7 Techniques That Take Sales Training To The Next Level
Think about a great salesperson that you know. You might think that they are a natural talent, but that’s not always the case. Although it doesn’t hurt to have a flair for being a good communicator, there are many skills you can work on to become a dream sales rep. But what happens when training is boring and new information fades as fast as you can say “Thank you for attending this course”? Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about that. In this article, we explore 7 sales training techniques that will keep your employees engaged and motivated to be the best they can be.
Techniques To Incorporate In Your Sales Training Program
1. Microlearning
Just as any other professional, salespeople have busy work schedules. Getting them to attend sales training sessions that last for hours—and sometimes even days—is not going to go over well. Firstly, rushing to catch up with their daily tasks will cause them extra anxiety. Secondly, the amount of information learners retain decreases significantly the longer a training session lasts. Therefore, you shouldn’t focus on getting through a whole training course in the span of a day. On the contrary, breaking up information into smaller chunks allows employees to truly comprehend a new concept before moving on to the next. As a result, your salespeople will be able to develop their skills without feeling overwhelmed and overtrained.
2. Job Shadowing
This effective sales training technique can be particularly useful during employee onboarding. Although a job description might be enough for some, many employees would appreciate some visual reinforcement. Shadowing allows new hires or employees who are taking on new responsibilities to follow and observe colleagues so that they can learn how to perform a new task in the most efficient way. Pair employees together for a few days and then use training material to fill in any gaps or help trainees practice their new skills on their own. This technique strengthens relationships within the organization and makes your team more confident.
3. Hands-On Training
We just mentioned how much more effective learning by example can be compared to plain theory. Now imagine being able to practice in real-life situations. If you really want to see a difference in your company’s ROI, it’s time you incorporated hands-on activities in your sales training program, such as field training, role-playing, interactive scenarios, etc. There are many factors to being a good salesperson and it’s quite hard exploring them all during a traditional training session. However, during a role-playing session, for example, new sales representatives can get feedback on everything, from their delivery to their stance and tone of voice. As a result, they can quickly identify areas for improvement and start working on them.
4. Rewarding Achievements
This is a training technique that sales reps appreciate greatly, as they are very goal-oriented. They value milestones and work to produce specific results more than other professionals. But numbers don’t mean much if they’re not accompanied by a reward. Although gift cards, bonuses, or higher commissions are always welcome, your reward system doesn’t have to be all about money. Certificates are an obvious choice to give your employees something tangible after completing a training program. But you can also implement an array of badges to get some friendly competition going among team members.
5. Motivating With Success Stories
Getting into the mood for training can be hard, especially when you’re tackling new responsibilities or a demanding daily checklist. Morale and motivation are key when it comes to enriching your knowledge and skill base. And what better way to get you motivated to learn than some real-world success stories? To achieve maximum results, pick a detailed case study that matches your organization, such as a successful sale. Provide your employees with the details of the process and discuss various metrics and methods that led it to success. To close off the activity, identify patterns and actionable steps that trainees can adopt and implement with their clients.
6. Streamlining Communication
Communication is a crucial component of any successful business. Therefore, you shouldn’t treat training as a set-and-forget event. Make sure to schedule meetings with salespeople attending training to check their progress, address any issues or questions, and provide feedback. This allows you to identify problems and make necessary changes to make the best out of the training program. Interdepartmental communication is just as important. Often, businesses operate in silos, where one team knows hardly anything about what the rest of the teams do daily. Collaboration among departments promotes the exchange of knowledge and experience, and can help employees acquire new skills.
7. eLearning
In recent years, training employees has become more necessary than ever and also more challenging due to remote work and demanding schedules. However, the final sales training technique we propose is the solution of offering your employees easily accessible and memorable training. If you can’t bring all your employees together to train them, help them train on their own terms with eLearning. Online training programs allow employees quick access to training material from any device and at any time. Never again will they find themselves unable to answer a question regarding your products. eLearning also streamlines tracking progress and reporting so that you can easily know which training programs had the best results.
Keeping It Versatile
The sales sector is constantly changing, with new platforms and outreach methods making their appearance. Therefore, it’s crucial for employees to be up to date with the latest trends. Using the sales training techniques we explored in this article, you can always be certain that your sales team is making the most of their training and retains information long enough to incorporate it into their way of working.
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