| Richard Stone, Director of The Spearhead | | | | thing as practice. Perhaps a better word to use |
| Training Group, offers some ideas for the | | | | than role-play. An excellent variation is the silent |
| effective training of a sales team. He also | | | | role-play. This is especially useful when |
| highlights some of the pitfalls to be avoided | | | | concentrating on questioning technique. Instead of |
| Every year, companies invest millions of pounds in | | | | speaking, participants write down a question on a |
| the training and development of their salespeople, | | | | flipchart. The customer does the same with their |
| and with good reason, 74 - 84% of company | | | | replies, thus forcing the salesperson to think |
| revenue came directly from salesforce activity. | | | | about the nature and construction of each |
| The total number of employed salespeople in the | | | | question. This activity is best used with |
| UK is in the area of 400,000. Any resource that | | | | experienced salespeople, as those with little |
| produces three quarters of organisational revenue, | | | | experience may be fazed by the public nature of |
| and with the attendant costs, must be cared for | | | | the event. |
| and nurtured. | | | | Secondly, case studies are extremely beneficial, |
| The starting point when considering a sales training | | | | especially when a company wants to concentrate |
| event has to be the people involved. Training | | | | on a specific issue such as a price change. |
| which is suitable for a twenty two year old | | | | Delegates are provided with information pertinent |
| graduate should differ considerably from that | | | | to the topic, together with some instructions that |
| provided for a fifty five year old with many | | | | constitute a learning activity. Frequently used in |
| years experience. | | | | combination with role -play, it provides various |
| In the instance of the former, training should be | | | | answers and results if syndicated among a |
| geared to the mechanics of the sales process. | | | | number of groups. This in itself can be useful to a |
| Traditionally, this has based on the AIDA | | | | company, as it generates ideas, which may |
| approach: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. | | | | challenge the way certain things are done. |
| However, there is a shortfall here, in that it is | | | | Perhaps more so than in any other form of |
| assumed the salesperson has already found | | | | management training, the credibility of the trainer |
| someone to sell to, and also set up a meeting | | | | is crucial in sales training. The nature of the sales |
| with them so that a quality call could be executed. | | | | job can produce a certain macho dynamic among |
| The experience of prospecting can be daunting to | | | | salespeople. They feel that they’ve gone |
| anyone. If you’re considering a sales | | | | out there, taken the world on, and succeeded. |
| training course that looks at the total process, | | | | Any trainer that stands in front of such a group |
| from start to finish, make doubly sure that it | | | | must, therefore, have been through the same |
| covers the areas of prospecting and appointment | | | | experience, as much for their own benefit as the |
| making, if it applies to your business. It is these | | | | participants. Being faced with a question such as, |
| two skill areas which prove to be the graveyard | | | | What do you say when a customer says that |
| of more sales careers than any others, assuming | | | | they’re happy with their present supplier? |
| that there is no lack of purposeful effort on the | | | | demands a speed of thought and commercial |
| individual’s part. | | | | acumen that can only really be gained from |
| Training experienced salespeople requires special | | | | having done the job. If the trainer can’t |
| care and attention. Many have gone through the | | | | answer such a question, then their credibility is |
| early learning stages, and have now reverted to | | | | immediately called into question. |
| the state often referred to as unconscious | | | | The measure of sales training transfer to the |
| incompetence, they are incompetent, but are not | | | | workplace is not easy. There are so many |
| aware of it. Somebody at this stage of | | | | variables that enter into the scenario. The most |
| development does not take kindly to going over | | | | important of these is the willingness of the |
| the basics, they need something more | | | | delegates to change the way they do things as a |
| sophisticated to capture their imagination. | | | | result of the course. The saying goes that if you |
| Personality styles, Transactional Analysis, and | | | | do what you always did, you’ll get what |
| even basic business finance are more likely to | | | | you always got. Participants can leave a sales |
| produce an improvement in performance. | | | | training event highly motivated, and determined to |
| One thing must be stressed, however, if the | | | | apply their new found knowledge and skill, but this |
| trainer adopts too strident an approach, the | | | | is soon forgotten when they hit the first problem |
| experienced professional may react against it. | | | | of the week. It is here that the role of the Sales |
| Flexibility is the key: if a delegate insists that they | | | | Manager can be seen to be of paramount |
| have tried the approach being advocated, and it | | | | importance. If the new found skills are not |
| did not work, the trainer should point out that | | | | managed into place, there is a possibility that they |
| there is always someone with a different | | | | will get lost in the chaos of the marketplace. A |
| experience. At the end of the day, even the | | | | programme of regular field visits should be |
| most hard hearted cynic can be won over with | | | | planned, when progress can be checked and the |
| some patience and persistence. | | | | application of techniques monitored. |
| There are two training techniques, which are | | | | Training for salespeople is essential if a company |
| particularly suitable when training salespeople. | | | | wants to stay ahead of the game. Products and |
| Firstly, role-play is an excellent opportunity to | | | | services are similar if not identical, real growth is |
| practice skills development, and to do so in an | | | | slow, and customer loyalty is rapidly becoming a |
| atmosphere where mistakes do not mean lost | | | | thing of the past. |
| business. | | | | More than ever, the ability to persuade a |
| Many salespeople recoil at the word, some say | | | | prospect or customer to go with a particular |
| it is not realistic, people are merely play acting. | | | | proposal is vital. That is the role of the sales team |
| This can occur if the activity is not introduced | | | | today - creating orders and wealth. The payback |
| properly. Delegates should be told to stay in | | | | from effective sales training can be quick, and |
| character, to be natural, and to regard the whole | | | | manifold. Ignore it at your peril! |