As CEO or founder, you no doubt want your sales team to have the necessary tools for success. That success begins with the right sales team training. Here’s what you need to know.
The need for proper training spans your entire organization, not just your sales team. Your employees need ongoing education to ensure they are best able to succeed at their jobs – no matter which roles they play – and the sooner you start this, the better.
That said, sales team training is especially important because best practices are always changing. How your sales team operates has a strong impact on activities like cold calling and sales closing, for example, and new sales recruits particularly benefit from guidance early in their careers. Your job as CEO or sales leader is to ensure that this much-needed training is readily available for sales employees.
The truth is that training should be ongoing and readily available at all times to make it easy for your sales team to quickly tap into when they experience mistakes and victories. Here are 10 innovative techniques to help you carry out effective sales team training:
Listening in during demo calls and pitches
One way to get new sales recruits up to speed is to have them watch – or listen – to others in action. Have them listen to as many demo calls as possible so they become acquainted with and get the hang of what is expected from them. There are software solutions that you can use to record sales calls for sales team training purposes. Allocate adequate time each week to ensure that new recruits gain the confidence they need to perform in the field.
Prioritize the sales training trifecta
There are three attributes that every sales team training needs to have to be successful. These winning attributes include:
- Simplicity – It must be simple to implement, practical, and reduce job complexity.
- Credibility – It needs to be delivered by people with demonstrable experience to ensure your sales team has reason to listen.
- Customization – It should be customized and applicable to make it relevant and repeatable in the field.
The sales training trifecta is applicable across the board, too, which means it is necessary whether you are dealing with new recruits or experienced hands.
Shadow a more experienced salesperson
It takes time and effort to train new sales recruits on the core of a product message, but that doesn’t guarantee they will be able to sell the story and keep up with expectations when the shoe drops. One innovative way to empower new recruits is to have them shadow more experienced sales colleagues as they make calls, carry out negotiations, and close sales. The pairs can then have debriefing sessions that allow new recruits to share what they have learned, get guidance, and receive feedback.
Train observation and listening skills
At a time when everyone is focused on “selling,” give your sales team an edge by encouraging listening and observation in their training. This is important because persuasion requires salespeople to focus on a client’s pain points, which requires effective listening and observation. You can significantly boost your sales team’s success by training for these two qualities.
Adopt a mix of in-person efforts and digital modules
You can mix up in-person lessons and digital modules to add flexibility to your sales training. Features and information that don’t change – like your overall industry – can be addressed in digital modules, with more dynamic techniques handled in-person so that trainees can ask questions as they arise.
Review wins and losses
You can ensure your sales team never misses a beat by making it possible to quickly review wins and losses. Record sales calls to uncover what worked and what didn’t, for example. Sales team training like this helps your salespeople develop better answers to objections and improve strategies for making the sale. Recorded calls can also be stored and used later when new recruits come in.
Take a personalized approach in your sales team training
You can personalize your training by establishing demo sales scenarios involving just two people. This eliminates the stage fright some might feel when performing in front of new peers. Private coaching also creates an avenue for instant feedback and open communication.
Make training frequent and consistent
The best way to ensure everyone is on the same page is to provide frequent and consistent sales team training. Sales heads or trainers should convene monthly or weekly gatherings so their teams can review the sales pipeline, catch up on success stories and new developments, and codify expectations and procedures. This also ensures continuity in training for when new recruits come in.
Establish a mentor/mentee system
A mentorship system is one of the most effective ways of passing on experience and techniques in the field. There is no better way to get a new salesperson up to speed and growing in confidence than having someone experienced lead them.
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If you want to get out of “founder selling” and free yourself up to work on your business, contact MetaGrowth Ventures today.
Written by
Joe Arioto