Sales Training Tips: sales training tips to maximise sales performance and investment in sales training.
Sales training is about giving salespeople the skills and tools to be successful. Effective sales training and coaching will cover topics such as: Core selling skills, communication, mindset, motivation, reinforcement, retention and implementation.
These sales training tips have been formulated to deliver actual, real-life results to help salespeople acquire the the selling skills without the jargon that often surrounds sales training.
Sales Training Insights
Research has shown it can take 10 months or more for a new salesperson to be fully productive. It may surprise you but 55% of salespeople lack basic sales skills and nearly 60% of buyers say the salespeople are unable to answer their questions effectively. The reality is that lack of sales training hurts companies. When sales people lack training or not briefed properly on the sales playbook, process or how to use the various sales tools effectively, then companies can spend a lot of time, energy and resources with zero impact on sales results. The flipside is that a strong commitment to ongoing sales training whether thats online, in class, seminars, workshops etc. will give any sales team a competitive advantage.
"Companies where salespeople can implement the correct sales methodology and get consistent coaching see over 80% target achievement".
Sales Training Motivation
To start, the best sales training will improve the performance of an individual salesperson on average by 20%. Another sales training statistic is that 65% of salespeople say the quality of training and learning positively influences their engagement with customers or prospects.
So, well planned, content rich sales training courses supported by a culture of learning will cultivate salespeople that are willing, eager and ready to use the knowledge given to them in their daily sales activities.
Wednesday 13 March 2019
Monday 25 February 2019
Sales Performance Improvement
Sales Performance Improvement: Tips on sales performance improvement for sustainable sales growth
Sales performance improvement is a program of sales training and self development courses to accelerate revenue growth within a company. Sales performance improvement initiatives deliver the best results when sales management and leadership take a partnership approach where ideas and inputs are solicited from the salespeople, and then used in the various courses or programs.
This support approach gives the sales teams the confidence and ownership to improve the sales performance goals. Before setting any sales performance improvement goals, sales leadership has to acknowledge that it is a process not an event, it is a continuous improvement process NOT a single sales training event.
This support approach gives the sales teams the confidence and ownership to improve the sales performance goals. Before setting any sales performance improvement goals, sales leadership has to acknowledge that it is a process not an event, it is a continuous improvement process NOT a single sales training event.
With longer sales cycles, smaller budgets, multiple decision makers and more educated buyers, every business who is striving to achieve sales growth will want to improve sales effectiveness and efficiency through process,tools and technology.
The first step is to understand that sustainable sales performance improvement is a change management project which can lead to resistance and uncertainty, especially if seen as interfering with the current sales model. So it needs to be resourced and planned properly.
The next step is to review existing sales performance improvement assets such as sales training materials, courses, videos, sales playbooks, tools and competency guidelines, as they all play a key role in driving improvement. A business may not have any or all of this content and some or all of the content may not be available in digital formats.
The first real decision in creating a sales performance improvement plan may be to choose between (1) content that is ready (but doesn’t meet the current needs) and use it anyway OR (2) invest in refreshing, upgrading and transforming the content and templates etc for digital access. A point to note is that research shows that salespeople's learning habits and preferences are changing. They they want shorter, more engaging learning content, for example sales training videos or sales training courses that can be accessed online as needed or accessed in their down time.
Document Areas for Sales Performance Improvement
Sales leadership in tandem with the sales teams views need to create a baseline improvement expectation across ALL steps in the sales process for every sales team member. Then the sales managers or sales trainers needs to document what areas have been identified that require improvement for (a) the steps in the sales process and (b) for each salesperson. These in turn would be discussed with each individual as part of the overall sales training and development plan.
It is important to remember that when documenting and creating a paper trail for each sales performance improvement area is to ensure that all the information gathered is entirely objective, fact based, and specific. The trainer, coach or manager should avoid generalities and provide detailed examples to support each area that is to be addressed. Once the sales performance improvement areas have been communicated to all stakeholders, a number of templates will now need to be created. These typically include what was expected in the agreed sales performance plan and what was actually delivered. Other templates or documents, maybe as part of the companies sales playbook could include action plans, reviews and consequences of veering outside the agreed process's in the plan.
Sales Performance Should Match Salespeople's Goals
Sales performance improvement needs to be aligned to each individual salesperson and their goals from their action plan should be personalized. Within the overall plan, align goals that focus on areas of self-development and personal improvement, individual to each salesperson. To ensure ownership by the sales team for the plan, within the sales training section of the sales performance improvement plan, give each salesperson the opportunity to enhance areas where they are already competent and improve areas where they agree they have a skills deficit.
To migrate any perceived disruption or risk, a company can start by introducing a smaller sales performance improvement plan with lower goals. An example would be a goal to improve a salespersons sales habit loop such as doing 10 minutes research work ( the research work output should be documented) prior to making a sales call. Another goal example is for a salesperson during quiet time to engage in social/digital selling to connect with existing customers or prospects in the pipeline (again, goals need to be set). Take note that rolling out a new sales improvement plan with goals is not enough, the salespeople have to understand that there be also be consequences such as reviews and evaluations.
