Getting the most out of your sales training.

Sales training for your staff is always a valuable investment, however in order to get the most value,  consider these things when selecting a provider.

1.    Find a trainer who understands your industry.

If you are a seller you can probably relate to experiencing training where examples from outside your industry were provided that were hard to relate to. The result is that after returning from the training there was nothing valuable learned that you felt able to apply.  When you find an expert who has first hand experience working with a similar industry, they are able to customise their approach to suit your business model and provide examples with significantly more meaning.

2.    Assess the specific weaknesses in your team.

There is no point wasting your sales team’s time by teaching them skills they have already mastered.  Instead the trainer’s approach should be focused on upskilling the team in areas where they need improvement and providing them with a focused plan. If you do not feel confident in providing the trainer with areas that need focus, then they should be able to provide you with guidance on this.

3.    Make sure you get reference material.

The best training providers will offer customised manuals that help with defining process and plan out a structured way to makes sales and meet targets. These reference materials should be focused to your specific business or at the very least your industry. The best materials can include a broad range of sales aspects including a territory plan, pay plan, sales process & methodology, scripts and prompts and prospecting strategies.

4.    Will you feel confident to reinforce the learning?

Following a training session you should feel confident with the approach offered and be able to reinforce this again with you staff using the materials provided by the sales trainer. Without regular reinforcement it is likely no behaviours will change and your investment will be wasted.  Regular discussions amongst staff regarding how they are going with implementing the changes are beneficial.  Having a provider who will offer follow up contact is also beneficial.