Sales Training Is Like Going into Rehab

What is rehab really? An image change? A detox opportunity? A PR move? Bottom line, it’s an attempt to improve yourself and deal with an addiction. The amount of time people spend in rehab is interesting; we’ve witnessed many varieties lately from one day to many months. But what happens after rehab? Are they cured of their addictions? Have their lives changed? How are they different?

Last week, I conducted training for an extremely sharp group of inside salespeople. They reluctantly came into this training the way most celebrities reluctantly go into rehab. They were defensive, questioned my authority, asked how many breaks they would get, when lunch was, and were upset that their managers scheduled this training, especially since they were out last week for more training.

My job starts when I begin a two-day training with groups like this. I ask them to shut off their phones, laptops and BlackBerrys for 2 whole days. My content and curriculum is organized for ADD-type behaviors and everything must be relevant, fast and interactive. It’s the 3-second attention-span rule. I work hard at creating a shift for them and encouraging them to see and think differently by creating valuable ”ah-ha” moments.

Once the training has ended, they feel motivated, committed and excited to try their new ideas. They are ready to get back out there; to go out into the unforgiving world of selling and prospecting for new business. Just like walking out of rehab, they make a choice to practice the new principles they’ve just learned or to go back to old habits which may sabotage their sales success.

Rehab, just like Sales Training, is a check-in point in your life. It’s a time to stop and look at past behaviors, actions, performance drivers and understand what is working and what no longer works. What you walk in with is directly what you will walk out with.