“I could be in front of buyers right now, earning a commission. Instead, I’m stuck here, listening to a sales guru who probably earns half of what I earn!”

“Who does this guy think he is? I don’t care how many degrees or phony speaking certifications he has after his name. He’s never sold MY PRODUCT to MY CUSTOMERS, so all of these clever formulas are just a lot of theoretical garbage.”

“I’ll tell you this. Nobody ever bought anything from anybody he hated. If they like you, they’ll follow you to the ends of the earth. If they don’t, I don’t care how sharp your selling skills are.”

“If we didn’t get a chance to play golf and to throw back a few, these yearly sales meetings would be a total waste!”

Salespeople aren’t fools. But most articles you read that are aimed at them treat them as if they are, and miss the mark by a mile. They presume that sellers are left-brain nerds who would rather pick apart the numbers on a spreadsheet than take a client to a ballgame.

They presume this because most people who are writing, who hope to line-up some training or consulting business, are this way, themselves. Fundamentally, those who want to train salespeople for a living aren’t genuine salespeople, themselves.

They’ve never been in the trenches for an extended time, where they sell or starve.

Lots of them are the victims of downsizing, outsourcing, and their own poor achievement in whatever vocation. Or they’re academics who are tired of plying their trade before college sophomores, and getting measly pay for it.

Let me give you an example. One guru wrote a book on selling where he offered over a hundred “closes that really work!” While a salesman might enjoy leafing through this tome, in all practicality, he’ll use the two or three that he has always used that he can adapt to any situation.

More than that, and he’ll fumble around and waste time, and he knows it.

From the guru’s view he’s offering a lot of great information, but from the salesman’s, the book is no more than entertainment. It’s something he can pass around to his pals and joke about.

In fact, more than challenging the guru to tell them something new, the seller who is forced to listen to a lecture or a speech might really be saying:

“Don’t try to teach me anything—Just make me laugh, or tell me a joke I can use with my next prospect.”

And then, go away!

Sales Managers: Before you hire your next speaker, coach, or consultant, make sure he knows what your people are really thinking!