| To get the best sales results out of your training | | | | you expect them to be trained and capable of |
| investment, a sales development training program | | | | selling. However, to improve the effectiveness of |
| needs to be focused on your product's, or | | | | newly hired, yet experienced, sales people, you |
| service's, unique value proposition. What unique | | | | need to provide product training that highlights the |
| value or benefit does your product or service | | | | features, advantages and benefits (FAB) of your |
| have for customers? Ensure that your training | | | | products. Alternatively, you may have to re-train |
| program provides information that your sales | | | | your experienced sales people to sell in a way |
| staff can use in sales planning and sales calls. | | | | that more closely aligns to your changing business. |
| Customize the training program to focus on the | | | | Training needs to introduce changing sales |
| specific needs of your unique sales staff; by | | | | techniques and tactics; as the market changes or |
| customizing for your own staff you will increase | | | | your products change, your sales approach also |
| training effectiveness. All training needs to be | | | | needs to change. Training for inexperienced sales |
| developed with specific objectives in mind: | | | | people is necessary both on a product knowledge |
| | | | level and on a sales skills level. Focus first on basic |
| 1. Do you need to train newly hired, but | | | | sales performance and sales skills training; then |
| experienced, sales people? For example, for newly | | | | work on training and developing advanced sales |
| recruited sales employees (even experienced | | | | techniques. Your training plan needs to |
| ones), it is important to ramp up their | | | | complement and support your business and |
| effectiveness by training them on your products | | | | marketing plan, your strategy, and your business |
| or services. Review the unique characteristics of | | | | operations. |
| your products or services. What benefits do they | | | | Put effectiveness measures in place for your |
| provide to your customers? What is different | | | | training program. For example, |
| about your product or service, from your | | | | Prior to initiating the training: |
| competition's products or services? | | | | - Record the number of calls your sales staff |
| 2. Do you have a sales and marketing kit to give | | | | makes (daily, weekly or monthly), by employee. |
| to new sales employees? For example: product | | | | - Track the number of quotes or proposal |
| literature; information from, and about, suppliers; | | | | requests (if appropriate for your business). |
| the industry; your competitors; and your business. | | | | - Record the sales by employee; profit per |
| Include a summary of your business plan and | | | | employee; value added sales per employee. |
| strategy, as well as your marketing plan and your | | | | After training starts, set review dates (usually |
| marketing mix strategies. | | | | after at least 8 to 10 customer contacts) and |
| 3. Do you need to train existing sales staff to be | | | | compare to the performance prior to training. On |
| more effective, to close more sales, to be more | | | | a continual basis, track progress against the |
| successful at prospecting, to improve presentation | | | | pre-training benchmarks. If the training results in |
| skills, or more? What type of sales performance | | | | improvement, continue with your program. If |
| training do you need to develop and provide? | | | | there is no improvement, change the training. |
| 4. Do you need to train your sales staff on | | | | Keep focused on your goals and make sure the |
| changes to existing products or services? Or to | | | | training and sales staff know what the goals are. |
| train on newly developed and newly introduced | | | | Sales people are typically very results focused |
| products or services? | | | | and motivated. |
| Sales development training will help your business | | | | To engage your sales staff in training, make sure |
| increase sales; it is an important tool in effectively | | | | they understand the connection between learning |
| managing and developing successful sales staff. | | | | and earning more income (if paid sales |
| Training needs to be a continual process; it starts | | | | commissions based on sales volume). |
| when you hire new sales people and continues as | | | | For those small business owners and sales |
| new products or services are added or improved, | | | | managers who feel you do not have time to train |
| and as the market and your competitors adapt. | | | | sales staff, understand that your investment of |
| Business owners and managers often behave as | | | | time and resources in training will pay off by |
| if sales people know everything they need to | | | | increasing the effectiveness and performance of |
| know (perhaps because they act like they know | | | | your sales staff. If you do not know how to build |
| most everything) and therefore they often | | | | a sales development training program, consider |
| overlook the importance of continually training | | | | hiring a sales training consultant or specialist to |
| sales staff. When hiring experienced sales people, | | | | build a custom training program for your business. |