You can recognize them from a mile away.

They don't know where to park or where they'll be eating lunch. They walk with a little too much confidence, exhibit just a tad too much enthusiasm, and always have an uncertain look in their eyes.

They are new sales people, and the future of your company just might depend on their contributions.

Remember when IBM was International Business Machines, Coke was "the real thing," and KFC would actually admit that its chicken was (gasp!) fried?

If these three venerable, multinational companies are willing to take a long, hard look at themselves and say, "Selves, we need to make some changes in order to improve sales," then there is absolutely no reason your company shouldn't do the same.

Especially if your sales process is antiquated, out of touch, or worse: convoluted to the point that it's confusing.

Larry Bird. Wayne Gretzky. Joe Montana.

Their names are synonymous with individual excellence.

Michael Jordan. Dominik Hasek. Brett Favre.

They are hailed among the absolute best to have ever played their respective sports.

LeBron James. Sidney Crosby. Peyton Manning.

And none of their accomplishments would have happened without their teammates.

Joe Girard is the greatest salesperson to have ever walked a car dealership's lot.

During his illustrious 14-year career, he sold more than 13,000 automobiles, including 18 in one day, 174 in one month and a whopping 1,425 in a single year.

His feats have been chronicled in several books, including the Guinness Book of World Records, which lists him as the "world's greatest salesman."

Sometimes it's not enough to simply solve the customer's problem. Sometimes you've got to throw in a hug... metaphorically thinking.

That's the lesson leaders of a major call center learned when they analyzed metrics measuring the effectiveness of its sales team. It's also the reason the call center turned to whole brain thinking to improve overall customer satisfaction.

This is the 2,015th year of the Common Era... the 15th year of the third millennium... and the "year of the sheep," if you're inclined to consult the Chinese Zodiac.

It's also the year that sales training became more personal.

Sales training. No company can afford to ignore it, and thankfully few do. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, companies spend $1 trillion globally on sales training each year. Yes, that's "trillion" with a "T."

By this time, you have realized that organizations are made up of any number of unique individuals whose behaviors are uniquely affected by the way they think. These individuals' thought processes greatly impact a business's performance and consequentially, the success (or not) of that business.

It has been reported that more than 65 percent of all organizations have agreed-upon business strategies. That's impressive when you consider how many startups, sole proprietor shops and at-home businesses there are across the U.S.

Unfortunately, what happens after the strategies are developed isn't as impressive. According to a column in Forbes, only 14 percent of employees understand their organizations' strategy, and less than 10 percent of organizations ever successfully execute their strategies.