Every year, businesses spend a lot of money creating and hiring effective sales training seminars. Many managers feel like their employees still do not get the information they should out of them. There are a few tricks to get the most possible out of these seminars.
Businesses should hire sales trainers that are willing to customize sales training programs to the business. The sales leadership team should meet ahead of time so they can understand the business and strategic initiatives. Industries that sell to niche markets need particular adjustments. This allows the sales team to use the lessons immediately.
Apply time management techniques to sales training. Successful sales people excel at time management, so make sure the sales trainer and sessions will also apply these rules of time management. If a sales trainer cannot explain and distribute information quickly and effectively, then the sales representatives will find it hard to do so as well.
Generally speaking, shorter training sessions are better than one long session. A half or one day sales training session only covering a few topics is followed by short, hands-on practice sessions with sales people. This is better than longer sessions that go on for days without application.
Planned sessions happen right before sales people need to get to work – meeting and speaking with clients. Managers often recommend that sales people practice the new tactics on lower end leads before employing them on big clients. The sales trainer should listen to the sales people so the next session becomes good for strengths and weaknesses indicated between sessions.
The sales team often split up by strengths to maximize those strengths and improve weaknesses. New hires, sales people with little experience, and seasoned prose put into one training session unless necessary.
Trainers will be able to give personal attention to smaller groups. They will train based on the level of experience. This will help cut out unnecessary information and create simpler steps for new trainees.
Information should still be available to a sales team after the training is over. Handing out paper will only cause the sales people to skim read the session and zone out or play with their phones. Sales people need to get actively involved and listen during the training. The notes are often emailed or posted in a seminar to refer back to later.
Managers can ask a sales trainer to give a seminar after training. This allows sales people to revisit things that were unclear to them during training. Repetition of three or more times helps commit the training to memory.
Technology is often used when possible during the training. Sales trainers should use PowerPoint, videos, and engaging information when possible. Trainers should not stand in front of sales people and just talk. They should ask questions, entertain, and show the procedure with examples.
The sales team needs to recognize what is expected. Sales goals often established based on the training. During training, give sales incentives for adopting new practices quickly and finding creative ways to adapt the rules to their own style.
Follow up on sales training to make sure it is effective. Ask sales people to give feedback on what was and was not effective about each training session. This could be done through a survey or email. If there is a lot of the same negative or positive feedback, then later sessions can be adjusted for productivity.