| All too often, well intentioned sales leaders enroll | | | | practicing the skills. In a learning environment |
| their sales representatives in expensive sales | | | | adults retain only 5% by lecture and as much as |
| training programs only to see little or no return on | | | | 75% by doing or practice! Carefully interview the |
| their investment in increased performance. | | | | training company to ensure your employees will |
| This is largely attributed to the practice of training | | | | not experience a lecture fest and enough time is |
| professionals finding it convenient to reuse the | | | | devoted to practice. |
| same content across disparate environments, | | | | Limited Post training Support |
| while ignoring the reality that one size does not fit | | | | Most studies indicate that it takes anywhere from |
| all in the real world. In many instances, employee's | | | | 4 to 6 weeks to break a habit. When I travel |
| careers are assessed negatively when they fail to | | | | abroad and have to drive on the other side of the |
| improve their sales performance after attending | | | | road it requires great focus and concentration to |
| sales training. | | | | break the habit of driving on the right...and my life |
| Canned | | | | depends on it! Many principles taught in sales |
| Not many managers would go to a doctor who | | | | training classes are new to some participants and |
| treats all patients the same way. While each | | | | despite their best intentions, on returning to work, |
| patient may not be well, the cause and treatment | | | | revert to old habits. |
| are different for each patient. The cause of | | | | Adding insult to injury, employees armed with |
| under-performance or poor performance of a | | | | new sales techniques return to work to be |
| sales person or team can be very different from | | | | supervised by someone without any |
| one person or industry to the next. The sales | | | | understanding of the new concepts and cannot |
| process for telesales will be very different to | | | | provide any coaching support. In some instances, |
| consultative relationship selling, for example. Sales | | | | supervisors discourage newly trained employees |
| leaders must take time to ensure the sales | | | | from using new approaches they do not |
| training is tailored to their specific employee and | | | | understand and encourage employees directly or |
| industry needs. Great training content delivered to | | | | indirectly to return to techniques the supervisor is |
| the wrong audience is of little value. | | | | more familiar with. Resources invested in first |
| Not Practical | | | | ensuring trainees have adequate support |
| Airline pilot training requires many hours of theory; | | | | mechanisms in place to coach and motivate |
| however, a typical pilot will spend many hours in | | | | employees on return to the workplace are well |
| flight simulations practicing and learning how to | | | | spent. |
| apply the theory. In many sales training classes | | | | Someone once said |
| participants sit for hours listening to an instructor | | | | "In theory, practice and theory are the same. In |
| outlining the latest 10 step process in closing the | | | | practice they are not. |
| sale, without any time devoted to the trainee | | | | |