Why Setting Up a Salesperson Training System Is Non-Negotiable for Your Sales Department

A salesperson training system can ensure that your salespeople operate under the same standards and quality – plus save you time and money. Here’s why you should consider one while building your team.

Establishing a salesperson training system becomes more important as your business grows and market demands change. There needs to be an emphasis on the word “system” here, however. That’s because you, as founder or CEO, may otherwise wind up unable to remove yourself from training without jeopardizing the standard your team delivers.

Here’s what you need to know about creating salesperson training systems so you can get out of the habit of founder selling – but without losing the high-quality you demand from your brand.

The importance of training your team

It’s easy to underestimate how established training programs can help employees, but better training leads to better work processes and performance. Today’s marketplace is fast-paced, and that means companies have to constantly adapt to changing situations. Ongoing training is more vital than ever.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Effective workforce training keeps your company competitive because it fills in the gaps that formal education misses. 
• The gap between theory and practice often leaves employees unprepared for the rigorous demands of the workplace.
• This means your workers need on-the-job training.
• High-quality training and skill-development programs enable employers to fill in gaps.
• Strengthening your workforce’s skills and knowledge can raise performance across the entire organization.
• Raising performance means you’re also eliminating weak links.
• Employee training also ensures continuity, seamless transitions, and reduces the need for constant supervision which can strain scarce resources. 

Having a training program compiled and ready means new recruits can simply pick up where their predecessors left off. Training materials can then be easily shared, added to larger materials, and used to easily convey important takeaways.

Benefits of a salesperson training system

The truth is simple: Training leads to better processes, performance, fills gaps in skill sets, ensures continuity, and strengthens sales departments. Other benefits of salesperson training systems include:

• Lower turnover rate: Training your sales department recruits helps them more quickly find their legs. This empowers them to rapidly meet expectations and see positive results, which makes them more likely to stay with the company for the long haul.
• Faster technology adoption: Adoption of new sales technology happens faster and at lower financial cost when training materials are readily available for your sales team.
• Cost control: Salesperson training system reduces the time it takes to introduce company standards and get a new recruit up to speed, making the onboarding process less costly overall.
• Role and career flexibility: Training your salespeople on new skills makes them more versatile and useful. This is especially important if your company is keen on promoting from within.
• Orientation and culture: There is no better way to orientate new and old recruits’ mindsets alike than by incorporating your company’s identity and culture into its training system.
• Effective performance appraisals: A salesperson training system sets a standard against which the performance of all salespeople can be assessed.
• Addressing a skill and labor shortage: One of the best ways to address a skill or labor shortage is by helping existing workers develop new skills and expertise.
• Greater adaptability: Salesperson training systems can be used to provide various skills, including those that help your team deal with customers of different cultures or backgrounds.
• Better service quality: The more training you provide your sales team, the more you can vouch for the quality of the services they provide.
• Change management: Change is always challenging, but its effects can be mitigated by clear documentation that provides necessary training, outlines expectations, and enforces culture.
• Sales team cohesion: Salesperson training systems often require role playing and group training, and this eventually cements bonds and improves cohesion between salespeople.
• Shared goals and expectations: A common training program encourages common goals and expectations. This helps salespeople judge their performance against themselves and their peers, plus boosts collaboration and cooperation.
• Common vocabulary: A salesperson training system is a great way to establish and ensure a common in-house vocabulary, which ensures everyone is on the same boat.

Go beyond training to systems that don’t need your input

A sad fact about “founder selling” is that founders and CEOs are often unable to separate themselves from what goes on in the sales department. Other departments suffer as a result, but establishing systems can help overcome this scenario. These frameworks and processes are designed to work independent of you, can establish standards to ensure everyone is receiving the same level of training, and work to create avenues for assessment and performance improvement.

MetaGrowth Ventures is a consulting firm that specializes in working with founders who want to take their companies to the next level through the development of a world-class sales team. We bring tens of thousands of hours of sales experience to the table, providing sales training systems, coaching, and scalable solutions-based consulting to ensure your sales teams consistently beats expectations. 

Contact our team to learn more about how we can help you set up your dream sales team and achieve your company’s growth goals.