Geschreven door Peter van der Reijden | March 27, 2012
What are the ingredients for an effective sales training program? With an increasing emphasis on good sales people, this question is more important than ever. So we decided to take a look at what experts such as Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy and Geoffrey James have to say about designing an effective sales training program. Because on one thing they all agree: selling is definitely a skill that can be learned.
Common patterns
Before we start, I'm aware that this article is about to present you with a gross oversimplification of their angle on the subject. So if you're interesting in improving sales skills, please check out their own respective blogs and books, which is a good idea anyway. However, when you look at what these experts have to say about it, some common patterns emerge and I think this could be helpful when you design your next sales training program.
Focus on basic skills
Geoffrey James, in this article on Inc.com, emphasizes that most sales fail because a of a lack of ability or practice in fundamental skills such as establishing rapport, questioning, presenting and closing. Zig Ziglar's corporate training department, on its website, makes a similar point: although industry context and approach may differ, the underlying sales process is the same. Fine-tuning specific contextual information and techniques are simply not effective enough if the underlying fundamentals are not properly developed.
Take-away: (initally) focus on the basic skills to make the biggest leaps.
Practice, retain and reinforce with roleplays
A good salesman masters the basic skills mentioned above. He or she knows what skills to use to overcome objections or how to close a deal. This kind of salesmanship stems from one thing: practice. And not just practice, as "only perfect practice makes perfect” says James (in this blogpost). "To hard-wire a behavior, you must push yourself to repeat it religiously and correctly."
Sales skills should be practiced and reinforced in roleplays until these skills become part of the participant's DNA. It is no coincidence that both Ziglar and Tracy focus on making the training "stick". Continuously reinforcing new behavior and checking for retention is essential for long-term effectiveness.
Take-away: make sure that your training provides enough opportunities for practice and spread these moments over time. New habits are not mastered in a day.
Personal coaching and feedback
All of the experts agree that within sales teams, the weakest single skill (Tracy) is different for each team member. Whereas one might be great in closing the deal but may lack listening skills, someone else could be great at both but might become way too defensive if he or she needs to overcome objections. A one-size-fits-all training program is therefore rarely the most efficient route to take when you train a sales team. So make sure there is plenty of room for personal coaching and feedback.
Take-away: make personal coaching (from trainer and sales manager) an integral part of your training program.
