How CoLearn Overcomes The Stigmas about Sales Through Bootcamp

The story behind CoLearn's Sales Bootcamp by Rizki Oceano, Learning & Culture Manager.

What crosses your mind when you hear about sales? You may think of those aggressive salespeople approaching you in the train station or shopping malls, right? Is that really everything you can think of about Sales? Or is there something greater beyond that?

This is the story of how CoLearn debunks the stigmas our society has held long toward Salespeople.

Stigma #1 Salespeople love to talk, they don't listen

Someone told me, "Salespeople talk all the time. There was a moment when I just nodded my head listening to their 30 minute pitch."

It's understandable why many Salespeople are taking this road, as they assume that the more they bombard the client with information, the closer they are to the deal. Or else, they have a set of scripts to follow with only a little freedom to improvise.?

We all know that the more time people spend talking, the less time they have to listen. Not listening enough might make Salespeople fail to understand the clients' pain points and fail to add any value to the products. This is a common mistake in sales, where people focus on selling the product without understanding how the product would solve the clients' problems.

In CoLearn, parents & students are the clients. We train our new Sales Executive to exercise active questioning & listening to empathize better. During our daily sales mockup practices, our Senior Sales Executive shares feedback about possible inquiries and ways to do follow-ups. We even measure the proportion of the interaction; our ideal scenario would be 60% talk done by parents & students, shared equally, and the remaining portion by our Sales Executive. Where did the number come from? It was learned from the success stories of our own Sales team.

We train our Sales Bootcampers to listen, question, and understand parents & students more while talking less.

Stigma #2 Salespeople are not consultants, they hard sell

I realized that many services or products could be sold quicker when promoted aggressively. However, in certain contexts, the same rule does not always apply. CoLearn is selling an educational product, a Live Class where students are taught by the brightest & most well-trained teachers online. Beyond that, we're exploring students' futures through our range of products.

In the newest WEF Report, more than 150 million jobs will be replaced in 2022. Those with manual work, auditing, finance, and administration will embrace the most impact. Meanwhile, 170 million new job creations heavily lie on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).?

What does it mean for parents & students? They need to be able to plan & prepare the education well. That's why our Sales Executive are trained as consultants; to counsel students & become thought partners for the parents.

We simulated consultative selling from day 1 in Bootcamp. This became our solid way to interact with parents & students. In CoLearn, we say no to hard selling.

Stigma #3 Sales is a job for everyone, no need to have specific skills

It is partially accurate that everyone can pursue a career in Sales, but it doesn't mean that anyone can do it effectively without any training. Making sales without proper skills would just strengthen the stigmas that we have had for years.

Salesmanship is real science. I just realized this when I was setting up this Sales Bootcamp. It felt like I was entering a new universe when all the techniques, rationale, and processes were thoroughly practiced. Walking, shaking hands, making eye contact, asking opening questions, and dressing up; all of them are to be learned.

During our Bootcamp, we collected data from the Sales team's feedback & assessments. We found out that those who have displayed these sets of skills: storytelling, personal confidence, and empathy thrive more.

Yes, it's a job for everyone. But this requires skills to master, there is a science behind it.

#4 Sales is the last resort career choice

It is sad to write this piece, as I know how important Sales is for any business. But,? in reality, it is not an attractive team to lure talents in. Some may think that Sales is a dirty job, exposed to fieldwork, and chased by targets. Those stereotypes discourage people from applying & experiencing the work as a salesperson.

In CoLearn, we want to debunk this stigma by investing significantly through learnings, mentorships, commissions, and career growth. For a starter, all the new Sales Executive will get through a 5-day intensive Bootcamp, followed by 3-month of shadowing & close mentorships. Our commissions are competitive in the EduTech industry with no ceiling, as those who sell as many as possible will be rewarded by commissions with no cap. Lastly, our career paths are crystal clear; those performing well in the first six months can be promoted to Sales Supervisors.

Salespeople are the face of the company, and we're very aware of that. Our CEO, Abhay, formerly worked in Sales, where he was able to collect experiences & learnings to now build the fastest-growing EduTech in Indonesia, CoLearn. We're reinventing Sales as a promising option for a career.

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In case you're still wondering about your next career move, do consider taking the opportunity to work with us, a rocketship cracking Indonesia's education problems. We're the fastest-growing EduTech company with 5 million students in our first year running. We are a multicultural company with seasoned & young talents from 5 different countries.

Our Bootcamp is the first touchpoint of your bright career journey in Sales. Apply to colearn.id/karir/sales