and to believe that what you’re offering is worth their time, energy, or change. You’re not asking them to buy a product, but you are asking them to buy into your message.
Sales is an Act of Leadership
In sales, you’re not just moving a product off the shelf. At its best, sales is about guiding someone to a decision that improves their life, business, or future. It’s about leading them through uncertainty, questions, and objections to a place of clarity and action. Done well, sales is leadership in motion.
Leadership is an Act of Speaking
As a leader, every word you choose has the power to influence. You’re constantly “speaking into” your team’s vision, their confidence, and their sense of direction. You set the tone, model the values, and inspire others to move forward. Without the ability to communicate clearly and with conviction, leadership doesn’t land.
Here’s the big realisation: sales, speaking, and leadership aren’t separate skills. They’re the same skill, expressed in different contexts.
If you’re a great leader but you’ve always believed you’re “not good at sales,” you’re lying to yourself. Every time you’ve rallied a team, inspired someone to take action, or guided someone to see a bigger possibility, you’ve been selling. Every time you’ve stood on a stage or spoken up in a meeting, you’ve been leading. And every time you’ve sold an idea, a product, or a vision, you’ve been speaking.
At their core, all three are about:
Sharing a story or listening deeply to someone else’s.
Creating a connection that feels real, human, and compelling.
Activating a moment of change where someone sees and feels a new possibility — and chooses to act on it.
That’s influence. That’s the common thread.
So whether you’re standing on stage, closing a deal, or leading a team, you’re doing the same thing: telling a story that inspires action. The labels may change, but the act is the same. And the better you get at one, the better you get at them all.
And if you or your people need guidance on how to do all of them better, let’s chat.
In your corner,
Monique
