Measuring and Increasing Sales Training Success

Is there any general agreement on which constitutes effective sales training?
A good working definition might be: "Those elements enabling salespeople to master the skills, concepts, behaviors and attitudes that influence customers to make positive purchasing decisions."
Effective sales training focuses on how buyers and sellers interact. It provides the tools and techniques needed to present a company's products in terms that best meet the customer's needs, not the needs of the salespeople.

Certain warning signs indicate a strong need for an ongoing sales training program:

Lack of communication. Management expectations about the company's products aren't being communicated through the ranks. Conversely, experiences noted in the field aren't filtering back to senior management. Whenever there's a breakdown in communication -- top to bottom or vice versa -- management and sales end up working toward different goals.

Lack of vision. It's up to the CEO to communicate a clear corporate vision and clearly defined mission.

Lack of confidence. Irregular or inconsistent training may result in lowered confidence levels among sales staff.

Lack of support. It's never enough to simply make the sale. With every transaction comes a promise, implicit or stated outright, that the company will deliver the product and follow-up as needed, etc. When this promise goes unfulfilled, customers are lost.

The right place to start with any training program, is by appointing a dedicated training manager. This person is charged with ensuring that things happen the way they're supposed to happen -- on time, within budget, and according to set performance criteria.

The next step is linking sales training to sales goals.  The best situation occurs when training with key business objectives is aligned with the company's mission.  Always make sure that trainers and sales managers are in sync with the organization's overall strategic plan and vision.  Support from the top is critical. Senior management must provide support and resources to keep on track towards sales success.

A successful training program should also incorporate expertise in the following areas:

§  Company's market positioning and product line/mix

§  New product launches

§  New market penetration

§  Sales skills

§  Business management skills

Don’t confuse product training with sales training. Don't make the mistake of sending your team out with product knowledge only. That's a waste of time, energy and money! Having the right sales skills make all that product knowledge pay off.

Training must be sophisticated, continuous and imbued with real-world applications. Sales leaders, for example, shouldn't ask how many calls the salesperson is making. They should address the results of each call.

So, can you measure sales success? The short answer is "yes" -- with some qualifications. The basics can be taught, but instilling charisma and confidence is a bit more difficult.

Factors to measure include:

§  How many times does the salesperson contact someone?

§  How often does that contact turn into an appointment?

§  How many times does that appointment turn into a presentation?

§  How often does that presentation turn into new business?

§  How many times does new business turn into existing business?

The real purpose of measurement is to (1) understand what conversion ratios are from one point to the next; and (2) identify specific coaching initiatives.

Don't measure just for the sake of measuring and, especially, don't measure as a management fear tool. Measure the number of sales, size of sales, cost of each sale -- but don't make those criteria the ultimate elements for success. If you do, all you'll get are salespeople adapting their behavior to meet those important, but secondary, objectives. Use measurements to help salespeople, not to beat them up. Use them to grow your staff.

Practice Makes Perfect

The first step in training is education. A strong conceptual understanding of basic sales principles is the best foundation for effective training.

The next steps include:

1.     Hands-on demonstration. Someone with experience demonstrates the sales process to the trainee.

2.     Application. The trainee participates in supervised skill practice.

3.     Coaching. This phase offers "in-flight corrections" to the trainee's performance.

4.     Continuity. Completing one or two sessions doesn't mark an end to the training process.  There must be continuous positive reinforcement.

Successful presentations only come with practice.  The art of presentation can be taught, but the process requires a delicate balance of preparation and "thinking on your feet."  A good presentation is wrought with questions and answers, overcoming objections, etc. It inspires emotions like fear and passion. The salesperson puts on a performance like an actor in the theater. And the message should never be delivered the way he'd like to do it, but the way the customer needs to hear it.

Role-playing is one constructive training technique. I’m partial to an exercise where two individuals role-play salesperson and customer, with a third person acting as observer.  Take a specific issue, such as handling objections. Go through the process, then reverse roles, with feedback from the observer. Although each person will likely learn something new from the role they play, chances are they'll learn the most when it's their time to observe others.

Another role-playing technique is even simpler. Have each trainee take the customer's part and encourage them to ask every question or bring up every objection they can think of. Don't stop until the trainees get all the answers right -- and that means thoughtful, intelligent answers.

Other helpful training techniques:

§  Teach how to give value. Don't just offer selling skills. Teach ways in which your sales staff can provide value to customers.

§  Encourage, don't threaten. Every training session should contain an element of fun or, at least, moments of positive reinforcement. Training should never be an experience people dread.

§  Train every day. Whether it's in a sales meeting, on the phone, in person -- take time to offer something of training value to the sales staff.

§  Keep on learning. Promote the practice of people learning on their own -- through sales tapes, books, classes, etc.

Training is much more than just passing along product knowledge. It should emphasize tactics and strategies that enable customers to clearly define their needs and that lead them toward solutions your company offers. Product knowledge is obviously important, but what's truly vital is how it's used each step along the way.

Send Me In, Coach!

We often assume after hiring a sales rep and giving him basic training, that he'll pick up on everything else he's required to do. When he doesn't, we either fire him or learn to live with the misery. The alternative? First, never stop coaching. Second, assume nothing.

Another important reminder: make sure sales training is integrated with authentic, on-the-job selling activities. The obvious and often most successful example of this is coaching during a sales call," Bleech says. As long as it's done correctly, it can be a very effective training tool.

Consider the following when accompanying the sales rep into the field: first, recognize that that salesperson will be operating under greater-than-usual pressure. Acknowledge this by making it clear that you're aware of the situation; set them at ease by relating some of your own experiences coming up through the ranks. (Another tip: Start with your most respected salesperson and then have him or her encourage the others on the value of your ride-along.)

Other tips for getting the most out of a coaching session:

§  Schedule in advance. Don't pop up behind your sales rep's chair and announce: "I'm shadowing you today!" Let them know ahead of time so you can observe how well they set up appointments and manage their territory. Advance notice also enables the sales rep to schedule meetings with more difficult and/or challenging prospects (if that's their preference).

§  Stay out of the way. During the actual sales call, let the rep do the talking. After all, your overriding goal is to enhance self-sufficiency and the capacity to think on one's feet. You also don't want to do anything that undermines their standing with the customer/prospect. Don't take over the call. Wait until you get outside to suggest corrections.

§   After. Start the post-sales call conversation by making general, positive observations. (This also primes you, as the coach, to look for positive things during the sales call.) Ask questions like “What do you think went well?" and "What could have been improved?" as well as "What would you do differently next time?" These positive questions prompt a deeper examination of mistakes, successes and ideas for future improvement.

Don’t critique each and every sales call. If you do, the salesperson will only adapt to please you. Make notes, but wait until the workday's over to suggest the most important improvement. Then work on that one until it's perfected.

§  Follow-up. Try not to let the lessons learned from the sales call fade over time. Draw up a list of follow-up activities that must be completed before more calls are made. Set up a time when the rep has to give you an updated status. Make sure everyone's on the same page and that expectations are aligned.

Treat your sales staff the same as your customers. Be responsive to their needs. Let them know you consider them an essential part of the team. You'll be surprised at how well they respond to this positive message.