Sales training is important for using the team’s potential and developing the skills of individual salespeople. On one condition – that we choose the right training and plan the process properly. Appropriate, i.e. meeting the current needs of a specific team and improving the company’s key indicators. If you plan to organize a training, read first how to go about it and what to think about. It is not worth wasting money and time of employees on training that will be forgotten on the same day it took place. There is a large offer on the training market, so it is better to know what to pay attention to when making a decision.
How not to choose sales training?
Most often, I come across three approaches of companies to choosing training: choosing training with a ready-made scenario, the so-called “integration training” or quasi-tailored training. They have a common denominator – to a small extent, they allow you to improve the situation in the team and increase the level of key sales indicators (such as the number of appointments, conversion, CLTV).
- Sales training – ready-made
Training companies usually have training scenarios that are rarely modified for the customer. The process of choosing such training is simple – the client finds or receives an offer with ready-made training, goes to the training, spends a whole day or two on it and quite quickly realizes that he is still left with hundreds of questions and does not know how to solve some problems. Why is this happening? Unfortunately, there is a good chance that we will come across an interesting training with a charismatic instructor, but in terms of content it will be completely unsuited to our needs. If we are thinking about changing our own or our employees’ behavior, it is worth dealing with areas that are sensitive instead of touching on many aspects at a high level of generality.
- Sales training – integration instead of education
This type of training has contributed very much to the fact that training as a whole has been labeled as having fun on a company trip, without educational benefits. I’m not saying that team-building trips are unnecessary, because of course they have their important role in the company. I’m just saying that maybe it’s not always worth combining these two functions, or that the proportions should be better chosen. “Integration training” has a bad reputation because it is not associated with an increase in competence and knowledge. It is much better to take team members on an integration trip and organize the training at a different time. Such a solution will probably bring better results.
- Sales training almost good
Almost good, which means not good – you can say. I mean such workshop proposals in which the purchase of training comes down to: a joint diagnosis of the problems of the buyer of the training and the seller, and then the selection of training from the available proposals. Certainly, some gaps in the team’s skills will be filled, but we cannot expect that the results will be satisfactory. You’ll see why.
How to choose the right sales training and conduct it in 7 steps?
For years, I have been working according to the Kirkpatrick model, which is an effective signpost on how to design development programs. This process consists of several stages, the importance of which is equally important. Interestingly, the training process itself in the classroom is not the most important and its good conduct does not guarantee the desired changes in the level of employee behavior or the company’s results.
- First of all – strategic goals
We will not be able to show the way if we do not know the goal. It seems obvious, but in this type of decisions we forget about this principle – both as customers and as sellers. Getting to know the company’s strategic goals is a mandatory first step in the process of choosing sales training (and any other). What can these goals be? E.g. increase in market share, increase in turnover, level of margin, etc.
- Secondly – set KPIs
KPIs are key performance indicators that are a way for any company to control progress in all processes. I wrote about this in detail in my text KPIs in sales – why should you have them? Parameter analysis will help you diagnose problem areas. Very often, information on the number of customers, meetings, requests for quotations or the value of transactions is the starting point for determining those points that need to be improved quickly. If we know them, we will choose the scope of sales training without much trouble. For example, if we see that the team has made a very large number of phone calls (cold calling), but the number of scheduled meetings leaves much to be desired, we can assume with high probability that this area should be looked at closely. If, on the other hand, we see that there are quite a lot of customers, but the value of the transaction is not satisfactory, we will analyze the course of business talks, the frequency and form of contacts, as well as the selection of customers. Perhaps the client’s problem is cooperation with key business partners, or in fact cooperation with all clients in the same way. As they say, he who searches, will find.
- Thirdly – we choose sales training
At this stage, we need to think about how we want people from our organization to behave. The answer is quite simple – when we decide that they are doing their job well. Following this line of reasoning, we can determine what our desired standard or good practice is, for example, in the area of preparing an offer or presenting it during a meeting with the client.
- Fourthly – we prepare the employee
Once we know what the company’s goals are, what indicators are not satisfactory and what specifically needs improvement, we are able to design the training so that it is a good foundation for changes in the behavior of team members. An experienced trainer or trainer will have no problem with arranging a training scenario that meets the client’s needs and helps to solve specific problems. The task of the salesperson training is to develop, strengthen or correct the desired behaviors in the training participants. Therefore, in the first place, he must diagnose these behaviors well.
- Fifthly – we prepare the employee
In every training, the employee is the most important. He should be the center of attention. An important role of the boss or leader is to properly prepare the employee for the training so that he understands what the purpose of the workshop is and what the employee can expect from it. It is good if he knows what to pay attention to, what he will have the opportunity to ask. If we perform this task well and the employee feels our support, the training will have a very motivating effect on him.
- Sixthly – training
I will prepare a separate post on this topic. The issues of activating the group, using the Kolb cycle and many other aspects will affect the effectiveness of education and what the reaction to the training will be. It is also important to plan the implementation of new competences in the training room.
- Seventhly – implementation
It is worth remembering that no training, even the best one, will bring results if we do not put into practice what we have been taught during it. And here, too, the role of the leader is to monitor the growth of competences and their use in everyday work. One of the key barriers that permanent employees will face is a possible lack of self-confidence. It is similar to the situation in which you take a driving test, pick up your document, but you are afraid to get behind the wheel. Supervisors are to help in this area, strengthen employees’ self-confidence and motivate them to apply their newly acquired competences in their daily work.
If you are facing the choice of training, the article dispelled some of your doubts, but specific questions have arisen in relation to your team’s problems, do not be afraid to write to us. Our team performs audits of customer needs without charging a fee and prepares a training offer without any obligation for you.