Confessions of a Sales Trainer
Yesterday I’m with a financial services client and partway through the morning’s sales training I do a “confession session” where reps share their most embarrassing moment. It’s a very funny time.
This slide (pictured here) is up on the screen and during the break a woman walks up.
“I’m very offended by that image.”
“You are?” People start to gather when they hear the energy in her voice.
“Yes, it is very obvious that the man is looking up her skirt.”
“Are you serious?” I say.
Then silence as everyone around peers closely at the picture.
A man says, “But he has no eyes!”
She retorts, “He is looking up her skirt and it is very offensive.”
I’m shocked and struggle with whether to make a witty comment or a sarcastic one, then resign myself to…
“I’ll have to get that guy a male psychologist.”
Here’s the thought for you training pros:
What kind of baggage is she bringing into the training?
Because you’ll teach salespeople to be aware of what kind of baggage their prospects bring to the selling table.
Everyone has concerns, complicated by biases in their background. Your job is to discover what they are, allay fears and get learners to change behavior in order to improve performance.
How flexible are your facilitation skills? Are they great? If not, why not? Your ability to uncover the heart and mind of the sales training attendees will help you paint a picture of prosperity for them. At that point they are prepared to engage, practice and adopt new learning.
Check out the digital Infoline Sales Training that Drives Revenue for more ideas;
http://www.salestrainingdrivers.org/sales-training.aspx
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About the Author: DAN SEIDMAN IS ONE OF AMERICA'S TOP COACHES ON INFLUENCE.
He is the author of #1 business best-seller, Sales Autopsy (Kaplan Publishing). Therein Dan reveals the top seven traits that distinguish world class sales professionals from the rest of the selling world.
Dan is a World Master’s athlete who has two gold medals playing on the U.S. basketball team. He has served as a board member of the United Professional Sales Association (www.upsa-intl.org) and is a volunteer sales & marketing strategist for the Willow Creek Association.
Dan has been selected as one of the “Top 12 Sales Coaches in America” in Ultimate Selling Power and runs the award-winning website SalesAutopsy.com.
Selling Power Magazine selected the Sales Autopsy Training Experience as a finalist in its 2006 Sales Excellence Awards.
Sales & Marketing Management Magazine has called his website of selling blunders a “cult hit among sales folks.” Dan has collected over 600 of these sales horror stories during his selling, management and training career.
The American Marketing Association recently featured SalesAutopsy.com on their magazine cover as one of “Marketing’s BEST Web Sites.”
Dan is a professional speaker and trainer who positions his humor and teaching as “unique and useful” for sales audiences.
His columns reach over 1.5 million readers a month, both online at Monster.com and ProducersWeb.com and in print at Agent Sales Journal, Independent Agent, Advantages and more.
Dan has produced some unusual products including;
• The Sales Comic Book: There is nothing like it on this planet, possibly any planet!
• Revenge of the Reps – a high-quality video game
• Sales Horror Stories – a CD and mp3 download, and
• Custom-designed and/or upgraded sales training programs
Dan Seidman lives in Barrington, IL with his Princess Bride, Wendy and son Joshua. Twin girls were recently discovered at his residence. They’re being called Abigail and Rebekah.
For a unique and useful program at your corporate event (and don’t forget to ask that he include the “confession session”), contact Dan at 1-847-359-7860 or Dan@SalesAutopsy.com.
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