No matter what industry you’re in, sales are the name of the game. You’ll need to communicate with your customers, inspire them to make a purchase, and help them through the entire process.
Having a program laid out will help your professionals become better salesmen so that your company reaps the rewards as a whole. So what goes into creating one of these programs?
Read on to learn what goes into a top-notch sales training program.
-
Start With a Personality Assessment
Today, more than ever, we’re recognizing that there is more than one way to accomplish goals. If you try to teach people the same way, you lose sight of the fact that everyone has different thinking and past experiences that made them who they are.
When you understand different people’s personalities, you’ll be able to put them in the best positions to succeed. It creates balance in your workplace and prompts you to not treat everyone the same. This way, sales professionals can develop their own style, rather than taking a one size fits all approach.
Kick your training program off with a personality assessment that gauges how everyone thinks. These tests will let your sales professionals understand their leanings so that they also know their strengths and weaknesses.
-
Understand Your Overarching Goals When Planning Out Your Sales Training Program
Next, it’s important that you have your goals laid out in advance. That way, you’ll build a strong foundation for your sales professionals, while promoting initiatives that push your company forward.
There are several systems you can put to use that will help you with your sales training. For instance, you can use the following link to figure out how BANT works, and how this system can make all of your trainees better at what they do.
Getting everyone on the same page will make your sales company more precise and capable.
-
Make Sure That Your Sales Staff Learns and Understands Their Products Completely
No matter how skilled your professionals are, they will only be as productive as their knowledge. They should know the products that they sell inside and out if they’re going to have a shot at informing your customer and converting sales.
As such, you should have e-learning and training materials available for each product that you’re introducing. They should understand the finer points of the product, who it intends to serve, and the different price points. From here, your professionals will be better able to present information to customers and answer any questions that they have.
-
Add Micro-Learning to the Mix
We’re experiencing a shift in the way that material is thought, and micro-learning is at the forefront of these changes. With micro-learning, your professionals will play games, take quizzes, and complete modules a little bit each day or week. This helps them retain information for the long-term and doesn’t require as much of a time commitment.
There are several platforms that you can adopt when you’d like to embrace micro-learning. This way, everyone can learn on their own time and at their own pace.
-
Replicate Your Sales Process When Putting Together Your Training Program
Keep in mind that any sales training program should be targeted to the way that your company actually operates. This way your employees will be trained with your company’s style in mind, and to hit the objectives that matter to you.
This makes the sales training program an orientation of sorts and makes sure that professionals immediately become assets for your company.
-
Teach Sales Psychology and the Attitude That Comes With It
Making a sale requires professionals to make a strong connection with the customer. As such, there’s a certain attitude and psychology that they need to master.
Without it, you can hit all of the logical steps but won’t be able to convert a sale. Encourage them to understand the differences between transactional selling, product-oriented selling, social selling, and other styles. A sales-oriented mindset is also about problem-solving, which is what you need to impart to all your trainees.
By encouraging problem-solving and training them to consider the customer’s needs first, each person can start to find out what makes them unique and develop an approach that works.
-
Give Your Trainees Quality Literature and Encourage Them to Keep Reading
Reading can be the difference-maker when you’re building an all-star sales professional from the ground up. Introduce them to classic sales-related literature, such as “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie, “The Psychology of Selling” by Brian Tracy, and “Secrets of Closing the Sale” by Zig Ziglar.
Introduce them to services like Audible that will let them purchase and download countless books that will hone their business mind. Encourage them to subscribe to magazines and other publications that are business-related or industry-specific.
-
Prompt Them to Ask the Right Questions and to Communicate Effectively
Finally, a good sales professional knows to do more listening than talking. When they listen, they’ll be able to ask the right questions to extract the most pertinent information.
Train your sales professionals to be intellectually curious, and help them to hone in on the questions that matter the most.
Use These Tips to Develop a Quality Sales Training Program
Let the points above help you when you’re putting together a sales training program. A quality training program will be a solid foundation for building your sales team and growing your margins.
Reach back out to learn more about business, sales, and so much more.
