As the owner of a sales and management training and professional development organization, I use LinkedIn a lot, and I’m always surprised by which posts gain traction. One of my most popular posts is about my dog, Roo. I wanted to make sure I invested in a training program for Roo because I wanted her to be outside with me, not always on a leash.
I didn’t want to worry about her chasing squirrels or running after other dogs. So we invested in a training program for Roo. It took time, but it was well worth it—she listens, stays outside with us, and doesn’t take off. She’s a very well-behaved dog.
I’ll admit that, especially in the beginning, we sometimes used a shock collar. We reward good behavior, but we also need to correct bad behavior. The collar only helped a few times, and she got the point. The reason I bring this up is that many business owners invest in their salespeople to push them out of their comfort zone and teach them new selling techniques.
That’s exactly what we do. Sometimes, salespeople take the easy route because they’re uncomfortable with new methods and want to revert to old habits that aren’t as effective. I kind of wish I could do with them what I did with Roo—put on a short collar, give them a gentle shake, and then boom.
Maybe it would reward the right behavior and help them focus more on the important skills they’re learning—the uncomfortable actions that lead to different results. Shock collar for salespeople… what do you think?
If you’d like to talk more about how to train and develop your sales team, contact me, Scott Bliss, Sandler, Jersey Shore HERE.