Time stops for no one and in a rapidly changing sales environment if there ever was a time to take action to improve sales performance, it's now. Sales leadership, management and trainers need to plan for the future, the future sales model, the future sales strategy, the customers buying journey, the role salespeople will be expected to execute against and how the business plans to develop their salespeople so everyone has a mandate to doing things better.
Future looking leaders never let the pursuit of profit get in their way of progress. Much like any change management process, the sales performance improvement plan will face obstacles and encounter issues. Sales leaders need to focus on how they envision their sales engine performance and sales growth in one to three years time. This includes working with the sales training and development resources to put some well thought out initiatives into play ASAP, as they can often just comply with current objectives. However, they also need to know that management supports them and communicate that it’s not just OK but VITAL that the business adopts new ways of getting salespeople to learn, develop and grow, so sales performance improvement will be a constant not just an event.
The first step is to understand that sustainable sales performance improvement is a change management project which can lead to resistance and uncertainty, especially if seen as interfering with the current sales model. So it needs to be resourced and planned properly.
The next step is to review existing sales performance improvement assets such as sales training materials, courses, videos, sales playbooks, tools and competency guidelines, as they all play a key role in driving improvement. A business may not have any or all of this content and some or all of the content may not be available in digital formats.
The first real decision in creating a sales performance improvement plan may be to choose between (1) content that is ready (but doesn’t meet the current needs) and use it anyway OR (2) invest in refreshing, upgrading and transforming the content and templates etc for digital access. A point to note is that research shows that salespeople's learning habits and preferences are changing. They they want shorter, more engaging learning content, for example sales training videos or sales training courses that can be accessed online as needed or accessed in their down time.
Document Areas for Sales Performance Improvement
Sales leadership in tandem with the sales teams views need to create a baseline improvement expectation across ALL steps in the sales process for every sales team member. Then the sales managers or sales trainers needs to document what areas have been identified that require improvement for (a) the steps in the sales process and (b) for each salesperson. These in turn would be discussed with each individual as part of the overall sales training and development plan.
It is important to remember that when documenting and creating a paper trail for each sales performance improvement area is to ensure that all the information gathered is entirely objective, fact based, and specific. The trainer, coach or manager should avoid generalities and provide detailed examples to support each area that is to be addressed. Once the sales performance improvement areas have been communicated to all stakeholders, a number of templates will now need to be created. These typically include what was expected in the agreed sales performance plan and what was actually delivered. Other templates or documents, maybe as part of the companies sales playbook could include action plans, reviews and consequences of veering outside the agreed process's in the plan.
Sales Performance Should Match Salespeople's Goals
Sales performance improvement needs to be aligned to each individual salesperson and their goals from their action plan should be personalized. Within the overall plan, align goals that focus on areas of self-development and personal improvement, individual to each salesperson. To ensure ownership by the sales team for the plan, within the sales training section of the sales performance improvement plan, give each salesperson the opportunity to enhance areas where they are already competent and improve areas where they agree they have a skills deficit.
To migrate any perceived disruption or risk, a company can start by introducing a smaller sales performance improvement plan with lower goals. An example would be a goal to improve a salespersons sales habit loop such as doing 10 minutes research work ( the research work output should be documented) prior to making a sales call. Another goal example is for a salesperson during quiet time to engage in social/digital selling to connect with existing customers or prospects in the pipeline (again, goals need to be set). Take note that rolling out a new sales improvement plan with goals is not enough, the salespeople have to understand that there be also be consequences such as reviews and evaluations.
Time stops for no one and in a rapidly changing sales environment if there ever was a time to take action to improve sales performance, it's now. Sales leadership, management and trainers need to plan for the future, the future sales model, the future sales strategy, the customers buying journey, the role salespeople will be expected to execute against and how the business plans to develop their salespeople so everyone has a mandate to doing things better.
Future looking leaders never let the pursuit of profit get in their way of progress. Much like any change management process, the sales performance improvement plan will face obstacles and encounter issues. Sales leaders need to focus on how they envision their sales engine performance and sales growth in one to three years time. This includes working with the sales training and development resources to put some well thought out initiatives into play ASAP, as they can often just comply with current objectives. However, they also need to know that management supports them and communicate that it’s not just OK but VITAL that the business adopts new ways of getting salespeople to learn, develop and grow, so sales performance improvement will be a constant not just an event.
Thursday 21 February 2019
Sales Training Ireland
Sales Training Ireland: Free sales training courses and articles for salespeople based in Ireland
Sales Training, Sales Transformation and Sales Enablement are core areas to be addressed for sustainable sales success in the digital age. The roles and activities of salespeople are changing rapidly due to the influence of social media, buyer preferences and sales channels. Whether salespeople are selling locally into Ireland or internationally, potential customers and buyers are changing the rules - they are online, digitally and socially networked and more educated in the sales process than their predecessors. These changes into the dynamic of buyer to supplier relationships is now being felt across sales organisations. The biggest question facing sales leaders and management is “How will sales training and education help the sales teams to research, find, communicate and engage clients or prospects across different channels?”.
