Post written by guest blogger: Chip Quimby - Director of Operations, STM360 

This past June, I had the pleasure to attend a special three-day seminar hosted by one of the world's preeminent martial artists. The instructor was a remarkably talented individual and held not only a 9th degree black belt, but also Japan's Intangible Cultural Asset title in the Field of Okinawan Karate.

I share his qualifications with you not to impress, but to help you understand the irony of the seminar. Perhaps it might surprise you to learn that our training over those three days wasn't the advanced curriculum you might expect to see at a seminar held for seasoned practitioners, most with an average experience level of twenty years.

No, there wasn't any in-depth examination of quarter-second timing theory or any practice of variable-distancing combatives, but actually the complete opposite. This group of martial artists, lead by one of the most accomplished practitioner alive, focused instead on the basics. You know...punching, kicking, striking and blocking.

Why? Well the reason was simple. The teacher wanted to impress upon us, more than anything else over those three days, that no matter what our level of experience, be it beginner or advanced - if we wanted to be great martial artists, than we needed to always stay focused on the basics.

Days later I jumped a plane and returned home. Over the next few days, I continued to reflect on the seminar and the theme we focused on during training. I also spent time reflecting on the similarities that existed between the martial arts and sales, and how to be effective at both requires a constant focus on the basics.

The most successful sales people I know, just as in the martial arts, are great at the fundamentals - you know - the punches, kicks, strikes and blocks of selling. Effective sales professionals, just like martial artists, earn and then re-earn their "sales black belt" everyday by continually focusing on the basics. It's all too easy a thing to forget, but truly one of the secrets to their success. Here's what made my list:

• Know your customer
• Always be prospecting
• Prep for every customer interaction
• Properly execute every customer interaction
• Validate needs and buying process with the customer
• Qualify hard and often
• Always be closing
• Never take short cuts with the basics

Learning and applying any one of these skills is not difficult, yet to do all of them, all the time, requires commitment and discipline, just like the martial arts. It's easy to skip steps and blow things off, especially when you think you've been around the block once or twice.

Complex sales, by definition, involve multiple steps and multiple decision stakeholders. Although it's not rocket science, to perform this type of process well requires a high degree of discipline, good old-fashion hard work, and focus on the basics - very much like the martial arts.

Few would argue that military experience teaches leadership skills valuable in the corporate world. But is military experience an asset for someone who chooses a sales career?

I posted the question on several sales-focused Linkedin groups. Not surprisingly, a large majority of responders (80%) believe the ex-military make good sales people. Citing attributes such as tenacity, discipline, work ethic, and ability to work under pressure, most would not hesitate to hire these folks - assuming they possessed the right personality type.

What I found most interesting was the anecdotal comments made by those cautious of hiring ex-military:

"Are trained by the numbers. May struggle if the job requires out-of-the-box thinking."

"Reluctant to call on senior executives. Might be a result of the rank system."

"Struggle in sales manager roles. Expect sales people to follow orders and do what they are told. People don't behave that way in the civilian world."

In my opinion, military experience can be a real asset for sales, especially in challenging times. Like any other candidate, they must be fully vetted during the hiring process to make sure they possess the appropriate skills / mindset for the mission at hand.

With that said, I made one of my worst mistakes as a sales leader by hiring an ex-officer from a very elite group. Needing someone to "pioneer" a new territory, I felt he was perfect for this difficult assignment. I was so enamored with his background that I ignored red flags raised during the hiring process. As it turned out, he was severely deficient in mental toughness. How he made it through his unit's notoriously rigorous training still remains a mystery to me......

"Body language may or may not mean anything but could mean something."

 

"If a person refuses to look you in the eye, you can assume the person is physically attracted to you. Diverting eye contact is an attempt to gain control of one's emotions and physical desires."

 

"Chin stroking should be interpreted as an insult. In many countries, any touching of the chin in a business setting will immediately instigate a brawl."

 

"Facial ticks, twitching, and / or uncontrollable swearing is an attempt to build rapport. You should immediately respond in kind if you would like to take the relationship to the next level"

 

"Chewing on an object such as a pen, pad of paper, or a computer probably means the person recently smoked some weed and is experiencing the munchies. Keep a candy bar in your brief case for such situations."