Sales Training and Lead Generation

Hands down, the strongest business skill to have is sales – anyone who tells you otherwise is a clown. Unfortunately, the area of business with the most lazy people who pretend to know what they are doing is also sales. Business owners tend not to have a single clue about sales so neither they, nor their HR department have any ability to hire the right sales people. HR hiring a sales person is worse than spinning a roulette wheel and letting that decide whom to hire.

What is Sales Training? How to Train Your Team Effectively

‍Sales training is a process that helps sales reps develop the skills and knowledge needed to sell a product or service. It takes into account the salesperson’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential for development so that individualized training activities can be created. An effective sales training program will help your team grow by introducing new concepts and strategies that they can apply to real-world scenarios. Additionally, sales training can increase accountability for achieving monthly quotas, create an environment where employees are more willing to share their ideas, and establish common ground among team members. Read on to learn more about what is sales training, how to train your team effectively, and tips on implementing an effective sales training program in your organization.

What is Sales Training?

Sales training is the process of teaching individuals the skills they need to sell their products or services. While each company will have specific goals to achieve with their sales training program, there are generally four key areas that sales reps should be skilled in when they leave a sales training program:

1. prospecting
2. relationship building
3. selling
4. and closing the sale

Each of these categories (and the corresponding skills) play an important role in helping reps successfully sell their products or services to an appropriate audience.

• Prospecting: The first step of a sales process is to identify the people or organizations that could benefit from the product or service that’s being sold. This is called prospecting.
• Selling: After the appropriate prospects have been identified, the sales rep should present the company’s offering and attempt to secure an agreement to purchase the product or service.
• Relationship Building: Sales activities don’t end with the sale. To foster a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship between the sales rep and customer, relationship building takes place. This stage involves cultivating a positive relationship with customers by providing them with relevant product or service information, responding to their questions, and resolving any issues they have.
• Closing the Sale: The final step of a sales process is closing the sale. This is the point at which the customer indicates that they’d like to buy the product or service. Closing the sale can include asking for the business, negotiating terms, and creating a contract for the sale.

The order of the sales process process can be unpredictable. You could get a call one day and some unknown person just buys your product or service –  this is called “taking the sale” as opposed to “making the sale” (you better thank marketing when this happens).  But, even in this scenario, a good sales person would still start the relationship building process, seek referrals, follow up on satisfaction and needs met.

How to Train Your Team Effectively

To effectively train your team, you should first determine the goals of your sales training program. Ideally, sales training should address all aspects of the sales process, as well as common challenges and pitfalls salespeople face on the job. Once you’ve established the goals of your program, you can identify the best sales training methods for your employees. When selecting sales training methods, consider the following factors:

• The number of sales reps you have: If you have a large sales team, you may want to consider group training methods so that everyone receives the same information at the same time.
• The sales reps’ experience level: If you have sales reps with varying experience levels, a combination of different sales training methods may be appropriate.
• The sales reps’ learning style: Some sales reps learn better when they’re engaged in group discussions, while others may prefer a more individualized approach.

Why is effective sales training important?

There are many benefits to having an effective sales training program in your organization. Most importantly, sales training can help your sales reps increase their sales. With the right skills and knowledge, your team members can better understand their customers’ needs, create a relationship with them, and close more sales as a result. In addition to helping sales reps close more deals, sales training can create a more positive work environment by encouraging discussion and self-awareness among team members. It can also help create more accountability in sales by giving your employees the tools they need to hit their monthly quotas. Lastly, an effective sales training program can help your organization to retain its employees. When people feel recognized, appreciated, and included in their work environment, they’re generally more satisfied with their jobs and less likely to leave.

3 Ways to make your sales training program more effective

The sales training methods you choose and the way you deliver the information can make a big difference in the overall effectiveness of your program. Here are three ways you can make your sales training program more effective:

• Use outside resources: Sometimes the best way to learn about a specific topic is to engage with someone who’s an expert in that field. You can invite guest speakers to come to your office and share their expertise with your team, or you can sign up for online training sessions that allow your employees to learn at their own pace.
• Develop measurable learning objectives: Before you begin implementing sales training activities in your organization, you should first create learning objectives that tell your team members what they need to know and be able to do after the sales training program. These learning objectives will help your team stay on track and make sure they’re getting the most out of the sales training program.
• Create a culture of sharing: When team members are more engaged (and possibly even a little competitive) with one another, they’re more likely to share their best practices and ideas with one another. If a sales rep is having difficulty closing a sale, they can ask a colleague who has a higher close rate for advice.

A successful sales training program can help your company close more sales, create a more positive work environment, and retain more employees. To achieve these goals, you’ll need to determine the goals of your program and select appropriate sales training methods. Remember: The goal of sales training is to help your sales reps do their jobs better. That’s why it’s important to regularly check in with your team members to see how their sales training is progressing and make any necessary adjustments.