| I mention this because I see a great many | | | | actually by doing the opposite: making the steps |
| programs out there today that teach all kinds of | | | | simpler. Fans and users of my popular sales |
| "advanced concepts," designed to introduce your | | | | system will know exactly what I mean; there's |
| producers to higher levels of psychology, | | | | nothing "new" in the steps I recommend - the |
| sophisticated negotiating tactics, and other | | | | ideas are simply rearranged in a way that makes |
| potentially awesome, but purely theoretical, selling | | | | more sense, and makes them a bit more |
| ideas. Now, I have nothing against great theories: | | | | memorable. You should strive for the same in |
| many of them turn into life-changing | | | | your sales training. |
| developments. But as sales training goes, it's | | | | Teach techniques that have been proven to work |
| better to stick to specific skills and applications. | | | | in the real world. Reinforce them, both at the |
| For an easy way to explain what I mean, | | | | seminar and during weekly meetings, by having |
| consider the case of cold fusion. Most people have | | | | your producers "role-play" with you and each |
| heard of the idea, even if they can't quite explain | | | | other. Granted, it might not be as interesting or |
| or understand what it means. Were it to work - | | | | cutting-edge as having complicated graphs and |
| and it's something scientists have been working | | | | software systems, but if you do it long enough, a |
| on for more than five decades - it would mean a | | | | funny thing will start to happen... your sales will |
| revolution in the way we power our cities, homes, | | | | increase. |
| and vehicles. But guess what? It doesn't work | | | | The principles of selling haven't changed in a very |
| yet... | | | | long time. Believe it or not, this is a good thing. It |
| Lots of advanced selling concepts are a bit like | | | | means that any person with the right talent and |
| that. They would have the potential to completely | | | | work ethic can succeed in this profession, making |
| change the way we interacted with customers, if | | | | a lot of money and helping a lot of people along |
| only anyone had successfully used them yet. As | | | | the way. To pull those kinds of results out of |
| theories, they are stellar; as actual ways of | | | | your team, focus on what works and then make |
| generating new clients and orders, they make | | | | sure they understand it and can duplicate it. |
| things more complicated and confusing than they | | | | If the goal of sales training is to help your staff |
| have to be. | | | | sell more, you can't do any better than that. |
| Often, the way to make something better is | | | | |