Do the people who say, “those who can’t sell, teach” also believe that only top-performing salespeople can be good sales leaders?

Sprung from George Bernard Shaw’s quote from 1903, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” there’s a bubbling trend of posts & comments on LI and Twitter lately saying the same thing.

The idea that only great salespeople can be great sales leaders has been put to bed over and over again. Sometimes great salespeople are great leaders, but sometimes they aren’t – they’re different jobs.

So, how can one be true, and the other not?

If great salespeople don’t always make great sales leaders, why do we believe that only great salespeople make great sales trainers?

I’m not writing this for self-preservation…I mean, don’t hire me to be a resource for your team if you believe it. I’m cool with that.

But I’ve learned from some incredible sales trainers throughout my career. To be a great teacher is a gift, a passion, and focused study and practice.

I understand the “why”. There’s some awful advice being doled out through the socials…much coming from this idea that we should all establish a brand for ourselves through our wisdom. The difference? Some are seeking to simply build a personal brand by sharing everything that’s in their brain, while others seek teaching as a profession. They have made it their life’s work – to make people better at what they do, to live better lives as a result, and uplift the professions they serve.

And I wouldn’t be effective at what I do if teaching was something I did solely from the seat of also being a rep or also being a leader. It’s a profession in itself.

For those who teach – take pride in your craft. Study every single day. Optimize your ability to be a facilitator of learning. Ignore those who think you must suck because you teach.

For those in sales who seek to learn – like everything else, there are fantastic teachers, and there are crappy ones. Do your homework.