Apart from the free sales training articles and tips on this site, we can also deliver highly personalised sales training courses and sales training workshops across a broad set of requirements to salespeople who want to improve their selling skills in sales prospecting, business development, building leads, social selling, lead nurturing, building pipeline revenue, sales process and modern selling techniques.
Apart from the free sales training articles and tips on this site, we can also deliver highly personalised sales training courses and sales training workshops across a broad set of requirements to salespeople who want to improve their selling skills in sales prospecting, business development, building leads, social selling, lead nurturing, building pipeline revenue, sales process and modern selling techniques.
The goal of Sales Tips is to improve the performance of sales people in Ireland. We research, write and train sales people on the latest techniques and proven sales methodologies. We hope our free sales training articles will improve the knowledge, selling skills, presentation skills and communication skills of each and every sales person who visits this site. From a commercial standpoint, we strive to ensure that all our customers receive real, sustainable value from our sales training.
With a proven track record in delivery of sales strategy, we can raise the skill levels of sales people in the areas of sales communication, sales conversations, prospecting, account development, collaborate and value based selling. Our sales training is personalised to the individual needs of each customer, where sales performance improvement of 10-20% is commonplace. Sales Tips constantly review market trends, sales tools and research for our free sales training articles and workshops to help salespeople become the most effective, confident and efficient sales professionals in their industry.
For further information on our personalised in-house sales training courses and sales training workshops across Ireland, email us via our contact form click here.
With a proven track record in delivery of sales strategy, we can raise the skill levels of sales people in the areas of sales communication, sales conversations, prospecting, account development, collaborate and value based selling. Our sales training is personalised to the individual needs of each customer, where sales performance improvement of 10-20% is commonplace. Sales Tips constantly review market trends, sales tools and research for our free sales training articles and workshops to help salespeople become the most effective, confident and efficient sales professionals in their industry.
For further information on our personalised in-house sales training courses and sales training workshops across Ireland, email us via our contact form click here.
Monday 18 February 2019
Sales Techniques
Sales Techniques: sales techniques tips
A series of sales techniques tips to help salespeople in the sales process whether up-selling to an existing client or trying to open a conversation with a new prospect. Every salesperson regardless of experience needs to acquire a set of sales techniques they can use in any sales situation to progress an opportunity. This list of techniques will hopefully help salespeople to improve their sales performance.
A series of sales techniques tips to help salespeople in the sales process whether up-selling to an existing client or trying to open a conversation with a new prospect. Every salesperson regardless of experience needs to acquire a set of sales techniques they can use in any sales situation to progress an opportunity. This list of techniques will hopefully help salespeople to improve their sales performance.
Wednesday 9 January 2019
Online Sales Training Course
Online Sales Training Course: Online sales training course covering all the key sales skills with modules on sales prospecting,business development and selling tactics etc.
An online sales training course that has been created to meet the expectations of both the beginner and more experienced salesperson. Every professional salesperson understands that they need to build relationships with sets of buyers or customers, which over time leads to sales. Through The Digital Sales Institute sales training course, you’ll learn to how to open, nurture, build and sustain meaningful relationships that profits both parties.
In the self-educating, digital era, we know buyers and customers can have completed most of the buying process without ever engaging or talking to a salesperson. In fact, due to the ability to easily gather research online and the openness of SaaS models, a buyer can compare and complete a B2B purchase without ever interacting with salespeople. The point is that the time to rethink the impact of the more traditional sales tactics is now, as many of these do not simply work any longer. This change in the buyers journey and the knock on effect to the sales process means salespeople need to transform their sales training and techniques for the digital age.
Any good online sales training course will blend the tried, tested and still relevant sales skills with modern sales techniques that are proven to get the tech savvy buyer to listen whether thats offline or online. Learning to sell better means adapting to changing buyer habits, and nothing’s changed the sales process more dramatically in recent times than the rise of social media and digital channels. Our online sales course has been specifically designed to help any salesperson to bridge the skills gap, adapt a sellers mindset and take a more rewarding approach to the critical role of selling. The sales course online is divided into modules and separate lesson topics to allow salespeople to target the specific sales area they wish to improve, a sales training course complete with lessons that have been developed by industry experts. A range of sales training courses that includes sales prospecting, closing deals faster, creating and building trusting relationships, coping with the uncomfortable and overcoming hurdles or objections. The Digital Sales Institute online sales training course is self-paced, so a salesperson start and pick up again wherever they left off previously.
Sales Training Class
The goal of the training course is for learners to build modern sales skills and gain the fundamental knowledge necessary for sales success in the digital era through a series of online training lessons. The online sales training course participants will acquire the selling skills to do meaningful research, gather market and client intelligence, select who to target, understand the buyer whys, then develop relationships across a broad range of buyer personas, and propose personalized solutions that addresses the pain points or business challenges of the customers they interact with.
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