Please Support and Thank our Sponsors:
 |  |  |
 |
The Flight Simulator
I was on a nonstop flight from Denver to Newark when, somewhere over Iowa, one of the plane’s two engines suddenly shut down. The aircraft veered and dropped slightly as it transitioned to flying on a single engine. The pilot quickly regained control and came over the intercom to tell us he had shut down one engine and was diverting immediately to Chicago.
The cabin went silent. You could have heard a pin drop. Fear swept through the passengers as we looked at one another in disbelief and confusion. I felt it too. I’m sure many of us were thinking the same thing: this can’t end like this.
For a few moments, even the flight attendants appeared as startled as the rest of us. Then their training took over. Calmly and professionally, they went to work. We were instructed to fasten our seat belts, raise our tray tables, clear trash, and lift the window shades for landing. We were also told not to be alarmed by the fire trucks and ambulances that would be lining the runway in Chicago.
Sitting across the aisle from me was a pilot catching a ride back to his home base in Newark. I looked at him and said, “Should we be worried?” He replied, “Not at all. The pilot has trained for situations like this hundreds of times in a flight simulator.”
In that instant, fear was replaced with confidence. And he was right. We landed safely. Later, we learned the engine had shut down due to a faulty hydraulic oil filter and valve.
That experience is a perfect reminder of how retail sales really works.
In retail, emergencies don’t happen at 30,000 feet—they happen on the sales floor. A customer walks in upset. Another wants a price match. Someone says, “I’m just looking.” A high-ticket customer hesitates at the close. A competitor is cheaper. A line is forming and pressure is building.
When those moments happen, salespeople don’t rise to the occasion—they fall back on their training.
If they’ve practiced asking questions, handling objections, presenting value, and confidently asking for the sale, they’ll stay calm and professional. If they haven’t, panic sets in. They ramble. They discount. They avoid closing. And the sale is lost.
Just like pilots rely on flight simulators, retail salespeople need regular training, practice, review, and role-playing. These “simulators” prepare them for real-world selling when the pressure is on and the customer is watching.
Skip the training, and the cost is lost revenue.
Commit to it, and you build confidence, consistency, and higher closing ratios.
The flight taught me two things I won’t forget:
- Training, practice, and role-playing save sales the same way simulators save lives.
- I still need to change the oil and filter in my automobiles.
 |  |
 |
Be sure to go to https://principlesforbusinessandlife.com/ – click on Our Viewpoint Newsletter and read an incredible article titled:
Choosing to Be the light This Christmas Season
“The light that inspires kindness and hope reveals truth before it can be passed on” – Bryan Dodge – Dodge Development
Start the NEW YEAR off right – Give Your Staff The Tools They Need To Be Successful!
On Sale For 1/2 Price
The Train The Trainer Course –
Includes the Complete PMSA Retail Sales Training Program &
The Complete Retail Sales Management Training Program!
Normally $995
Now Only $495 includes shipping
Go To www.princplesforbusinessandlife.com
Click On Training Tools to
place your order
Have your staff subscribe to the Munchies Newsletter and please pass this along to others within your circle of influence.
Leave a Reply