By 
Short answer: Great salespeople are made, not born. Sales is a craft — a body of proven techniques that can be learned, practised and mastered — not an art that must be invented from scratch by a gifted few. Mastery is not quick, but it does not take decades either: with deliberate practice, a committed seller can, in my experience, become excellent within a few years.
The myth of the "born salesperson"
Conventional wisdom says you are either born to sell or you are not. That is simply not true.
Ask the same question about swimming. Is there such a thing as a "born swimmer"? Throw a child who has never had a lesson into the deep end and you will be diving in after them. Some people have a natural feel for the water — and some people have a natural feel for selling — but in both cases they are a tiny share of everyone who ends up doing it well.
Is sales an art or a craft?
The distinction matters, because it decides whether you believe sales can be taught.
- An art relies on learned technique plus a high degree of personal innovation. Each practitioner has to invent much of the method.
- A craft has well-understood techniques that can be learned completely and applied reliably.
Medicine is a good illustration. In the 1500s it was closer to an art: much ancient anatomical and surgical knowledge had been lost, and healers improvised on very thin and often false foundations. Today, medicine is primarily a craft. A doctor graduates having learned a broad set of techniques refined over centuries — while innovation still continues on top of that foundation.
Competitive swimming is also a craft: generations of coaches and athletes have codified technique, training and mental preparation.
Sales is a craft too. Hundreds of thousands of salespeople have already walked the path you are on, and the most successful of them have codified what works. You do not have to invent selling — you have to learn it and practise it.
How long does it take to become a great salesperson?
Be wary of anyone who promises to make you a champion seller in a one-week seminar, a single book or a video series. Television, films and video games teach us that mastery appears in an hour. Real life does not work that way. As Theodore Roosevelt said, "Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty."
Look at the champions:
- Mark Spitz started training at six. His first Olympics in 1968 brought relay gold but no individual title — a deep disappointment. Four more years of relentless training later, he won seven gold medals in Munich.
- Diana Nyad completed her crossing from Havana to Key West in 2013 at the age of 64, on her fifth attempt, thirty-five years after her first try and four years after she came back to the sport at 60.
The good news: becoming a great salesperson does not take decades. It can be done in a few years — if you actually do the work: repetition, drilling, practice, reflection and more practice.
The first step: decide
Every achievement starts with a decision. First, decide that it is possible — you do not need to be born with a gift, and you do not need to invent sales as an art. Then decide that you will go through with it.
You will probably need to make that decision more than once. Everyone hits tough stretches and wants to throw in the towel. The sellers who keep going and hold on to the goal are the ones who become champions.
How technology supports deliberate practice
A craft improves fastest when you can see what you are doing. A modern CRM like Coevera makes your sales process visible — where deals stall, which activities move them forward, what your best sellers do differently — and its AI handles routine work so reps can invest more time in deliberate practice and real customer conversations.
Self-assessment: where are you today?
Answer honestly on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest):
- How would you rate your current skill as a salesperson?
- How much improvement do you feel you need?
Keep your answers — later parts of this series add further questions so you can build a complete picture of your strengths and gaps. Part 3 – sales alertness
Part 2 of the series "Cutting Through the Water — Becoming a Champion Salesperson" by Nikolaus Kimla. Previous: Part 1 – the image problem. Next: Part 3 – sales alertness.
Make your sales craft visible. Discover how Coevera helps sales teams practise, measure and improve at www.coevera.com.
