Sandler taps into something well beyond the communication that takes place when buyers and sellers meet. Typically most sales training programs focus on discovering what the customer wants, what they need, how much money they’re willing to invest and how the decision is going to take place.

Sandler adds another component to the training and that is…what is happening on a psychological level for the prospect AND for the salesperson.

Since most sales begin with the salesperson reaching out to the prospect, we need to recognize that the experience they are having is as important to the process as is the experience the prospect is having. I would venture to say that, in some ways, it matters more. What the salesperson thinks, how they feel, what belief systems they are bringing to the interaction is equally as relevant as what’s happening for the prospect. Selling is not simply a transaction. It’s not a technical or mechanical event that can be had with scripts. Selling is an emotional and psychological experience. There is no script. In fact, the entire event is steeped in conflicting agendas. Prospects want information and pricing, salesperson wants Pain, Budget, and Decision. Every prospect is different and every salesperson is different. Each with a set of beliefs and experiences that they bring to the conversation. If you really want to affect change, any training you do should include tapping into what is happening below the surface on a psychological level for the salesperson and the prospect. Being in sales is like playing a sport. We all know that athletes don’t just work on practicing and developing new techniques. They work on their attitude and, in particular, their belief systems. They understand which beliefs they have that are supportive of their success and which beliefs they have that are not supportive.

We all know that when you’re hiring a sales person you need to find someone with the right “stuff”. Traits like, no need for approval, can handle rejection, prospecting skills, communication skills, the need to succeed, etc. The list goes on.

You hire the superstar and put them out into the world and reality hits. They are out there, on their own, dealing with constant rejection, prospects who resist their efforts to move things along and the uncertainty of whether they will make a sale, earn commission and meet their personal financial goals. On top of that, they have little or no job security. That’s a lot of emotional and psychological stress. What sales people need when it comes to training is a full, comprehensive, long term, reinforcement program that not only gives them a strategy to move the prospect through the process, but the tools needed to manage their own feelings and beliefs. They need to have a training program that includes teaching them how to identify what their challenges are and then provide them with the self-development tools needed to truly accelerate their success.