Training & Knowledge retention - the myth

55% of the people who make their living in sales don’t have the right skills to be successful *Source Calipercorp

Sales training works exceptionally well when the training is carefully planned by the management team with the trainer to fulfil the needs and objectives of the business. The delegates who will receive the training should be appraised by the manager responsible for sales to identify areas for improvement and work with the trainer to decide whether the training should be delivered in a group, on a 1-2-1 basis or a mixture of both where common areas for improvement are identified. Classroom style training will allow the delegate/s to learn and build their “formal” skills & knowledge through group discussion, interaction and role plays to achieve an uplift in sales. But that’s not the end of the learning process for the delegates.

 

You will, at some time in your career, have come across diagrams or tables like the one above which is associated with training/learning and suggests that we retain 5% of what we see or hear, 10% of what we read etc and up to 90% when we put the training to immediate use in real life. However the reality is that when Edgar Dale published his work over 50 years ago it didn’t have percentages in it and was only a daigramatical observation of how different learning techniques link together.

Training & Knowledge retention - the myth

As individuals we all learn using different stimuli and techniques, so one method doesn’t suit everyone. However there is a strong argument that once the “formal” skills & knowledge training has been delivered it then needs to be embedded with the learner so that it becomes second nature. The challenge faced by many businesses is how to implement this critical process for their sales people, especially those working in field. The when, where and how this can this happen, and who takes the responsibility for it, is often the point where further development of the skills & knowledge of your sales people can become an issue leading to frustration for those sales people who want to be the best at what they do – selling; and frustration for those running the business that the sales training has not delivered the expected results.

Q: So How Do You Make Sales Training A Success for You & Your Business?
A: SALES COACHING

Successful sales coaching, like any other coaching, is not about “This is how you do it!”. It is more about “How did the meeting go and is there anything you could have done better?” to get the salesperson to start the process of continuous self improvement. Sales coaching is ideally done by your Sales Manager who has been trained in coaching skills or by an experienced external Sales Coach who understands your business and your customers.

Sales Coaching can help you and your sales team to:

  • Develop & Implement a Sales Growth Strategy (Including new communication & sales platforms)
  • Develop an easy to follow Sales Process
  • Continually Develop your Sales Team to Differentiate your Business from your Competitors
  • Increase Lead Generation
  • Improve internal & external communication (Brand Protection)
  • Build winning sales presentation skills
  • Understand your Customers & their opportunities & challenges
  • Build trust through improved rapport
  • Optimise the sales cycle
  • Create a ‘Can-Do’ Culture in your customer facing teams
  • Gain more business from existing customers
  • Close more sales, improve margin see sales targets as the minimum requirement
  • Become trusted Advisors working in partnership with your Customers

If you would like to know how this could help you improve your sales, or feel that I may be able to help you to increase your success with some of today’s opportunities & challenges please contact me for a no obligation discussion. It costs nothing to talk and there is no commitment. I can guarantee that your time will not be wasted. Contact Me Today