Tips to Develop Effective Sales Training for Your Team
Written by Rebekah Faria
Here I am again, sitting in a spartan room surrounded by fellow sales reps. There are dry erase boards throughout, name tags worn to introduce ourselves and the smell of coffee permeates the air. I have been asked to fly to this location, therefore leaving my customers (and family) behind for a good portion of the week. Why am I here? Will I learn anything new? I know how to do my job. More training…again?
Most roles require training, but sales positions are often tasked with a heavy curriculum regarding their craft. In addition to product training, we often find ourselves learning new sales processes and methodologies to help us become “better” sales professionals. All of this training, often done in-person or virtually, takes us out of the field and away from closing business. To a majority in the field, our biggest question when scheduled for more training is “Is this necessary”?
“55% of salespeople lack basic sales skills.”
The answer to that question is, in fact, YES! According to Forbes magazine, 55% of salespeople lack basic sales skills! This is surprising when you consider US companies spend about $20 billion per year on sales training. The question isn’t whether the training is needed but rather, is the training effective? Statistics show that about 84% of all sales training is lost after 90 days. Most likely this means that the training itself wasn’t engaging. Engagement 100% impacts retention where training is concerned. So how can a business make their costly investment stick?
PLATFORM
Often the platform in which the training is delivered can greatly impact how it is received by a sales professional. Taking people out of their lives for multi day training should be avoided when possible. Not only are you adding the stress of having to travel (even without the current Covid situation) but you are moving them out of their territory and away from their family. Often there is resentment at being asked to do so, which is not a good foundation for starting multi-day, in person, facilitated training. Secondly, being in training for a full day, never mind multiple days, is draining. This can lead to physical and mental fatigue. If your brain is not firing at peak efficiency, retention is going to be problematic.
CONTENT
Next is the content. Is it so rudimentary that your seasoned sales professionals will be insulted? Is it a sales methodology that won’t fit with your company’s business model or culture? Investing time in something you know will not be replicable in the workplace is a key demotivator. So, how do you provide sales training that will be effective and result in more successes and more revenue for your company? How can you ensure your financial investment will actually get a ROI?
It is exceptionally important to make sure all the correct players at your business are in place when organizing and selecting sales training. This isn’t a product that HR should be deciding on internally. You have to make sure sales leadership has buy-in on the content provided. They will be able to pinpoint if it is beneficial to their team. Also, they should be able to identify whether this is a methodology that will see success in the organization. They will be the first line to determine whether or not this might work.
Secondly, you have to determine what platform would be best. Perhaps you should break down the training into monthly or quarterly virtually led sessions or a combination of virtual and eLearning modules. This will make it a lot easier for the end users to fit it into their schedule. Rather than blocking out an entire week, they will happily trade it in for a few hours a month. This also keeps them in the field and generating revenue.
ask for help
Last but not least, find a training company you can truly partner with to develop the curriculum. Find a company who will take the time to truly determine what your needs and goals are for your sales training so that content is impactful and engaging.
“With so many off- the- shelf training curriculums available, it is easy to find the cheapest and move on. Cheap though, is not always the best solution. ”
Having the ability to customize content and delivery to make sure your users are not bored is a huge hurdle with most trainings. Off- the- shelf won’t necessarily give you that. That is why a true training partner is valuable because they should be able to provide you this option. They can create content that is customized to your company’s strategy and markets you pursue. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to sit through training sessions that were NOT applicable to the markets in which I worked.. Did I take away anything from those trainings? Maybe? Did I find those trainings to mostly be a waste of my time? YES!
To truly provide a worthwhile sales training for your team, you really have to make sure that the content is applicable to your team and market, engaging enough to allow for retention, and taught in a way that isn’t seen as a nuisance by your team. The key to make this possible is finding a training company that will take the time to develop this content with you, and for you. Training isn’t something that should be seen as a cookie cutter solution, for it to be successful, it has to resonate with your individual business. The great news is I know of a company that can deliver on that promise! Please fill out the form below and I will be in touch shortly!
About the author
Rebekah lives in Massachusetts and has over a decade of sales experience. She is a mother to a rambunctious and inquisitive two year old, loves to cook in her free time. She is excited the weather is getting nicer so she can work on her vegetable garden.