Stephen Hall had a catchphrase he repeatedly impressed upon his son Greg: “Everything is sales.” The senior Hall learned that lesson as a lifelong seller of medical devices before building his own business manufacturing signage and marketing products.

For a number of years, father’s catchphrase left his son cold.

Greg Hall recalls: “He would tell me, ‘No matter what you do, no matter what your job is, you need to be able to sell — whether you’re selling an idea or product.’ I resented it at first,” he admits, “because I equated sales with some degree of artifice.”

That was then. Today, Hall calls his father’s prescription “an important lesson for me,” one that has proven true throughout his own career.

“What I’ve come to realize is the wisdom of his advice to me. Contrary to what I originally thought, sales is all about authenticity,” he says. “You can try to get ahead by being disingenuous, but you get to do that once