Sales Jedi Training Bootcamp
By Mike Wise
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… These are the words you see at the beginning of every Star Wars movie.
May 4th is Star Wars Day, and we’ll have some fun learning sales lessons from some of your favorite Star Wars characters. Think of it as Star Wars sales training bootcamp.
When the Student is Ready, the Teacher will Appear
There are numerous examples of this idea throughout the Star Wars movies. Anakin, Luke, and Rey are indeed the most notable students. Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and the Emperor further developed their training and skills. Essentially, these teachers were mentors.
Do you have a mentor in sales? Is there someone in your professional life that guides you to be the best salesperson you can be? If you answered yes, I’d encourage you to contact this person and share your gratitude for their help. Not everyone is as fortunate, and finding a good mentor in sales can be challenging.
Suppose you’ve watched any Star Wars movies, you know the students weren’t always ready to learn. Often a teacher appeared, but it was too early. Maybe this is the case for you. I know it was for me early in my sales career. I thought I knew everything I needed to be a sales Jedi.
It wasn’t until I started reading many sales books that I realized I didn’t know half of what I needed to. I found an author I could relate to and studied his work tirelessly. He became my Obi-Wan, and my results improved accordingly.
It’s never too late to find a good mentor. The key is being ready to learn. Start the learning process on your own, and a teacher will likely appear for you also.
The Force is Strong
May the 4th be with you comes from the movie quote, “May the force be with you.” What the heck is The Force? We’re not going down a rabbit hole here, but let’s compare it to belief for our purposes.
The Force is powerful. It can be used for good and evil. The same is true for your beliefs in sales. Your beliefs are your Force when it comes to sales. You have the choice to use these beliefs to improve or hinder your results.
Here’s a quick example. Consider what you are selling. How does it improve someone’s life? Does it bring you joy knowing you helped someone accomplish something? If that feeling of satisfaction in helping others is present, then I’d say the Force is strong in you. If you believe you’re making the world a better place because of what you’re selling, you’re well on your way to being one with the Force.
Now your commission is a by-product of the feeling of joy above. When you are helping many people, you are also making an honest living. Be careful of, the Dark Side you must be. When your beliefs are centered around commission and self, buyers will sense it and likely use evasive maneuvers.
Many great sales Jedi Masters (including Jeff Shore) remind us that sales is NOT something we do TO someone. Sales is something we do FOR someone and WITH someone.
Becoming a Sales Jedi Master
The Star Wars movies provided only a glimpse of what it took to become a Jedi master. Sure, you saw Luke and Rey training with Yoda and Luke, respectively, but by no means was the little bit demonstrated in the movie enough to produce a master.
Let’s face it, deliberate practice in any sport, production, profession, etc., isn’t what most people will buy a movie ticket for. However, the dedication to mastering one’s craft is not short-lived. You must be willing to practice what you learn and put in the time.
No one would expect you to pick up a light saber for the first time and defend yourself against a Sith Lord.
If you’re wondering how this looks for practicing your sales skills, Jeff recently shared his 10-5-3-1 method to mastery. This will work for almost anything you want to become better at.
It’s up to you to make it happen. May the 4:2 be with you!
