There has been a plethora of blog posts and articles recently, regarding sales training, so I thought I would add my “two penneth” (Quaint British expression, meaning small contribution)

In many companies, very little systematic thought is given to the design of a sales training program. Very often one of the following fallacious schools of thought is encountered.

“Salespeople Are Born Not Made”- therefore the selection process is the only step to getting the right man. Having been chosen, the new recruit is then either successful or not, without any help from the company. Research does not bear out this theory.

“Must Know The Product From The Ground Up” – all training is therefore devoted to lengthy product training, working on the shop floor, progressing paperwork, etc. Whilst product knowledge is very necessary, it is questionable whether this is the right way to learn it or whether this is sufficient on its own.

“Watch Me Son” – the new Salesperson is sent out with an old hand to watch (and thus learn) the experienced person’s techniques. Thus the new salesperson may not only pick up bad habits from the experienced person (who usually is not as trained as a trainer), but also mere observation will not teach.

If a successful training programme is to be developed, it must be planned with careful thought given to the following questions:

• What should be taught?
• Where should it be taught?
• By whom?

And most critical -
• How?

For Example: Objectives Of A Training Program
•  Increased sales
•  Reduced individual selling costs
•  Increased individual earnings
•  Reduced personnel turnover
•  Reduced need for supervision
•  Improved employee morale
•  Better customer relationships

Therefore, the objectives have to be formulated in these terms, i.e. turning the company’s investment in personnel into an asset producing an increased return on that investment.

Conclusion:
Training, particularly sales training is a lengthy and complex process if true learning is to take place (i.e. if behaviour is to be modified) Too often, insufficient thought is given to what is to be achieved, by whom and how. The whole situation firstly needs careful analysis with regard paid to the limitations of training, as well as to its value. Then the programme can be formulated and, very important, evaluated against specific objectives. Only in this way can we be sure that the training is in fact achieving positive results.

Training is an essential part of the profession of selling, as it is in any other profession.

Finally, formal training can also have a huge influence on skills development, especially if it is implemented with two additional ingredients:

The training must be based on what the salespeople need and should be tailored to address diagnosed performance gaps. Using a diagnostic approach – a formal sales team skills audit, saves an organisation money and time because there is nothing to be gained from teaching people something that they are already doing well or, conversely, that they don’t need to do in the first place. A well-targeted programme is far more likely to engage participants’ full interest because they’ll see its immediate relevance to their daily results.

Any training programme will be more effective when the skills that participants learn are reinforced on a regular and continual basis. For maximum impact, every level of management must reinforce training. Such reinforcement can come in many forms, but the best way is for the sales manager to serve as a “model of excellence” who provides an ongoing demonstration of required skills so salespeople begin to live and breathe them.

How do the very best companies develop their sales teams? Find out here

Today’s News: It’s Tuesday, so it must be Top Sales Experts Masterclass day, which means that Christian Maurer is making a welcome return to the stage, with an insightful and wholly relevant presentation.

The Adaptive Value Proposition
Tuesday November 10th 2009 1:00 PM EASTERN (6pm GMT)

“In my last master class on a similar subject, I discussed how value proposition change along the customer’s buying cycle.

In this class we will discuss why the exact same message works for one individual and can fail with another individual even within the same customer organization.

You will learn how to apply 3 different levers reducing the risk for the contents of value propositions not reaching the target.”

I have a few FREE places for you and you can grab one here.

The Sales Lead Management Association is running it’s annual poll to recognise the top fifty most influential people in…you guessed it, sales lead management.

I am ashamed to admit that I only recognised a handful of the nominees, and I certainly do not think there is one outside the US, which is a pity.

However, one name you will instantly recognise is Jill Konrath, and I urge you to vote for her HERE

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