Building Up With Sales Training

Sales training is one of the most significant investments an organization can make in their sales team. In fact, research cited by taskdrive.com shows sales training has an average return on investment of 353 percent. In 2023, on average, Janek clients realized a 1188 percent return on their training investment.

From this, the benefits are clear. However, with so many programs in a wide range of prices, choosing one can be daunting task.

As difficult as this decision can be, there are some essentials. When choosing a sales training partner, start small and work your way up. Incorporate only those skills/behaviors your reps need. You can always upgrade later. This keeps costs reasonable and ensures the most bang for your buck. While no means exclusive, these points can narrow the field from daunting to manageable:

Training Company

In sales, buyers often get what they pay for. However, bigger, or more expensive, is not always the best solution for a specific problem. The same is true of sales training. With training companies ranging in size and expertise, not to mention price, here are the top considerations:

• Reputation
• Measurable success
• Expertise

Today, a company’s reputation is essential to their brand. Whether it is TVs, smart phones, or even peanut butter, we feel better choosing brands we know.

Part of this is psychological. Reputation is a component of social proof. A company that has been around seems trustworthy. Of course, this is not to disparage up-and-comers. Startups may be young and hungry. They may work harder and provide more personal support. However, they may lack the immediate comfort consumers seek from a known commodity.

With sales training, you want a company with a documented history. While too much self-promotion may be a red flag, the opposite might be a bigger flag. A company that does not share success may not have success to share.

Successful companies show who they have worked with. You may find the names of blue chips and others on their website. Sure, it says something that they worked with the biggest names. These companies can work with anyone, and they still chose that organization. However, success with financial institutions does not mean success with a mom-and-pop plumping supply company. For sales trainers, seek partners that have worked with and achieved success with companies like you.

In addition, look for success measured with metrics comparable to your own. A 200 percent ROI is always impressive. But if it does not pertain to what you do, it will not benefit your organization. Check they have succeeded with similar-sized companies in comparable industries that faced your challenges.

Successful companies not only share results. They are leaders in their fields. As such, they publish blogs, white papers, case studies, and other collateral. This demonstrates their commitment to studying, understanding, and expanding the accumulated knowledge of their industry. This ensures they are well versed in the challenges faced by modern sales forces.

Curriculum

More than who they are, what they teach is critical. Most sales training curriculum will feature basic skills like cold calling and qualifying. These are staples of sales and will never go out of style.

However, with the sales landscape changing at an accelerated rate, the skills needed must keep pace. Here are a handful of essential skills a training curriculum must address:

• Assessing needs & opportunities
• Relationship building
• Active listening
• Presenting ideas
• Negotiating
• Handling objections
• Leveraging technology
• And more…

In the easy days of selling, buyers needed products. And they approached sellers. Today, buyers are more educated about their choices. In fact, most do as much of 70 percent of their research online before engaging a salesperson. Therefore, sellers cannot wait for buyers.

Instead, successful sellers must demonstrate superior knowledge. They too must know the online research, and they must go further. A training curriculum should address the specific needs of clients, even those who do not know their real needs. This ensures the best solution for specific problems.

Despite the stereotype of golden-tongued fast talkers, the best sellers are expert questioners and better listeners. As deals are more complex, buyers are skeptical, and there’s greater competition. A top sales training curriculum must address the art of asking questions. Even more, they must teach active listening to better understand, interpret, and assess a buyer’s deepest needs.

Whereas sellers once waltzed into offices, today’s presentations are more complicated. Decision makers are dispersed. To reach buyers where they are, sellers must leverage technology. As if in-person presentations were not formidable enough, virtual presentations have their own challenges. It is more effort to engage buyers, maintain interest, and present yourself, your products, and organization effectively.   

Today’s better educated buyers and increased competition make negotiation skills essential for training curriculum. It is not enough to present a price and work your way down. Instead, sellers must anticipate objections. They must know their competition. And they must demonstrate the value of their solutions—skills developed through training.

If virtual selling was once a niche skill, it is now a requirement. Today, upwards of 80 percent of buyers prefer virtual interactions. This alone makes virtual selling skills a necessity of any training curriculum.

In addition to the skills taught, training curriculums must meet your needs. Today, this includes working with disparate sales teams. When selecting a sales training curriculum, check for these keys:

• Flexibility
• Customization
• Ongoing reinforcement

With sales teams spread across the country and even the world, a sales training curriculum must be flexible. Sellers can no longer simply meet in the conference room. With sellers both remote and in the office, you need training that can meet them all.

Today, top sales training providers offer in-person training, virtual training, or a mixture of the two. This type of blended learning offers the best of both worlds, so reps can get the most from the training.

In addition, customization of the curriculum may be an attractive option. Instead of generic examples, the training can include real-world situations, using your sales team’s specific language. This can boost attention, interactivity, and engagement, all key elements to retaining the material and ensuring success.   

Of course, effective sales training is never a one-off event. To ensure adoption of the skills and behaviors, the curriculum must include ongoing reinforcement. These can include quizzes, tests, and interactive activities. Spaced over time, sustainment and reinforcement ensure reps retain the training and utilize it in their daily activities.

Another important consideration of curriculum is connecting training to coaching. In this, managers should be more than mere observers or participants. Instead, the training curriculum should include effective coaching techniques. This too ensures long-term adoption and success.

Trainer

The final consideration must be the trainer themself. While the organization and curriculum are essential, none of that matters without an effective trainer. Trainers are the ones who engage your team. If they cannot connect, your team will not receive the full benefit.

In a trainer partner, consider those with a range of trainers. Of course, most will have sales experience, but that alone is not enough. You need a trainer who can reach and excite your entire team, from seasoned pros to the newcomers. Consider the following:

• Style
• Personality
• Expertise

Sellers are a diverse group. They have a range of backgrounds and experiences. This includes education, the military, and industry. When considering trainers, think of your team.

Like individual sellers, sales teams have their own personalities. They are composed of eclectic and unique people, but the collective group has a style of their own. This often includes their belief system, methodology, and culture.

Think about their sense of humor. The things that motivate and inspire. Once you identify what they share, you can find a trainer to match. Consider the trainer’s delivery and tone. Do they incorporate gaming and fun exercises? Or is their style serious and reserved? One is not inherently better than the other. It all depends on your sales team.

Personality is another consideration. Are they outgoing and gregarious? Reflective and introspective. What counts most is their personality during training. Great teachers, coaches, and sellers might be introverts. However, they come alive when doing what they love. Sales trainers can be the same way.

In addition, experience counts. Has your trainer been a part of a sales team like yours? Have they led a team in a similar industry? Have they faced the same challenges? This does not mean they were superstar sellers. Sports fans know the greatest players do not always make the best coaches. However, top sales trainers, like top coaches, are students of their discipline. They know the best practices of each position and how to maximize their effort and achievement.

As you can see, with sales training, there is a great deal to consider. However, this does not mean it must be overwhelming. If you stick to the basics, such as partner, curriculum, and trainer, that is a great start. As we often stress, choosing a training company is choosing a partnership. Partnerships must grow and develop. Circumstances change. Challenges arise. Needs fluctuate. Rather than considering every contingency, start with today’s needs now. With the right partner, your organization, and your training, can grow together.