There’s an argument going on and it’s time for me to weigh in. For years I’ve heard managers complain that their salespeople are “lazy order takers.” I’ve witnessed teammates jab at one another by delivering the lowest of all low-blow insults, “You’re nothing but an order taker.”
So what’s so wrong with being an order taker?
Better yet, what’s the difference between an order taker and a salesperson? The difference, in my not-so-humble opinion, lies not in the title but in the attitude, the approach, and the effort of the individual. It’s the difference between being proactive and reactive. Between giving a prospect a quote and giving a prospect a show. It’s a combination of attributes and qualities rather than a scientific definition. Let’s compare:

So which are you?
Order-taker or sales-maker? Which would you like to be?
Pick your title. Then live by it.
What you call yourself is infinitely more powerful than what others call you.
I don’t care what you call me. I’m making sales.
Are you?