| If you've ever wondered why your sales teams | | | | toolkits can give the manager total flexibility to |
| struggle to consistently achieve sales targets | | | | address the specific development needs of his or |
| despite investment in sales training, development | | | | her team based on the situation at the time. In |
| and management, you're not alone. | | | | addition, they should provide the opportunity for a |
| Despite their best efforts most organisations are | | | | high degree of team interaction as well as best |
| failing to achieve their full potential from sales | | | | practice learning materials which can be delivered |
| training due to four main reasons; | | | | in a fun, energetic and bite sized fashion. |
| 1. Most sales training has at best a short-term | | | | Global oil giant, Shell, amongst others, is at the |
| effect on performance because of a failure to | | | | forefront of using such systems to empower |
| consistently implement, apply and reinforce what | | | | their field sales managers using a new system |
| is learnt. | | | | called 'The Sales Activator®'. The creators of |
| 2. Sales managers (often top sales achievers | | | | The Sales Activator® say it has been |
| themselves) lack a proven methodology to be | | | | specifically designed to address the critical |
| truly effective at getting top performance from | | | | shortcomings of 'traditional' sales training. It's a self |
| their sales team. | | | | contained system which gives the sales manager |
| 3. Salespeople often find it difficult to maintain the | | | | the tools, framework and learning content to take |
| correct balance between prospecting, presenting, | | | | charge of their sales team's development on an |
| negotiating, closing and client nurturing which can | | | | ongoing basis. |
| lead to sales 'feast and famine' and lost | | | | Commenting on Shell's experience of using The |
| opportunities. | | | | Sales Activator® to overcome the |
| 4. Sales leaders and managers find it hard to run | | | | weaknesses of sales training, Elza Muller - Learning |
| sales meetings and sales training sessions that are | | | | and Development Manager at Shell - says; "People |
| relevant, motivational, and impactful for both | | | | learn without realising and get the added benefit |
| highly experienced and inexperienced salespeople | | | | of learning from additional input from delegates |
| at the same time. | | | | who have years of experience. It can be done as |
| So how do sales leaders address these critical | | | | and when there is a team meeting - no extra |
| issues of skill and knowledge if 'traditional' sales | | | | resource is required. The coaching role can be |
| training approaches simply can't offer the level of | | | | shared across teams, within teams spreading the |
| flexibility and interaction needed to embed | | | | skill of coaching [and] the business manager is |
| learning? The answer lies in designing and providing | | | | present dealing with the system and context |
| a new generation of development toolkits which | | | | issues around training. |
| sales managers can use with their teams. These | | | | |