What’s missing in today’s sales training?
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Remember that scene from Glengarry Glen Ross? You know, the one where Alec Baldwin chastises a room full of salesmen with the classic line ‘ABC, always be closing?’
Well, it’s not too far off from the real thing, least of all in the fast-talking world of sales.
But with so much of their time focused squarely on ‘closing sales,’ how can existing members of the sales team possibly carve out the hours necessary to engage in sales training?
Information that’s relevant
This might appear to be a no-brainer but sales training – or any training for that matter – should be built on the promise of delivering staff the knowledge and skills necessary to perform their roles effectively.
In 1885, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus published a memory model called The Forgetting Curve. This measurement found that if new information isn’t repeated – or applied – we’re more likely to forget around 75% of what we’ve learned.
This gap between relevant knowledge and real-world application becomes an even larger concern when sales requires employees to not just understand but also convince a constantly evolving customer base to purchase their product or service.
Sales is always going to be about the numbers. But what if there were ways to increase the rate in which sales reps won business?
Confidence is key
In an age of information, buyers are more informed than ever before. This is largely due to the fact that a buyer can already be 60% of their way through their customer journey before they engage with a single sales rep.
If your sales team is under-equipped to answer their buyer’s questions with confidence, is it really a surprise to discover that they’re unable to meet their quotas?
When staff know what they’re doing and feel confident in their role, they know what questions to ask and how to answer queries properly, which, as we know, helps business.
A real connection
While confidence is often key in most forms of negotiation, sometimes all it takes is a personal touch.
According to Showpad’s New B2B Buyer Experience Report, 45% of prospective customers say personalized content portals would help accelerate a buying decision.
But if a large portion of the sales team are still tied to an outdated script in the absence of any real sales techniques, customers are going to miss out on that personalized experience and go elsewhere.
The report added that 70% of buyers still want to interact with sales reps, with another 38% finding that talking with a sales rep is a preferred method of gathering information.
Sales training aligned with strategy
For your sales team to see any value in their sales training, it might help for them to see the underlying impact it offers those above them.
This brings up a much larger point. For a business to scale properly it needs everyone involved to be pulling in the same direction. This means that if your organization has a new strategy for the coming year, this should be reflected in your current sales training.
Keeping your staff informed on where the business is heading is important as it gives staff an added investment in the success of the company. Keysight Technologies places a large emphasis on the importance of keeping the layered tiers of their corporate structure informed.
Every year, the top leaders at Keysight hold an executive development meeting to discuss the company’s strategy for the following year. That information is then cascaded down throughout the company.
As training is introduced, people receive important information about where the company is headed and also learn the behaviors and skills they need to help the company hit its goals and objectives.
The commercial push made by sales teams should align with the overall strategy of the company. This means a one-size-fits-all approach to sales can’t hope to sustain a growing business.
By taking the time to show sales reps the value of training, you also showcase how training is a necessary piece of a company’s strategy. This will help you to win interest and engagement from employees.
Through immersive game-based training experiences, Attensi can help bring back the value your sales teams deserve. Get in touch to find out more.
