Sales training is a set of processes that seeks to improve the effectiveness of salespeople. Sales training will typically focus on two aspects of the sales role. The first is sales skills and the second is the execution of the sales process.
Sales skills training is typically done in a face-to-face environment. This is because when we develop skills we only improve through one mechanism, and that is practice and feedback. It is therefore essential that skills are developed through practice sessions, where individuals have the opportunity to make errors, correct their mistakes and develop a range of skills that they feel comfortable in applying in front of a customer.
Sales process training can be done either face to face or through distance and E-learning. Sales process training is ensuring that the salespeople follow the right process to get to the right result in the most efficient manner. In retail sales this would mean following a process that engages with the customer, understands their requirements, recommends the right product, and successfully concludes the transaction.
With more complex sales the process may take place over a period of months or even years. With these types of sales, the process is more about forming the right steps to ensure we reach the right conclusion. These steps might typically be:-

• Contact the right person
• Meet and understand needs and requirements
• Present a proposal that meets those requirements and that differentiates you from the competition
• Manage the follow up to the proposal through negotiation and resolving of concerns
• Conclude the implementation either through a contract or a set of service level agreements

Are you frustrated that sales training has no significant and lasting impact on sales results?

You might be surprised at how often sales training has little or no impact on sales figures. Even more surprising is that some business owners and management seem almost resigned to this fact and don’t even look for ROI.

Without the right process, training rarely translates in to revenue improvement.  For many, it is a box ticking exercise; an activity that is not measured because no one really expects any change.  Developing sales skills, like developing any skill, had clear guidelines and rules.

Our work is guided by a clear principle, that training courses do not, on their own, change the effectiveness of people in the workplace.

(Dettaman and Sternberg – Transfer on Trial 2005 – this publication evaluates the transfer of learning from classroom to workplace of sales skills training.  They concluded that 86% of unsupported skills training fails to transfer into the workplace.  And the 14% that does transfer dissipates within 4 months.)

That means with classroom training alone, you will waste 86c of every $1 invested.

This is a useful link to the latest discussions on learning transfer in Australia.

The Skill Development Model, which is a universal model and shows how all skills are acquired and developed, shows you the steps you must follow.

Over the years, we have helped our customers achieve some impressive results, for example:-

• Significant sales revenue uplift - we have seen increases of 50%-200%
• An average order value growth of 36%
• 47% increase in customer retention
• Improvement in Net Promoter Score by 11%
• A 39% reduction in employee attrition

It is a methodology that had given real bottom-line increases to a range of clients.  From Harrods in The UK to Suncorp in Australia, from Comcast in 16 US States to the 700 people at Dell’s sales centre in Malaysia, we have applied these principles to significantly change results. Read our case studies to see how we perform and what our customers are saying.