I get questions, such as this e-mail:

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 are sales.

Salespeople are not kings - they just think they are. I suppose that comes from the line "Nothing happens until a sale is made," made in 1946 by publisher Arthur H. "Red" Motley. While this is a partially accurate statement, there’s a lot of prep before the sale, then there’s a lot of work to deliver the sale, and there’s a lot of work after the sale others on the team have to make happen.

When I got this "treat us like kings" e-mail, I thought of a chessboard, and wondered which piece salespeople were. And as the pieces flashed through my mind, I realized that on the chessboard, salespeople are every piece but the king.

A chess master has to be versatile, think three moves in advance and watch out for the competition. They also 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.

The same with salespeople.

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.

And whether they are willing to admit it or not, both chess master and salespeople are also painfully aware of the potential consequences of every move. Including losing your king.

Ever play chess against someone really good?

Pretty scary. That’s tough competition.

Ever play "sales" against someone good?

Wake up, Sparky! That is your competition.

Have you prepared for the game?

Do you have a strategy to win?

Do you know who you are playing against?

Do you have an opening move?

How confident are you that you’ll win?

Do you have alternate 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?

A few months ago I bought the book Every Great Chess Player Was Once A Beginner. Wow! It was one of those aha! moments. Every great salesperson was once a beginner. Think about your beginnings.

You were a lot of things, and wore a lot of hats. One of them was not king. 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. It’s 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 player, every salesman, must know the king’s presence and what his options are for survival.

So, salespeople kings? No. Pawns? Sometimes. All the rest of the pieces? yes! In fact I’d say of all the pieces on the board, salespeople should be closely associated with the queen. The queen is the most powerful and the most versatile piece.

Your move.

Want a few more chess gambits that convert to selling? Go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first-time visitor, and enter the word "chess" in the GitBit box.

Contact Jeffrey Gitomer at salesman@gitomer.com or (704) 333-1112. Gitomer is president of Buy Gitomer in Charlotte, N.C., and the author of "The Little Red Book of Selling." He gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer service at www.trainone.com. Sales Moves appears weekly.