Sales training is sales enablement for your people. You may be pondering on this thought as you pin your hopes on the sales team for a great performance that will boost your numbers. Let’s look at some of the key issues that may come up your way in getting sales training right.

Sales training program is treated by many as an event. The sales people who attend do understand the content, yet they seem to be in love with their existing systems. Post training, participants are back to their own ways with very little sales coaching available from their Managers as follow through. Sales training can have many other deterrents at the operating level. A deeper look may reveal that a proper sales process is not being followed, coupled with ineffective sales call execution, or sales people simply unable to focus on the right kind of activity.

On the contrary, sales training programs that are backed by proper follow through should be seen as part of a learning process that can really bring positive change in attitude, engage sales people through an on-going cultural change and can even motivate the Sales Management to remove blockages in the organizational internal environment that can hinder the sales performance.

If these were about the basics, market related issues also affect sales training. We need to realize that our buyers have changed. Today’s buyers are much more savvy and aware than ever. It is often said, the power is with the buyers. Price conversations don’t work in isolation now. You need to talk about value, strictly in the interest of the prospect. You are not making a sale anymore; rather you are satisfying the customer’s needs. Interestingly while sales process is vital, a rigid process centric approach may not work for everybody. Several customers tend to make buying decisions in lightning speed. They jump many steps of the sales process. Sales people need to quickly align themselves with such customers to be able to make a sale.

So what would be the right sales training? It should combine all resources that are essential for enabling the sales personnel to deliver the sales life cycle objectives of the modern buyer. Prime indicators of such empowerment will be high quality of customer interactions backed up by enhanced pre and post sales service. Fulfilment should be a matter of delight to the customer. That would be a reflection of true sales enablement.

About the Author

Bidyut K. Acharya is a Consultant and Corporate Trainer heading Management Development Services. Kolkata. India. He can be reached at bka@management-dev.com