| It's tough, these days, being in sales. | | | | Obviously, to make that decision, you must learn |
| Sales people battle "no-soliciting" signs, tight building | | | | what skills are needed. This means you must |
| security, no-call lists, voice mail holes, gatekeepers | | | | determine where your weaknesses are, what |
| and firewalls just to get a foot in the door. After | | | | skills your people need to sharpen. So ask |
| that they still have to overcome objections and | | | | yourself, "What skills are most pertinent to my |
| take the steps necessary to close the sale. | | | | employees' specific challenges and road to |
| Clearly, your sales people need all the assistance | | | | success? Prospecting? Overcoming objections? |
| they can get. So doesn't it make sense to give | | | | Closing the sale?" |
| them every advantage you can? ...To train them | | | | Once you know your needs, you can work with |
| so they'll know how to get past gatekeepers? | | | | your trainer to select training topics and |
| ...Prospect? ...Overcome objections? ... Close a sale? | | | | thoroughly plan approach. |
| Many companies recognize the need for selling | | | | The sales trainer controls the learning experience, |
| skills training and spend thousands of dollars to | | | | of course, but here are some guidelines for a |
| provide it for their sales teams. Yet, often they | | | | strong training program, one that sticks: |
| see few results. | | | | Build approach around motivation In planning your |
| Indeed, reliable research shows that sales people | | | | approach, think motivate. People are more |
| who acquire new skills through training rarely apply | | | | motivated to learn if they know they can apply |
| them effectively on the job. | | | | their new knowledge immediately. For example, |
| Discouraged, company managers blame faulty | | | | they prefer learning how to handle customer |
| training, or assume some people just can't be | | | | objections than the skill of effective listening |
| trained to sell. | | | | because handling objections solves specific sales |
| But the fact is this: If you don't take steps to | | | | issues. So when you're planning, plan ways to |
| make training stick, if your sales people don't | | | | motivate. |
| apply their new knowledge to their job, they sure | | | | Train to build confidence Expert trainers know |
| won't sell any more successfully after training | | | | that their students won't even try to use their |
| than they did before. They won't use what they | | | | new skills on the job unless they are highly |
| learned. Instead, they'll lose it, and you will have | | | | confident about them. That's why they take |
| wasted a lot of money. | | | | specific steps to build confidence. What are these |
| So the question is: How can you turn this around | | | | steps? Here are five: |
| for your organization? How can you ensure that | | | | |
| your people apply their new selling skills to their | | | | 1. - Demonstrating effective use of sales skills. |
| job? Here are some suggestions. | | | | People witnessing the correct way to handle sales |
| Your people must have what it takes to sell | | | | situations more easily develop the skills to do so |
| Some people make the serious mistake of | | | | themselves. |
| thinking anyone can be trained to sell. But if | | | | 2. - Giving feedback on effective and ineffective |
| employees aren't interested in selling and if they | | | | sales skills use during practice sessions. Quality |
| aren't programmed to sell, no amount of coaching | | | | feedback increases the probability your sales |
| or training will help. | | | | people will use effective sales behaviors and that |
| Therefore, you must make absolutely sure you | | | | ineffective sales behaviors will gradually diminish. |
| have selected the right sales people. | | | | 3. - Encouraging practice. The more participants |
| In other words, long before you ever train, you | | | | practice correct sales behaviors, the more likely |
| need to match people to their jobs. You need to | | | | they will apply the skills appropriately on the job. |
| know that they have the qualities they need to | | | | Practice will also help them perform in stressful |
| sell. For example: | | | | situations. |
| - Do they learn quickly? | | | | 4. - Encouraging participants to apply their sales |
| - Are they interested in selling? | | | | skills immediately. Participants who identify |
| - Are they naturally programmed for selling? | | | | situations they encounter that call for their new |
| You'll do best if you hire what we call "natural | | | | skills and then describe how they intend to handle |
| born salespeople." Selling comes easily to sales | | | | these situations will more likely apply their skills to |
| naturals. Even though they may lack some selling | | | | them. |
| skills, they have an innate ability to get out among | | | | 5. - Reviewing experiences. Participants who share |
| potential customers, turn on the charm and sell. | | | | their successes and problems and then receive |
| What's more, these people soak up all the | | | | coaching will increase their skill use. |
| information about selling that you can throw at | | | | Reinforce to encourage on-the-job skill use If you |
| them. You'll find that the natural sales person | | | | seriously want a successful sales team, do |
| quickly learns the skills needed to sell successfully | | | | whatever it takes to reinforce your people's |
| and to successfully change on-the-job | | | | on-the-job efforts to use their newfound skills. |
| behavior-skills they can learn through a strong | | | | Next to hiring the right people, experts tell us, |
| training program. Create a strong training program | | | | on-the-job reinforcement is the most important |
| Top managers know training that sticks starts | | | | key to a successful training program. Use |
| with a crystal clear objective. Indeed, experience | | | | reinforcement tools And one last point: Use sales |
| tells us that if you meet your objective, say | | | | management reinforcement tools. Employed as |
| increasing skill transfer, participants will continue to | | | | part of the training process, sales management |
| use their new skills when returning to their jobs. | | | | reinforcement tools will help you leverage your |
| So your first step in creating a strong training | | | | training investment by giving you-and your |
| program is to establish a clear objective. | | | | trainer-information to help with skill application on |
| Secondly, you must decide which skills you will | | | | the job. |
| cover in your training program. | | | | |