Most companies have a training department which takes care of both behavioral and functional needs. This all falls under the umbrella of HR function. But if you have ever been trained by a behavioral trainer on hard core sales or manufacturing topics, you know what a colossal waste of time it is.
It's time companies learn to separate the sales training from other behavioral and HR initiatives. Sales training is better conducted by a specialist. It's time companies start differentiating between the two, especially if Sales is a core function (which it more often than not is). The process begins with selecting the right candidate for the sales trainer jobs.
If sales experience is made mandatory for a position in sales training, the sales force would benefit a lot. An experienced sales person will be able to talk the language of the sales reps, understand their pain points and share the same jokes. The fact that the methods s/he teaches will be trained and tested by him/her will add to the credibility. Hence, there will be no theoretical ramblings or preaching. The participants will be more receptive to the techniques which will show directly in the results on ground level.
If this is not enough, company also spends a lot of time and effort in training a trainer in sales practices. It is always easier to train a salesperson on fundamentals of conducting training sessions. This can usually be accomplished via a 3 day TTT (Train The Trainer) workshop. And in a few days you have a sales trainer up and running. It is also a great strategy to select a sales person who has inclination for coaching and training and grooming him/her to take the position down the line. This on one hand will provide exciting career path for a valued employee. On the other hand company will get a competent and willing candidate who knows the company inside out without even advertising for sales trainer jobs!