Sales Training For A Productive Sales Team
Is a good salesperson born or made? It could be a little of both
. While specific personality traits like extroversion and talkativeness will always serve a salesman well, there are certain selling skills that can only be taught. That's where sales training puts in an appearance, and it comes in two flavors.
A salesperson can be trained either in the general mechanics of selling or, alternatively, in methods specific to the company by which he or she is employed. Regardless of the type of training, it goes without saying that all salespeople can benefit from a little of both. This is true for the experienced and inexperienced alike. A refresher course will never hurt.
Training the New Salesperson
The new salesperson in the firm will, first and foremost, require training in the company's signature methods. While some new hires will already have some general selling experience, they will most likely be unfamiliar with the specific sales methods your company prefers, and they will almost certainly have little or no acquaintance with your company's particular products.
Call in the Troops: the Customer Service Team
It makes sense when you think about it. Nobody knows more about your company's products than your customer service team. When it comes to the items they specifically support, they have heard it all from the users. Who better, then, to familiarize your new salespeople with the particular products that they will be selling? A customer service rep can acquaint them with the positive points that should be emphasized and give them forewarning on the trouble spots that they'll need to either mention up front or ignore.
The customer service reps can also provide the salespeople with any pertinent documentation on the company's products. This material should be studied until the information it contains is committed to memory. If the salesperson cannot answer a client's questions in an immediate and knowledgeable manner, he's not going to make that sale.
An Experienced Salesman is the Best Teacher
Let your trainee learn from the best. To start, he can sit with one of your top salesmen and listen as he makes calls. He can travel with him to meet potential clients. As time goes on, the experienced salesman's skills and verbiage should begin to rub off on the trainee.
As they begin picking up the required technique, the trainees can begin making some of those calls and dealing with clients personally. This should always be done under the watchful eye of a senior salesperson or manager. In that way, any weaknesses will become apparent. When these faults have been identified, it's time for basic training.
Back to the Selling Basics
There are several ways in which a company can address the weak spots of a particular salesperson. Initially, it may seem more cost effective to have this training done internally, but that may prove to be a false economy. You would naturally want the new people trained by the best salespeople on your force, but when those people are busy training others, they are not making your company any sales. The other option is to get your fledgling sales force enrolled in outside training.
The best approach is often a combination of the two. Once the salesperson has completed the external lessons, you can set up some internal role-playing sessions. When you are satisfied that they are ready, the new sales force can begin meeting with clients.
Remember that each salesperson a company employs is also one of its advertisements. When your sales force is trained correctly, it can only be positive for you.
by: Timothy Capper
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