Sales training to improve performance

Sales training is really about taking your performance and improving on it. The best way to do this will depend on the company you’re in and what the team of sales people is like. It will also depend on the kind of industry you are involved in. Selling insurance is very different to selling motor cars and requires a different batch of skills.

Find a trainer who will customize the classes to suit all these parameters as well as teach in a way that makes learning easy. Recommendations from other people in your industry will get you a few candidates but it is worth sitting in on a few classes at other training venues to get the type of trainer you want. An exceptional trainer will give your team exceptional results, and this is what you want.

Your trainer needs to be providing you with useful, energizing, valuable, refreshing information that is presented in a way that is truly eye-opening and will be well received by the audience.

The materials handed out should not be too weighty as this distracts from the presentation – ideally they should give the main points in such a way that the associated stories and examples from that section will be recalled without too much trouble.

Isolate for yourself what it is that you think your team’s weaknesses are. Do they need to learn how to ask the client questions? Perhaps they are not good at managing their time and waste it chasing down the client who looks good but never quite commits. Perhaps they need to learn how to focus on their targets and not get bogged down in minor problems. Whatever their weaknesses are these must be openly discussed with the trainer to enable him or her to give the most focused workshops possible.

A good trainer makes even the not so obvious seem simple. It is not just a matter of giving clear and practical advice that the participant can walk out of the office and use immediately. You need to be getting content that gives your people that Aha moment!

Asking good questions is about forcing the client to think of an answer. The trick is to ask the question so that they think of the answer you want them to have!

Even concepts that appear to be old hat can presented in such a way that their value is apparent again.

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