Recently, I was in a conference with five people who constitute the movers and shakers of a company.

One of them asked me a lot of questions about selling, not because she doesn't know how to do it. In fact, she's quite effective.

Her concern is how can we teach others to do what seems to come so naturally to her?

For instance, how will trainees know when to abandon a prospect that is a long shot to turn into a customer? How will neophytes be able to sound natural, especially if they're using scripts?

My reply was simple: Don't worry; I'm not going hire natural, born salespeople.

There aren't that many of them, and we'd have to pay a ton to make the job attractive to them.

We're going to "make" salespeople; to manufacture them, from raw material, because we must, for the sake of economy and speed.

As a general principle, it is imprudent to try to clone "naturals," because many of them have very bad habits that shouldn't be imitated.

Consider Johnny Cash, the late, great country singer, and a true "natural" in his field. His atonality is legendary, but he was able to break with convention and make it work. He found an appreciative audience for his style, mistakes and all.

But it would be foolish to try to develop the next Johnny Cash.

People would probably pick up his worst habits and not even see his best.

"Made" sellers are selected because they have the capability of following a design created by others; they actually like using a mold, and being molded, while naturals abhor them, and break them at every turn.

A natural resists being guided and managed, and made sellers require it, and often are glad to accept it.

There are other differences, as well.

But natural salespeople have nothing to worry about. They'll always be in demand, if only because they're so rare!

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