The Necessity of Continuous Sales Training

Recently, a sales training company conducted an experiment to see how salespeople responded when they were given subtle differences in terms of what they were told. 36 people enrolled in the experiment. The first 36 people listened to a 60-minute audio session that included stories, insights, and discussion. On the other hand, the last 6 participants had their perspective changed by listening to a 30-minute audio session that primarily focused on practical information related to what behaviors are most effective with customers. At the end of this second session, those who listened only got 5 minutes of discussion surrounding how best to use what was learned from experience rather than more insight into the methods used by other companies or historical examples. The results were significant. The second group showed a dramatic increase in success rate throughout the period of 6 months. This should be a real warning for all salespeople who are not taking advantage of their training.

Here is an example of a typical sales training program that salespeople typically get:

Goals: Become comfortable with pitches and techniques, learn how to maximize one-on-one time with customers, learn a couple tricks and tips to help you to close more deals Prospects: Go through a series of 'pre-training' questions that cover demographics, finance, industry types and needs. Get some one on one time 'in front' of top company executives who act as coaches. Afterwards, you will get feedback on your performance, but there is no true way to measure how well you did.

While a program like this sounds good and may help some salespeople to close some deals, it has the odds stacked against anyone who has not truly been trained. Here's why:

In order to do well in sales, one must be self motivated. If you are not self motivated then you are more likely to fail. You need to be constantly improving your skills and knowledge base. You are not in sales for the short term or even for the long term - you are in this for the rest of your life. To keep up with the demands of a changing marketplace, knowledge needs to be a continuous process. If a salesperson is to succeed, they will have to be one step ahead of their competition at all times. This can only happen when you are driven by internal motivation, not external pressure.

Learning how to sell is like learning any other skill such as playing a musical instrument. It takes time, constant practice and dedication. There is no short cut to learning how to sell, or any other skill for that matter.

Response Survey  presents a fact of life: we are all lazy. We are accustomed to not having to deal with uncomfortable situations, which is why so much emphasis is put on breaking down resistance and 'selling' ideas. We want the comfort of the status quo and that means not having to change a process or a way of doing things on the fly. Selling should be rooted in having the customer come up with new ideas on how it can be improved and built upon together, should be based on respect and communication not superficial sales techniques where you try to manipulate your way into their good graces.

However, today's world has changed in many ways. Technology is here to stay and people are more mobile than ever before. Consumers have more options than they had just a few years ago and they are able to easily get the information they need on the internet. The customer is not as anonymous as they used to be, and that means that one must move away from a tried and true sales technique in order to gain insight from this new customer base.

People are now more aware of what goes on around them, more concerned about their own personal relationships with others. This can be seen in the use of social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

All of this means that in order to sell effectively now, a salesperson must be able to adapt. They must have the ability to be open minded and not just accept a first impression as the truth. While gut feeling may still be an important part of the sales process, a good salesperson can see things from another perspective . For example, an effective salesperson may use the practice of 'appreciative inquiry' in order to get people involved and on board with what they are trying to achieve.

The way that appreciative inquiry is conducted is by getting people together in a group setting and having them brainstorm about things that have gone well for them recently. It is meant to elicit new ideas and solutions to the problems which lie ahead. Within this setting, everyone involved has an equal chance to speak and participate in the discussion.

The main point of appreciative inquiry is that instead of looking at what went wrong or what can go wrong, a salesperson needs to get others involved in seeing things as positive as possible. It is essentially asking people for feedback about how you can make them successful by reading between the lines.

Thus, if a salesperson wants to be successful, they must be able to adapt their technique and not just rely on what has worked in the past. Of course, they will understand the needs of their customers and how they can work with them. This means that they need to adapt to the type of person that they are selling to.

You cannot believe your own hype!  In this day and age, people have more information than you can possibly imagine, yet some people just don't get it. The best way to gain insight into this is by seeing things from someone else's point of view . What works for one person may not work for another. Finding out what people are interested in can help in making a sale happen by finding common ground with a customer .Developing a rapport is what makes communication effective .  A good salesperson has the ability to grow a rapport with their customers, so that they can become involved in helping them make the best choice. They know that the customer's needs, wants and desires are the most important aspect of the sale. Being able to read people and see things from their point of view is an art form. It takes time, patience and energy in order to truly master it, but when it comes down to it, it is all worth it.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, the ability to adapt is one of the best characteristics that a salesperson can have. This isn't about being a chameleon and being able to work with any type of person at any time. It is about being able to get inside the frame of mind of someone else in order to understand them and see things from their point of view.

And while these characteristics may not be enough for making a sale happen, they are what makes a good salesperson one step ahead of the rest of their competition.

As such, in today's world where people are more informed than ever before, you need more than just good sales techniques and a basic knowledge base if you want to succeed in sales .