The Greatest Trainer The World Has Ever Known

by David Fletcher   //   David's Blog, For Agents & Brokers, For Builders & Developers  //  No Comments

As we move through our sales careers, no matter the profession, we meet and see some incredible trainers. And we remember them through the years, although we might forget exactly who taught us the “one thing to remember, if we don’t remember anything else.”

Who would you say is the greatest trainer ever? I’ve been thinking about this  lately, because as a trainer, I have to be careful, especially in hard times, to make sure what I am sharing is the truth. How do I know it works, for sure? Unless it is a principle, I must know by my own experience or the experience of someone  I totally trust.

My ego can get in the way, I can become so enamoured with my own stuff that it’s all I talk about. I can do the one thing I must guard against-quit learning.

My nomination for the greatest trainer, and by that I mean the person who affected more peoples lives than any other trainer who ever lived, is Jesus.

I heared people call him a great teacher, yes. Trainer?  Then one day I started reading what I thought had to be a great book on training..and it was that and more.It is book that I could not put down, because as a sales person, sales manager, and sales trainer, I am always looking for the truth in what I read. The author of this book is A.B. Bruce. It’s title,The Training Of The Twelve. It is an exhaustive study of how Jesus trained his disciples.

His technique was simple: He used stories, or parables, to make spiritual points, but what caught my attention was how the same parable had such practical applications for living.

For example, Jesus used the parable of the good Samaritan when he was challenged to define “neighbor” when he told the questioner  to “love your neighbor as yourself.”  Here is the parable, followed by a practical truth. Amazing.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan  Luke: 25-3725 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”   26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]”28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

   36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

   Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Jesus was teaching about spiritual things, but look at what comes out of this parable as a ‘truth’ about  five ways to treat people:

1.  We can exploit people. Take advantage of our expertise and knowledge  (the robbers exploited their victim)

2. We can treat people as a problem to avoid (the priest saw the problem, crossed the road). How often have you avoided people in need of something as small as a kind word?

3. We can treat people as a problem to discuss (The Levite saw the wounded man, ignored him and probably discussed him at home that night).  Ever gossiped or said something about someone that would harm their reputation?

4. We can treat people as customers, ones to make a buck on.  The Inn Keeper saw an opportunity to make a buck.  Nothing wrong with this. It’s business.

5. We can go the extra mile and help those in need because they need help. Do you know anyone that could use a phone call or a personal note?

When I started ‘getting it’ with the help of the author, this  book came alive to me, because he was discussing a man who had nothing– no home, no money, no position, no family, no standing in society, who was sought after for what he could do for others (healing), picked 12 uneducated men from wide and different backgrounds and within three years trained, coached and mentored  them to carry his message to the world after he left this world.

What are your thoughts?

 

 

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