Can non-salespeople be trained to sell or should we leave this to sales professionals?

One of hot topics here at LiveseySolar surrounds non-salespeople and the fact that they are being asked to sell more and more in the professional services world. We’re continuing our new series of video Questions and Answers recorded during the recent ESCRS trade show that took place at the Excel Centre in London. Today’s video reflects on the common myth that great salespeople are born (not trained), and looks at whether non-sales professionals have a chance at selling well, or whether they should leave things in the hands of sales professionals. What do you think?

Question

Do you think that non-salespeople can be trained to sell? Or, do you think that sales should be left in the hands of sales professionals?

Answer

I think that there’s no innate gift or innate talent inside people to be a good salesperson or not a good salesperson.

Just like, for example; there is no innate gene responsible for someone being a good doctor or being a good engineer or being a good scientist. Certainly, you need to bring some talents to the fore, some general basic talents that perhaps not everybody possesses.

But, I believe that if you can do the things you’ve been trained to do professionally, you have the capacity to learn techniques, processes, and distinctions that can allow you to do selling professionally too.

The type of selling that I recommend to professionals is a more ‘listening-oriented’ process, a more ‘relationship building’ process, less ‘in your face’, less ‘razzmatazz jazz hands’… more of a conversation!

And, I believe that professionals are more than happy to conduct professional conversations with each other and they just need to bring that same confidence to the selling situation.

If they can do that, they can use the skills and the strengths they have (the very same one’s that allowed them to become good professionals!) to also become good professional salespeople.