One thing we unanimously agree on in our office is that we enjoy taking on those projects which are a little more unique in their nature, because it only serves to help us grow. It’s also just a matter of pure enjoyment and it goes back to the primary reason why we decided to come together to start a business consultancy-type operation. A recent project in particular had all our ears perked up as we relished the prospect of getting really creative with our mandate to up-skill a big, multinational company’s resident sales team!

Teaching the sales team Blackjack rules

Since this was indeed an up-skilling project, as opposed to teaching a wet-behind-the-ears sales team how to sell, we had to try and command respect from the get-go, which we did by getting really creative and setting the first session in what looked like a casino floor environment. It worked wonders as our lead instructor didn’t even have to quiet the small group down when he walked in to start delivering the lesson.

Basically the course was designed to develop sales skills around the use of the popular casino table game of blackjack as a template!

The link between Blackjack rules and sales

So what’s the link between blackjack rules and sales? There are many!

For one, if you were playing a high-stakes game or if you enjoyed the status of a casino whale, you can negotiate some of the rules to swing the odds in your favour. Another dynamic which exists with regards to how to play blackjack is that of using team-work to essentially rig the odds, through something like card-counting. In most cases it’s frowned-upon, but technically it’s not illegal and you’re not breaking the rules of the game itself.

So in teaching the sales force how to polish their sales skills, we had them learn how to play blackjack and then we went on to draw parallels between the game itself and their sales exploits. There are so many!

Why Blackjack rules in particular

So we chose blackjack in particular because it’s a fun game and there is always a likelihood that those who didn’t as yet know how to play it have, in some way, always wanted to learn. Naturally some already knew the rules, in which case they’d be more confident in their ability to come up trumps, but to also perhaps take the lead and help the other team members learn.

The result? A perfect storm, which brings to light the ultimate template for polishing-up one’s sales skills.

Polishing YOUR sales skills with Blackjack rules

It’s all about team work. In the same way that a group of eager gamblers can rig the game in their favour through something like card-counting and signalling to each other when the time is right to “bet big”, sales teams can launch a concerted assault on the market to make sure the team as a whole reaches its sales targets.

So if you seek to polish YOUR sales skills, learn how to play blackjack and then draw parallels with your sales efforts. Hint: it’s better to team up with other eager salespersons than to go it all alone!