Sales Training is a critical component contributing to the success of most companies. For sales and training executives and managers, assessing and selecting from amongst the many sales training and methodology providers can be a daunting task. However, sales training is a significant (and from a financial reporting standpoint, often a "financially material") investment.
Basic Sales Training Requirements
1. Training Objectives
a. Learning Objectives
b. Desired outcome (e.g. sales increase per participant, deals closing sooner, less discounting)
c. Criteria and methods for measuring the outcome
2. Baseline Assumptions
a. What methodology, processes, and procedures are you currently using?
b. What does your sales force already know?
c. What are their individual and aggregate strengths and weaknesses?
d. Areas requiring training (for example):
i. employing the company's sales methodology
ii. product knowledge,
iii. selling process,
iv. communicating up and down the sales "chain of command"
v. prospecting
vi. gaining and maintaining access to senior-levels
vii. closing
viii. getting to the 'right buyer'
ix. devising strategies and tactics to win against a specific competitor
Why train?
Increase Sales
Better trained salesperson will sell more
Enhance customer relationships
Train to handle o shortages
o ...