The word professionalism is thrown around loosely these days. There was a time when being a professional meant something, but the word has been cheapened by overuse. Professionalism has to do with the way you walk and talk—your style. It also has something to do with your knowledge and preparation—your substance.

Imagine someone claiming to be a professional athlete, musician or artist without going through the necessary studies and preparation. Someone who poses as a physician or an attorney but lacks the necessary schooling would be exposed as a fraud and a criminal. When you wear the label "professional," you must meet certain criteria and subscribe to a code of ethics that govern your profession.

The way you carry yourself—your image—is just one part of the formula for being a sales professional. You must look the part, and you must fit the part. Your preparation and knowledge must support your claims of professional status. If you're unwilling to put in the time to study, learn everything you can about your field, products, company, customers, and competitors, you don't deserve to wear the title. Buyers will see you for what you are—an empty suit.

By the same token, managers who want professional salespeople must be willing to pay the price. Will you pay what it costs to hire professionals? Are you willing to provide ongoing training and preparation for these professionals so they can maintain their status? As a manager, if you are unwilling to pay for professionalism, you have no gripes when you fail to get the results you desire. Your salespeople will follow your lead. If you fail to invest in them, they will not invest in themselves. For managers who expect salespeople to make all these investments on their own, wake up; you're dreaming. Those salespeople are already self-employed or on their way to becoming self-employed.

Salespeople who want to raise the bar on their professionalism must look at the image they project and the knowledge they possess. Become a student of your profession. Study the principles of selling. Learn how to think about selling, as well as how to sell. Under-stand the dynamics of buying and selling. Become a master negotiator. Develop the reputation of a product specialist and technical expert.

I met a salesman who sells $100,000, 18-wheel trucks. He's been in the industry for 50 years! For every truck sold within a 200-mile radius of his territory, he gets the first call.

How do you know when you achieve professional status as a salesperson? You want to become the standard by which all other salespeople—competitors or not—are judged. When customers use you as the benchmark, you have achieved professional status. Study. Prepare. Carry yourself well. Treat your brand with respect. Then you'll be worthy of the title, Professional Salesperson.