Training

Sales Training is a critical component contributing to the success of most companies. For sales and training executives and managers, assessing and selecting from amongst the many sales training and methodology providers can be a daunting task. However, sales training is a significant (and from a financial reporting standpoint, often a "financially material") investment.

Basic Sales Training Requirements

1. Training Objectives

a. Learning Objectives

b. Desired outcome (e.g. sales increase per participant, deals closing sooner, less discounting)

c. Criteria and methods for measuring the outcome

2. Baseline Assumptions

a. What methodology, processes, and procedures are you currently using?

b. What does your sales force already know?

c. What are their individual and aggregate strengths and weaknesses?

d. Areas requiring training (for example):

i. employing the company's sales methodology

ii. product knowledge,

iii. selling process,

iv. communicating up and down the sales "chain of command"

v. prospecting

vi. gaining and maintaining access to senior-levels

vii. closing

viii. getting to the 'right buyer'

ix. devising strategies and tactics to win against a specific competitor

Why train?

Increase Sales

Better trained salesperson will sell more

Enhance customer relationships

Train to handle o shortages

o inflation

o competition

o recession

Decrease costs

Train to manage o Time

o Territory

o Expenses

Whitmore's study of qualities that can be learned through training

Respect

A good salesperson Selling knowledge:

A good salesperson

o is liked as a person

o has common sense

o is considered a "friend"

o Understands buyers problems

o Appears to be better trained

o is a better conversationalist

o is more well rounded

o Is less affected by pressure.

o has more drive

o is more mature

o has more product knowledge

o has more industry knowledge

o has more market and market condition knowledge

o has information about people that use the products

o tends to use more high-pressure

o presents novel ideas to buyers

o is willing to spend time with buyers

o is able to get better delivery times

Training program content