Special Ops Selling: One Eye Closed or Two Eyes Open?

Recently, I was fortunate  to have a rare opportunity to talk with an active-duty U.S. “special warfare operator.” In other words, a member an elite special operations force. As a result, I learned something I’m now putting to work in my own profession. Our firm helps companies grow their top lines, and one important way is through consultative sales training.

The topics of physical and survival training are always fascinating. But my fascination was with the training  process  as it might apply to an issue we face with participants in our consultative sales training course, FOCIS. Specifically, I wanted to know how special operations instructors train and coach across the varying skill levels and capabilities candidates bring to the program.

All special operations candidates come to training with experiences and skills, some of which are required. They must, for example, meet several tougher-than-tough physical standards. Typical examples: Number of pushups in two minutes: 42 minimum, 79 average, 100 optimum. Number of sit-ups in two minutes: 50, 79, and 100. Candidates aren’t even in the running for the next stage until they meet or surpass the optimum standards. In addition, many are graduates of other, formal military programs, such as the United States Army Airborne School, or “Jump School.” Consequently, they can be highly skilled in one area but not in others.

Some candidates enter special operations training with high-level skills developed informally over time. Chris Kyle, for example, who wrote the book  American Sniper  and whose war experiences were dramatized in the Clint Eastwood movie, grew up hunting and practicing shooting with his father.

Do candidates who aspire  to become elite military snipers, I asked, do better because they have that kind of background . . . that they grew up in families where hunting and learning to shoot were a big part of their lives?

His reply surprised me. He said, “No, that’s not the case.” Then he continued (I’ m paraphrasing here): “Because our special operations training is the best in the world, sniper candidates are actually better off coming in with little knowledge or experience. They haven’t developed any bad habits that must be broken before we can teach them the right habits.”

Then he gave an example most of us can appreciate, even though it might seem counterintuitive.

Hunters often learn from a young age to shoot with one eye closed. They believe, perhaps have even been taught, that sighting with one eye closed improves their ability to focus on a target. But soldiers, he explained, are concerned not only with focusing on targets. They are also concerned with  becoming  targets. Elite snipers shoot with both eyes open. In addition, ample evidence shows that both-eyes-open shooting is simply more effective.

The salespeople, professionals, executives,  and other business developers we train bring skills and experiences that vary even more widely, from few or none to many and extensive. We know our process can improve the performance of just about anyone-novice or veteran. But we always want to do better. Now we use the special operations training story to make two points:

People often come to our course believing they already know how to sell-at least, up to a point. As children, most of us attempted to sell something-Girl Scout cookies, Christmas trees, lemonade. Plus, we’re all sold  to every day. It’s easy to think that as adults we can sell in our current environment. And, anyway, aren’t really good salespeople “born that way”?

Neither is the case. The reason is that the sales children make are “transactional.” The sales process required to make a “simple” sale is not the same as the process used to make a “complex” sale, which is what most business-to-business selling is all about.

In a simple, one-call, transactional sale, you are face-to-face with the one-and-only decision-maker. Her need is clear and her risk is low. Business-to-business selling involves multiple calls, high risk for the buyer, and almost always multiple decision-makers you’re not likely to meet. You certainly won’t be at the table when they decide the fate of your proposal. Few salespeople are “born” to navigate such complex sales.

True, some top salespeople are “naturals.” Yet, even though they probably don’t realize it, they do essentially the same things as other top producers who are trained. A process is a process.

Or consider professional athletes.  They are clearly naturals but have in fact been developing their talent since they were children. They all received coaching and training all along the way.  And they still do, even though they are at the top. They understand the value of training and coaching, especially for specific player positions and game situations. Why should selling be different?

Could training and coaching improve your sales performance? To find out, ask yourself these questions and check the ones you’re most concerned about. If you manage salespeople or other business developers, ask them to answer the questions, too. Then, if you’d like to learn more, call us at 847-446-0008 Extension 1. We’ll talk about your specific challenges and opportunities.

Do you find that you:

Did you answer “Yes” to any of these questions? If so, then it’s a good bet that you can benefit from sales training and coaching.

Finally, think about one more counterintuitive fact. More sales “rock stars” enroll in our course than you might imagine. Without fail, they are receptive and enthusiastic. Later, they are often complimentary about how the training and coaching helped them-and continues to help them.

Curious about what makes  our consultative sales training different from all others? Please get in touch. We’ll learn what you find difficult about selling and explain how we might help. And if we don’t think you need our help, we’ll tell you that, too: 847-446-0008 Ext. 1 or pkrone@productivestrategies.com.

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