Is Sales Training Actually Happening?

Introduction

Sales training is a critical component of the sales process, but it's not always happening in the way you might expect. If your organization is serious about improving sales performance and increasing revenue, here are some tips on how to make sure your salespeople are getting regular doses of good training:

Sales training is an integral part of the sales process.

So, is your sales training actually happening?

If you're like most organizations, the answer is probably "no." You might have heard of it in passing and taken some time to get it off the ground. But if you're like most organizations, your training efforts have fizzled out or been lost somewhere between launch and execution. The good news is that there are ways to avoid this fate--you just need to make sure that all members of your team understand what they're trying to achieve when they say "sales training."

Sales training should occur at every stage of a salesperson's career.

• Sales training should occur at every stage of a salesperson's career.
• It should happen after onboarding but before quota attainment.
• And it should be ongoing throughout the salesperson's career.

Training should happen after onboarding but before quota attainment.

The most effective sales training happens when a new employee is still in the onboarding stage. This is an ideal time for them to learn about your company, its culture, and how it works--and it's also a good time for them to learn about their role in the organization. The best way for them to do this is by observing others who have been there longer than they have and seeing how they approach their jobs.

Once you've gotten past the initial training period, though, it's important that you continue providing updated information that will help your employees succeed at their role within the company's goals and objectives (or those of whichever group they're working with).

You may also want to provide opportunities for them to attend conferences or seminars that help them develop skills and industry knowledge that will help them be more successful within their role.

Sales training should be delivered by experts in the field.

These questions are common:

• What's the difference between sales training and sales coaching?
• What can I do to help team members grow as salespeople?
• How do I measure the effectiveness of my sales training program?

These are great questions! And they all point toward one thing: Sales training should be delivered by experts in the field. It's not enough for your company to simply hire a trainer or seminar leader; instead, look for someone who has been there and done that--and can prove it with evidence from their own career trajectory as well as client testimonials (or better yet, referrals).

Training needs to be relevant to what's happening in the organization and the customers' world today.

• Training needs to be relevant to what's happening in the organization and its customers' world today.
• If you don't know what your organization does or what Gaps your product solves, you can't possibly know how to train it.
• If you don't understand why your customers buy from you, then it's going to be hard for anyone on your team (including yourself) to sell effectively and consistently.

Take a step back and look at the big picture. This isn't about creating some grand vision for where your organization is going or what it's going to be when you're done with it. It's about taking a clear-eyed view of where you are now and how that fits into the larger context of what customers need, want, and value today.

Your sales teams are busy, so it's important to make sure training is concise and on-point.

Sales training keeps your sales team up-to-date on the latest trends and strategies in your industry, but it can be difficult to make sure that your employees are actually absorbing all of the information you're trying to convey. Here are a couple of tips, to ensure your team retains what they learn in their training sessions:

• Make sure that each topic is short, sweet, and to the point. The more time it takes for your team to complete their training modules, the less likely they'll be able to finish them. Try breaking up your modules into smaller chunks so they don't feel overwhelmed by all of the material at once--this will not only make it easier for them, but it will allow you to identify exactly what areas of training need improvement down the road.
• If any of these modules seem irrelevant, unnecessarily long, or overly complex; consider revising or cutting out certain sections altogether. You want your readers to find the session so insightful and interesting that they want to come back for more.

Use visuals whenever possible. Visuals help learners retain information faster than simply reading text; they also make it easier for them to understand what's being taught. Try using photos or videos when teaching certain concepts like verbal and non-verbal sales skills, for example--this will not only show how important these concepts are but also illustrate how they should be carried out in real-life settings.

If you want your salespeople to perform at their best, make sure you're giving them regular doses of good sales training!

If you want your salespeople to perform at their best, make sure you're giving them regular doses of good sales training!

Sales training provides a framework for how your team members should behave and interact with customers. It also gives them the tools they need to be successful in their roles and help grow your business--but if the training isn't relevant, effective, or fun (or all three), then it won't have any impact on performance.

Here are some tips for making sure that your company's sales training program is effective:

• Make sure everyone knows what they're supposed to learn from each session before they attend it. This will ensure that everyone has similar expectations about what will happen during the session and how much time should be devoted to each topic; otherwise, there could be confusion about whether or not something was covered adequately enough during class time.
• Be sure that the material is relevant to your business, don't simply focus on general sales principles. Make sure that your training covers topics that your reps will be facing daily. For example, if you don't allow your contracts to be changed, then your team members need to know how to handle situations where clients want them to change the terms and conditions.

Conclusion

It's no secret that sales training can be a difficult topic to address. It's easy to think that the solution is just more training, but the truth is much more complicated than that. Salespeople are busy with many different priorities and responsibilities, they need training programs that reflect those realities!?