Dave Kahle's Thinking About Sales Newsletter

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Every month I receive a variety of questions from salespeople and their managers. These come from a variety of sources - my live seminars, the monthly phone seminars, questions that are sent into this newsletter, and issues that arise in the course of my consulting work. Out of all of these, I select those that I think have the most universal application, and respond to them here. - Dave

Q. Are salespeople made or born?

A. I field this question, in one formor other, in almost every seminar I do. Just heard it again yesterday in relationship to the competency of building relationships. The questioner opined that building relationships was a natural talent. You either had it or you didn't.

One of the things I've learned over the years is this: On some issues, the person's opinion says more about that person than it does the subject of his thoughts. I've found that to be true in regards to the question "Are salespeople made or born?"

Those salespeople who have learned on their own, who have never been trained in the best practices of the best salespeople, have a tendency to hold that salespeople are born. After all, no one taught them. So the degree of success that they have attained must have been a result of natural talent.

On the other hand, those salespeople who were nurtured in a company that trained and developed them hold the opposite opinion. They saw that there are best ways of doing almost every thing a salesperson does, and that most people in their training class were able to learn to do those things. So from their perspective, salespeople are made, not born.

So where do I fit on this issue?

First, it helps if you have a basic set of personality characteristics and aptitudes to begin with. Some people are just not suited to the job of the salesperson. That's why we sell pre–hire aptitude assessments — to measure the aptitude of the individual for a sales position. But, just because someone has the aptitude does not make him/her a good salesperson. And it is unreasonable to think that most salespeople are going to learn the best practices on their own. They must be educated in the best practices of the profession.

That's where the "making" of a good salesperson comes in. It is an unfortunate truth that the overwhelming majority of salespeople have never been educated in the best way to do their jobs. And, those companies who invest in the regular and methodical development of their sales forces generally out sell those who don't.

The position that salespeople are "born" becomes then, for many companies and salespeople, an excuse for not investing in their development. If salespeople are "born", then no amount of education will change their behavior. So, why invest in developing salespeople? And, from the salesperson's perspective, why invest in developing yourself? You can't learn anything, because, after all, you either have it or you don't.

The concept that "salespeople are born" then becomes a rationale for abdicating responsibility. That position absolves the company of the responsibility to invest in developing salespeople, and it absolves the individual salesperson of the responsibility to learn and grow and develop.

It helps if you have a natural talent for it, but everyone, given a basic set of aptititues and personality traits, can learn to sell. Salespeople are made and developed, not born.

Sales Training Sales Articles Live Seminars Free Resources Join The Mailng List Contact Us Pre-Hire Assessments Manager Resources Distributor Resources Training Tools Dave Unplugged - A live seminar for sales managers - Philadelphia, PA - May 21 & 22 Real time management techniques from real salespeople. Tip: "One of the best things you can do is ensure that your good customers are aware of everything that they can buy from you. Create a matrix. Across the top, list all the key individuals who can make or strongly influence a buying decision. Down the side, list all the products or services they could be buying from you. Now, methodically present all that you sell, one item at a time, to everyone. As you present each one, note the date you presented it in the box where the two coincide. This will allow you to know exactly who has seen what, and what to do next." (For an example of this kind of form, check out our Time Management Tool Kit.) For more, see 10 Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople. We would love to share your tips! If you have a sales tactic, strategy or tip that you would like to share please forward it to: dave@davekahle.com.	Share this message with a friend! Every month I receive a variety of questions from salespeople and their managers. These come from a variety of sources - my live seminars, the monthly phone seminars, questions that are sent into this newsletter, and issues that arise in the course of my consulting work. Out of all of these, I select those that I think have the most universal application, and respond to them here. - Dave Q. Are salespeople made or born? A. I field this question, in one formor other, in almost every seminar I do. Just heard it again yesterday in relationship to the competency of building relationships. The questioner opined that building relationships was a natural talent. You either had it or you didn't. One of the things I've learned over the years is this: On some issues, the person's opinion says more about that person than it does the subject of his thoughts. I've found that to be true in regards to the question "Are salespeople made or born?" Those salespeople who have learned on their own, who have never been trained in the best practices of the best salespeople, have a tendency to hold that salespeople are born. After all, no one taught them. So the degree of success that they have attained must have been a result of natural talent. On the other hand, those salespeople who were nurtured in a company that trained and developed them hold the opposite opinion. They saw that there are best ways of doing almost every thing a salesperson does, and that most people in their training class were able to learn to do those things. So from their perspective, salespeople are made, not born. So where do I fit on this issue? First, it helps if you have a basic set of personality characteristics and aptitudes to begin with. Some people are just not suited to the job of the salesperson. That's why we sell pre–hire aptitude assessments — to measure the aptitude of the individual for a sales position. But, just because someone has the aptitude does not make him/her a good salesperson. And it is unreasonable to think that most salespeople are going to learn the best practices on their own. They must be educated in the best practices of the profession. That's where the "making" of a good salesperson comes in. It is an unfortunate truth that the overwhelming majority of salespeople have never been educated in the best way to do their jobs. And, those companies who invest in the regular and methodical development of their sales forces generally out sell those who don't. The position that salespeople are "born" becomes then, for many companies and salespeople, an excuse for not investing in their development. If salespeople are "born", then no amount of education will change their behavior. So, why invest in developing salespeople? And, from the salesperson's perspective, why invest in developing yourself? You can't learn anything, because, after all, you either have it or you don't. The concept that "salespeople are born" then becomes a rationale for abdicating responsibility. That position absolves the company of the responsibility to invest in developing salespeople, and it absolves the individual salesperson of the responsibility to learn and grow and develop. It helps if you have a natural talent for it, but everyone, given a basic set of aptititues and personality traits, can learn to sell. Salespeople are made and developed, not born.	*Sales Strategies to Increase Your Margins* "Lose a little on each sale, but make it up on volume." That's not so far from the idea that many salespeople have of their pricing philosophy. Unfortunately, in many industries the excess margin that allowed for the unrestrained price cutting has already been wrung out of the system. Maintaining and/or increasing the gross margin, is, in many businesses, a strategic necessity. Salespeople and sales managers can dramatically impact the gross margin by their actions and their attitudes. In this seminar, Dave reveals seven specific practices for sales staff to follow to increase their company's margins. Implement these practices and you'll pay for this seminar in one day! Join us over lunch on Friday, March 16th to gain insights that will take your performance to new levels. When is the seminar? Friday, March 16th Register now (Noon - 1:00)! Register now (3:00 - 4:00)! How much does it cost? Only $85 per site, and you can have as many people at your site as you'd like. No limit, train 1 to 100 employees for one low cost. "He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else." Benjamin Franklin

What's the best way to train a new salesperson? Learn on the job? Hope that they pick up enough of the right kinds of knowledge to be competent? Or, provide them a proven program that is designed to create positive habits and instill best practices, with very little of your time? Opt for the latter. Investigate First Step to Success in Outside Sales, our interactive, self-study training program for new salespeople. Simply provide the program for your new salesperson, and monitor his/her efforts every week. Our twelve lessons on CD ROM, coupled with the 161 page manual, will: Enable the salesperson to be profitable in less than half the time you'd expect. Help them establish positive habits before they have a chance to create bad ones. Reduce the time you spend with a new salesperson. Call 800-331-1287 or visit Click Here for more information.
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