Sales Training – Top Salespeople Can Learn from Good Soldiers
Sales Training – Top Salespeople Can Learn from Good Soldiers
1. They are on the front lines. Soldiers are on the front lines for their country. Salespeople are on the front line for their companies or themselves in the case of self-employment. Let’s recognize that soldiers may actually die when fighting for their country. Salespeople do not have to lay down their lives, just hold out their hearts.
2. They get regular training. Soldiers get trained in many things including their warrior tasks. A top salesperson invests in training, coaching and other self-improvement. Like a soldier who isn’t trained going into battle, a salesperson that isn’t trained in selling, product and service understanding, and people skills, might as well stay safe in their office because they won’t be prepared.
3. They maintain their equipment. A soldier is responsible for the care and ownership of equipment issued to them. Because top salespeople are not born, this means that the equipment salespeople gain must come through reading, training, or perhaps a bruised ego from an occasional lost sale, and mostly through having customers buy from them! A salesperson’s equipment to maintain and upgrade as needed is their attitude, belief system, character and behaviors.
4. Their profession is described with admirable words like courage and loyalty. Okay - this is really important to understand as this relates to selling. Because many of our own personal experiences as buyers are negative, we have underlying beliefs about the process of selling being manipulative, aggressive, pestering, shady and the list goes on. Soldiers believe the admirable words they hear and that drives their determination. Salespeople must focus on selling experiences that also are admirable. Think of the times when you know customers raved about your honesty, reliability, superior product, and were willing to go beyond what you said you would. You have to believe those words, like a soldier.
5. They believe what they are fighting. Soldiers are always ready to deploy; we know that from hearing any one of them speak in media interviews. Salespeople must have just as strong a belief in what they sell and in themselves. Limiting beliefs, low self-confidence, procrastination, or getting caught in a sales slump can keep you from the very people who want what you have to offer. Why would a salesperson not fight to help their customer?
6. They put service before self. Soldiers are on the front lines with a belief in something bigger than themselves. If salespeople what to put service before self, reflect on the true value of what your product or service does for the customer! Let go of what will happen for you with increased commissions, more awards and greater recognition by your peers. Keep the value, the benefit, of what your product and service can do for your customer above yourself. It will give you the strength you need when you want to procrastinate on the cold call or follow up or any other sales piece.
There is a United States National Salesperson Day – the first Friday of March that recognizes professional salespeople. There’s time in between Veterans Day and that holiday to think about and act on the similarity between the soldier and the salesperson. And why do so? If you want the results of good selling to be like the results of good soldiers, then actions are important. Certainly there is no absolute, no concrete quality of good soldiering. There are, however, good soldiers and top salespeople.
Sales Training Top Salespeople Can Learn from Good Soldiers - To learn more about this author, visit Patricia Weber's Website.
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Let’s start with what many may agree with and make the comparison between good soldiering and top selling. Veterans Day in the USA, Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falls on November 11. It may be difficult to totally decide what makes a good soldier, but here a few items to consider:
1. They are on the front lines. Soldiers are on the front lines for their country. Salespeople are on the front line for their companies or themselves in the case of self-employment. Let’s recognize that soldiers may actually die when fighting for their country. Salespeople do not have to lay down their lives, just hold out their hearts.
2. They get regular training. Soldiers get trained in many things including their warrior tasks. A top salesperson invests in training, coaching and other self-improvement. Like a soldier who isn’t trained going into battle, a salesperson that isn’t trained in selling, product and service understanding, and people skills, might as well stay safe in their office because they won’t be prepared.
3. They maintain their equipment. A soldier is responsible for the care and ownership of equipment issued to them. Because top salespeople are not born, this means that the equipment salespeople gain must come through reading, training, or perhaps a bruised ego from an occasional lost sale, and mostly through having customers buy from them! A salesperson’s equipment to maintain and upgrade as needed is their attitude, belief system, character and behaviors.
4. Their profession is described with admirable words like courage and loyalty. Okay - this is really important to understand as this relates to selling. Because many of our own personal experiences as buyers are negative, we have underlying beliefs about the process of selling being manipulative, aggressive, pestering, shady and the list goes on. Soldiers believe the admirable words they hear and that drives their determination. Salespeople must focus on selling experiences that also are admirable. Think of the times when you know customers raved about your honesty, reliability, superior product, and were willing to go beyond what you said you would. You have to believe those words, like a soldier.
5. They believe what they are fighting. Soldiers are always ready to deploy; we know that from hearing any one of them speak in media interviews. Salespeople must have just as strong a belief in what they sell and in themselves. Limiting beliefs, low self-confidence, procrastination, or getting caught in a sales slump can keep you from the very people who want what you have to offer. Why would a salesperson not fight to help their customer?
6. They put service before self. Soldiers are on the front lines with a belief in something bigger than themselves. If salespeople what to put service before self, reflect on the true value of what your product or service does for the customer! Let go of what will happen for you with increased commissions, more awards and greater recognition by your peers. Keep the value, the benefit, of what your product and service can do for your customer above yourself. It will give you the strength you need when you want to procrastinate on the cold call or follow up or any other sales piece.
There is a United States National Salesperson Day – the first Friday of March that recognizes professional salespeople. There’s time in between Veterans Day and that holiday to think about and act on the similarity between the soldier and the salesperson. And why do so? If you want the results of good selling to be like the results of good soldiers, then actions are important. Certainly there is no absolute, no concrete quality of good soldiering. There are, however, good soldiers and top salespeople.
Sales Training Top Salespeople Can Learn from Good Soldiers - To learn more about this author, visit Patricia Weber's Website.
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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