As we all know, a sales function is the direct revenue generating arm of any organization. With that said, this function has a close watch of not only the c-suite but the entire board of directors. Right from lead generation, individual contributors, business development teams and sales leaders, everyone is under the radar. There is always a very strong push to cross limits and achieve revenue quotas on a monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis depending on the structure of the organization. Therefore, it is a stressful yet a very rewarding function indeed, both from an individual perspective as well as for the organization.
Now we know how important the sales function is, there definitely is a very strong push to make sure the sales personnel’s are always kept upskilled thereby able to build a strong relationship with their customers which in turn has a direct effect on the revenue. There is also a strong pump of investment going in for sales trainings in order for them to perform better. An interesting research survey by the Training Industry states that sales training programs have resulted into higher win rates, higher job satisfaction and faster ramp up time for new hires.
Let us see some of the top competencies which the sales rep should be good at or upskilled to perform better at his/her job:
- Prospecting: The first and most important process in sales is prospecting. Researching, connecting, and then reaching out to the right people and at the right time helps the reps to not only get a foot in the door but also increases the chances of closing the sale. According to a survey conducted by HubSpot, 42% reps claim prospecting is the most difficult part of a sales process
- Data Analysis: In the world of data overflow, it is imperative for a sales person to review, analyze and then draw sales strategies and make decisions based on data which is available. This could be past deals won, lost, reasons for loosing and other variables which at a macro level can help make crucial decisions. According to a LinkedIn report 56% of teams use data which helps them better in prospecting and 48% are relying on data to analyze lost opportunities
- Products or Services Knowledge: The most important thing for a sales rep to pitch a particular product or service is to be a guru and understand what he/she is selling. Therefore, a great effort while onboarding the salesperson with proper product knowledge is not only important but will also support in handling objections and moving more to a consultative selling approach
- Negotiation: Once the sales reps have established interest with a potential buyer, it’s now time for negotiating and closing the deal. This is one of the most crucial stages in sales as this will determine the actual ticket size
- Relationship Building: Without creating a rapport with the prospect, sales is close to impossible. Therefore, soft skills and the way you interact with them is of utmost importance. The last thing you would want a sales person is to just memorize the sales pitch and deliver it as a computer generated voiceover. Relationship building can also happen through other social interactions. Trying to figure out where your buyers hang out after office hours is also a good strategy in building relationships
Apart from the ones mentioned, there are more competencies which play a vital role in training a sales organization.
Traditionally sales trainings were conducted more in classrooms or informal peer to peer knowledge transfers. This needed all the salespeople to be at the same place at the same time whereas they would have been on the field selling more. This approach saw a drastic change with the evolution of eLearning and advanced technology for sales enablement trainings.
Following are a few ways in which organizations can leverage and benefit from the use of eLearning modalities and technology platforms to deliver engaging sales training programs:
- Keep your information bite sized: As we know today, we all are bombarded with digital information left, right and centre through social media and other digital mediums. You don’t want your salespeople going through a full-length training program at one go. Instead break it down to logical micro leaning chunks which you can push from time to time
- Leverage videos: Videos has been a great medium to deliver training modules. You can make them fun and engaging and your learners could consume it on the go whether they are traveling on field for a sales call or even back in office filling up their CRM data
- Use spaced learning: According to Ebbinghaus’s forgetting curve, 60% is lost within the first hour of going through a training program. Therefore, to ensure information is sent back to the learners in equal intervals of time you can use spaced learning or now even popularly known as nudge learning
- Invest in a robust technology infrastructure: Most of the eLearning programs are delivered through Learning Management Systems (LMS) but there also could be integrations with other knowledge management systems like Learning Experience Platforms (LXP) or Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS). The whole idea is to meta data tag learning chunks which the sales individuals could pull out any time. Popularly known as just in time learning or learning which could be made available in the flow of work
- Make it responsive: As your sales staff spends most of the time traveling to meetings, make sure whatever eLearning modules you develop are completely responsive and can be taken from any device like laptops, tables and smartphones
In conclusion, the better sales trainings you provide to your sales reps, the faster they would be able to sell, hence directly contributing to your top line. At PassionPro Learning Solutions, we have been creating eLearning programs for the sales teams which have a direct ROI with measurable results. Let us know how you are training your sales reps. If there is any other interesting way, do put your thoughts in the comments below. Happy teaching selling!