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The Concept of Sales Training
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T The
first thing to do is find out what you need. Do you need in-house training
or one-on-one role playing? Do you require any instructional video or
audio tapes? Do you need a company-wide training program? If
you need any or all of the above, you’re in luck because there is a
company with 19 years of experience that can help. The
company, Sales Concepts, provides tailored training to businesses who are
interested in changing the behavior and improving the performance of their
employees. Since 1981, Sales Concepts has been training professionals in a
variety of industries, including financial services. Training
is Training, or Is It? The
goal of any sales training is to increase the success rate of the
students. It is how that success is achieved and measured that
distinguishes an average training program from an exceptional one. For
example, Sales Concepts starts the training process prior to the
attendee’s arrival. Cheri English of Sales Concepts
told us that before any classes begin, the Sales Concepts team
works with the participant’s manager to develop a realistic sales
scenario that is tailored to the appropriate industry, and with the
participating salesperson’s known strengths and weaknesses. The manager
is also encouraged to express what he or she would like the attendee to do
differently. During
the training, the attendees role play, getting an opportunity to
“sell” their product or service to the trainers, who portray the
customer. Often, the instructor has a background in a participant’s
industry. This realistic training provides more benefits than a generic
training session aimed at a number of industries because it addresses the
participant’s specific industry, company, and products. After
the Training We’ve
all had the experience of attending a training session or motivational
speech that just blows us away. We walk out of the convention hall feeling
energized and committed to change. Then, after a week or so goes by, we
are faced with the same issues we faced before the “life changing
event.” Most of us then fall back into our old ways. This doesn’t mean
the training wasn’t effective or the speaker lacked charisma. The fact
is, it is simply unrealistic to expect one hour or one afternoon to change
your life, without
any maintenance or follow-up. As
Cheri English and the Sales Concepts team conclude, “”If you don’t
receive encouragement, research shows that 87% of what was learned in
training is lost in six months. Training is a process, not an event. The
issues, topics, and tools introduced in the training must be reinforced
for the training and the sales person, to be effective.” To
be certain that the benefits of the training are permanent and worthwhile,
Sales Concepts provides personalized feedback to the attendees. They also
contact each participants’ manager and provide recommendations on ways
they can be supportive after the course. According to English, this
feedback, which includes methods to assisting the salesperson in becoming
more effective, is a critical step in helping managers support their sales
team. The
training is not over at the end of the session. All attendees are
pre-registered for a 12-month individual training program. By mail, they
receive monthly video or audio tape mini courses, books, calendars, and
newsletters. They also receive access to a toll-free consultation line
where they have access to course instructors to ask for advice on a
variety of sales issues, such as a troublesome account or assistance in
developing a strategy. This
follow-up and ongoing attention is one of the reason that Sales Concepts
enjoys a generous amount of repeat customers—companies who continue to
rely on them for their training needs. Additional
Services Sales
Concepts also produces video-training tapes on such specific topics as
Customer Oriented Closing, Negotiating Tactics, The Six Step Sales
Process, and Qualifying The Customer. If the video tapes don’t meet your
needs, they also offer audio tapes on a variety of sales skills such as
Buying Influences, Listening, Asking Questions and Negotiating.
Motivational tapes are also available. Sales
Concepts publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, The
WORD (Winning
Orders Requires Dedication), which is filled with articles and tips on
goal setting, selling skills, telephone tips, the sales process, advice
from buyers, sales force administration, politically astute selling,
success stories, contests, business games, and ongoing skills
reinforcement. Look for excerpts from The
Word in
future Green
Sheet issues.
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