TaskDrive reports that sales managers have a bleak outlook on the quality of their company’s sales training. Only as little as 15% of sales managers think their companies provide an adequate level of coaching.
Yet, having a strong training program is critical for building a solid team that can smash targets and land success. So, here are 5 key strategies to infuse into your sales training to massively improve outcomes.
Concentrate on the application of skills
According to Pshycotactics, people will only remember 15% of what they learn through lectures and reading. In contrast, 75% of retention comes through consistent practice and application.
So, it’s important to involve your team as much as possible in learning activities that focus on applying skills. Consider boosting your programs by including interactive activities, such as:
- roleplaying
- group work
- simulations
- team building events
Allowing your team more time to practice can give them a firm foundation to build the skills they need to flourish and bear fruits.
Tailor your training
Your sales programs are more likely to pack a punch if they are tailored to your team’s needs. So, when planning out your training, it helps to start by pinpointing the main areas with which your reps are facing challenges.
Once you have your finger on the primary sticky points, you can shape your curriculum to address the specific needs. For example, you can split your team into smaller groups according to their stumbling blocks and deliver group-specific learning.
By fine-tuning your training to zoom in on specific topics, you can help build your team to overcome weaknesses and boost confidence.
Get employee buy-in
Imposing sales training on your team is not always welcome and can lead to friction and resistance. For instance, the long-serving members of your team may not immediately see the need to fix a system that they don’t deem to be broken.
So, consider consulting your employees and hearing their views. Open the platform for both the new kids on the block and the veteran reps to give feedback on where they see holes in your training programs.
If egos persist, try reframing your programs as career development initiatives. Set measurable, tangible goals and objectives so that your reps can plainly see the value of the training to their career development.
Reinforce training
Effective training is typically a process not an event. So, it helps to buckle down on reinforcement as a regular part of your daily activities to strengthen your training programs. Studies have shown that it takes more than 60 days to turn a new skill into a habit. Consider committing to ongoing training, for example, in-field coaching, periodic quizzes, and review programs.
Managers can also check in regularly with the team to see if they have a handle on the tools and techniques taught. After each check-in, managers can evaluate whether to start the training again from scratch or smooth out rough edges in the learner’s understanding as necessary to reinforce learned skills.
Measure results
To avoid throwing money down the drain, it helps to measure results. You can evaluate metrics such as:
- on-the-job impact
- sales reports
- feedback from customers
- reports from managers
You can tune up the training to improve the results by keeping your eye on the metrics. For example, if you are holding seminars but with little or no improvement in your team to show for it, consider switching to other methods of learning or changing your training providers.
On the whole, keep your eye on the prize by focusing on building and reinforcing skills. Remember to get buy-in from your team. Measure outcomes and use your conclusions to keep tailoring your programs to help your team scale to the peak when it comes to delivering results.