Sell Swell You can snag the investors, employees and customers you need if you know how to sell.

When i speak to entrepreneurs, I'm often asked the same question: "How do you raise money?" Most people don't like my answer.

In 1974, I asked my rich dad the same question. I was getting out of the Marine Corps and had decided I would become an entrepreneur. My rich dad answered, "The number-one skill of an entrepreneur is the ability to sell. If you can't sell, you should consider another line of work."

That year, I joined Xerox Corp. as a sales rep--not for the money, but for the sales training. For two years, I was the worst salesperson. But by my fourth year, my sales skills had improved--and so did my income. I understood then what my rich dad meant when he said, "Sales equals income." That statement was true back then, is true today and will be true tomorrow. Yet instead of becoming lifelong students of sales, many people look down on the art and science of sales. They often think of how they view salespeople--as pushy, arrogant, won't-take-no-for-an-answer arm-twisters--and convince themselves that they want nothing to do with sales.