So, if you haven’t acquired sales training for
a few years and want to avoid some of the above pitfalls,
here are a few points to consider:
Competency: There
are successful trainers and successful salespeople. Good
sales trainers are a mix of both; they need to have “carried
the sales bag” and have the capacity to enthusiastically
engage others in articulating that skill. Look for these
characteristics in the bios of the companies you’re considering.
Your sales force will thank you for it.
Consistency: Your
training program represents an investment in your sales
force. Like any good investment, it needs to be tracked
and followed up. It’s not merely a matter of a day or two
of “good feeling” and then back to “business as usual.”
You need to have a training program that tracks your sales
force’s progress after the program. Ask the companies you
talk to what their post-program follow up looks like. If
you get a pause or a blank stare, move on to the next company.
Relevancy: Many
sales training companies offer “off-the-shelf or canned”
programs which means that you’ll get the same program whether
your industry sells paper clips or microchips. What’s the
difference? A lot, when you consider the complexity and
length of sales cycles across industries and markets. When
talking to a sales training company, be sure to ask them
what competencies they have in your industry and how they’ll
approach your specific needs. The “canned” program will
cost less initially but what’s the value of a training program
that has no relationship to your selling environment? Which
program will your salespeople be more likely to accept and
embrace?
Your time spent finding training companies which can address
your training criteria will be time well spent.