How we view the world, and specifically our work, guides all our decisions and actions. It is only when our perspective changes that we can change. Perspective is everything.
My perspective on sales training is that the first time through is true training — learning specific skills. After that, it becomes sales skill development — the ongoing process of refining and improving, available for anyone willing to put in the effort. Regardless of our skill level, we all have areas to improve. That perspective drives everything I do.
When I started 40 years ago, my view was quite different. I saw sales training as a way to learn better closing techniques to sell more products. Period. My mental image of sales training was also quite unpleasant because in my first sales job, there were weekly meetings with role-playing that was videotaped. It paid dividends in the long run but was incredibly painful at the time. If that initial narrow view of sales training had remained, I’m convinced I wouldn’t have had a sustainable career path.
When I was first exposed to Jim Rohn’s books and tapes, everything began to shift. His insights — like “You have to work harder on yourself than you do your job,” and “Things will change for you when you change” — helped me see that personal growth was the foundation for professional success. He also emphasized it takes many voices and teachers to provide the ongoing wisdom we need. Rohn, along with others, introduced me to a broader way of viewing sales — not as a short-term tactic to manipulate buyers and close deals, but as a long-term practice rooted in value, vision and service. Embracing this wider perspective leads to better results: more closed sales, higher prices and margins, stronger referrals and long-term sustainability.
While traditional sales measures — like past success, rapport-building, overcoming objections, persuasion and closing ability — are still important, relying solely on them reflects an outdated model. And that mindset can actually be an obstacle to achieving true, sustainable success.
Hubspot has collected data over the years on what the main characteristics of a successful salesperson are, and the top three are preparation (sales process), adaptability (growth and skill development) and domain experience (expertise). All the traditional characteristics mentioned earlier are on the list but further down, with closing ability at the very bottom as a correlation to long-term success.
Preparation, adaptability and domain experience are certainly within our control; however, sales data from Sales Lion’s report says 82% of buyers and decision-makers think sales reps are unprepared. Tulip Retail reports 83% of shoppers believe they are more knowledgeable than retail sales associates. It seems that the idea that our sales skills are just fine (doing what we have always done) is a different perspective from that of our prospective customers.
We can’t use an outdated playbook. Ongoing skill development is like a follow-up system for your success, and just like in actual sales, if you aren’t following up, you are giving up.
The title of this article was my response to a fellow sales trainer years ago, when he asked me why there wasn’t greater engagement in sales training, especially among the people and companies that could benefit the most. It’s a good question.
In the 1700s, global shipping was the primary form of wealth creation for countries. Large ships were sailing the world over, trading goods and resources and employing hundreds of thousands of sailors. The average voyage lasted well over one year, and the chief cause of death on these voyages wasn’t shipwrecks or hostile peoples; it was scurvy, resulting from the lack of vitamin C. With limited access and no refrigeration, it was impossible to keep fruits and vegetables fresh and readily available to help prevent scurvy.
The solution? Sauerkraut.
The parallels:
Sauerkraut
- Rich in vitamin C (made from cabbage)
- Lasts a long time (brined with salt; suitable for the length of voyages)
- Can save your life (if eaten)
Sales training
- Rich in information (critical for skill development)
- Lasts a long time (good habits and skills compound)
- Can save you from mediocrity (One idea taken and embraced can change your life.)
Unfortunately, regarding the sauerkraut and the sailors, this new information didn’t resonate, and a majority refused to eat it because they didn’t like the way it tasted. They preferred to ignore the new information and die with the old.
And for sales training? As with the sauerkraut, it’s an individual choice.