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Jeffrey, I’m trying to build a professional sales team. I need to educate my CEO about the importance of treating salespeople as kings. They should have good locations for sales meetings, with good food, which results in jealousy from others in the organization. Can you please tell me how you feel about this? (I know your opinion from your material, but I would like to see it in writing so that I can show my CEO.) Thanks, Al

CEOs may need an education, but not from salespeople. What they need from salespeople is more of their first name: SALES.

Salespeople are not kings – they just think they are. Primarily stemming from the Red Motley quotation from 1946: “Nothing happens until a sale is made.” Though this is a partially accurate statement, there’s a lot of prep before the sale, it’s a lot of work to deliver the sale, and there’s a lot of work after the sale that others on the team have to make happen in order for the sale to take place and keep reoccurring.

When I got this “treat us like kings” e-mail, I immediately thought of a chessboard and wondered which piece salespeople were. As the pieces flashed through my mind, I realized that on the chessboard, salespeople are every piece BUT the king.

But like any chess master, salespeople have to be versatile, think three moves in advance and watch out for the competition. They have to be willing to make bold moves within a certain time limit, know when to strike and when to play defense – especially when the king is exposed.

In order to win the match for supremacy, salespeople have to study the game and, when playing, concentrate on each single move and opportunity. Not just gambits, but strategy and psychology. Winners study and practice. Winners love to play the game. Winners are passionate players. Winners play to win and are focused on every move whether they make it or the competition makes it.

Whether they are willing to admit it or not, they are also painfully aware of the potential consequences of every move. Including losing your king.

Ever play chess against someone who’s really good?

Pretty scary. Hopefully it’s not your competition.

Ever play “sales” against someone good?

Wake up, Sparky! It IS your competition.

Have you prepared for the game?

Do you have a strategy to win?

Do you know whom you are playing against?

Do you have an opening move?

How confident are you that you’ll win?

Do you have alternative moves?

How many gambits do you have at your disposal?

Are you willing to risk the consequences of your moves in order to get the king?

I bought a book a few months ago. The title is “Every Great Chess Player Was Once a Beginner.” Every great salesperson was once a beginner. Think about your beginnings.

You were a lot of things, but king was not one of them. You were enthusiastic, eager to learn, willing and humble. You were open to new ideas. Your mind was a sponge for all kinds of knowledge and information. I hope it’s still that way. Or has a small amount of success changed your ways? Don’t worry about your title; just keep doing it like it was your first day and make a ton of sales.

The reality is, you’d better know who the REAL king is: your existing and prospective customers.

Like a king on the chessboard, they can only move slowly, one space at a time, and must be protected at all costs. Every salesperson must know the king’s options for survival.

REALITY OF THE GAME: King? No! Pawn? Sometimes. All the rest of the pieces? YES!

Your move.