Sales team training is an essential investment for any organization. When individuals and teams receive training, they learn the skills and techniques to succeed in any selling situation.
But not every sales leader knows how to make the most of their team’s sales training. Here are 10 practical ways to get the most value from training your team.
1. Reinforce Your Sales Training
Learning shouldn’t end after your training sessions are over. Reinforcing program takeaways with your sales professionals is essential so they can retain the new knowledge and continue to grow.
Post-training sales assessments can help you identify areas where your sellers need to focus. Sales training reinforcement can include coaching and eLearning with guided and/or self-paced learning paths. Sellers can continue to improve specific skills with micro-content, practice exercises, flash drills, and discussion prompts.
Your training facilitator or L&D team can also offer guidance on how to best reinforce new skills acquired during training.
2. Give Specific Feedback
Use this time to encourage your sellers to be receptive to feedback and to develop your sales coaching skills. After training, one of the most important things you can do is offer concrete suggestions for how they can continue to improve their sales techniques.
It’s essential to be able to coach and give constructive advice to piggyback on training. Rather than saying someone needs to get better at sales calls in general, identify the specific behaviors they can change to improve. Learning how to coach and keep the learning going is as important as the initial training.
3. Practice and Perfect Skills
Just like athletes who train for their sport, your sellers must also practice regularly to hone their skills and stay sharp.
Set aside time each week for them to refresh what they’ve learned through role-playing exercises, mock sales calls, or simply reviewing key concepts together.
Not only will this help your team retain skills; it will also give you a chance to see how they’re progressing and identify any areas that need more attention.
4. Track Individual and Team Progress
When it comes to sales performance, there is no room for complacency. If you want your team to succeed, you need to ensure that everyone is working toward their goals.
The same can be said about sales training. Tracking progress post-training helps sellers see how well they’re doing and where they need to improve. Measuring sales progress can also motivate them to do better.
Here are two ways you can keep track of your team’s progress:
- Measure skills before and after training. Sales skills assessments such as the IMPACT Selling Skills Index® give sellers an objective measure of proficiency. Comparing scores before and after training identifies strengths and areas of opportunity.
- Monitor sales performance. In addition to revenue numbers, tracking metrics such as the number of sales calls made, meetings scheduled, and conversion rates at each stage of the pipeline will give you a good idea of whether these new skills are working.
5. Be Prepared for a Learning Curve
No matter how beneficial your sales training is, it may not produce results immediately. There will be a learning curve. Allow sellers an adjustment period as they start to apply new tactics, methodology, and skills.
While it can be discouraging for them to learn new tactics only to have an opportunity that doesn’t pan out, it’s vital to convey the importance of persevering and learning from each situation.
Prepare your sellers for this learning curve. Your sales training will become even more valuable as they learn how to apply their new knowledge consistently.
6. Set Realistic Sales Goals
Individual growth is crucial for sales professionals. In addition to sales quotas and deal metrics, it’s important to set realistic personal development goals that can keep your sellers motivated.
Work with each seller to figure out which areas they’d like to focus on or which skillset they want to develop. From there, determine smaller steps on the way to this larger goal.
Let’s say a seller wants to work on communication skills. Subgoals can include working on crafting engaging emails, making connections within the sales team, or learning new ways to create rapport with prospects.
These smaller, achievable goals can help keep sellers accountable. They’re also a great way to practice the skills and lessons taught during sales training.
Developing new skills and habits takes time. If sellers aren’t patient, they may find themselves discouraged or frustrated. Start with reasonable, realistic goals that encourage growth and then, as sellers enhance their skills, set larger goals.
7. Build a Team Culture
It takes a team to close deals and achieve sales targets. More importantly, it takes a team mentality and a drive to succeed as a group. To be successful, your sellers need to learn how to be team players. That means setting a supportive tone rather than encouraging a “lone wolf’ attitude.
The B2B sales process is complex and lengthy. Multiple people in your organization contribute to each step—from lead generation, research, and prospecting to closing the deal. Working as a team allows sellers to share information and resources that help them close more deals and reach their quotas faster.
Effective sales training also requires teamwork. As a sales leader, make sure to develop and implement training programs that promote a strong sales team culture and help everyone meet their goals.
8. Help Your Sellers Maintain a Positive Attitude
Sales can be challenging. Your sellers may be working with a great team and have high-quality training, but they won’t succeed without confidence.
A positive attitude helps sellers be resilient and stay focused on goals. When things are challenging or new tactics don’t work out as desired, remind your team that becoming a better sales professional takes time.
As a sales leader, ensuring positive energy within your sales team is a must. Providing positive feedback and helping individuals boost confidence with their skills can make a significant difference in how well they perform.
Sales training can also be the pivot your team needs to turn things around during a slow period. New skills and approaches can inspire sellers and help them regain a positive attitude.
If you feel good about the sales training your team just completed, that energy will be contagious and help motivate them. On the other hand, if you’re feeling down or doubtful about the training, that negativity can quickly spread throughout the team. Do your best to communicate the benefits of this opportunity to grow and develop.
9. Celebrate Personal Wins
It’s important to celebrate both individual and team wins after training. Recognition keeps morale high, shows you’re willing to invest in your entire team (not just high performers), and that you’re committed to seller success.
Here are a few ideas for celebrating personal development milestones.
- Have a team-wide celebration when someone hits a sales or professional goal. This could be something as simple as ordering pizza or taking everyone out for drinks after work.
- Recognize individuals for their achievements with a bonus, a gift card, or even a handwritten note from the sales manager. Acknowledging a job well done can make a big difference in the morale and attitude of an individual.
- Celebrate milestones like anniversaries and tenure with your company. This is a great way to show your appreciation for sellers who have been with you for a long time.
No matter how you choose to celebrate your wins, remember it’s essential to show your sales team you’re invested in their success—both personal and professional. They’ll be more motivated to keep up the excellent work.
10. Never Stop Training
B2B sales is constantly changing. Sales teams that don’t adapt will get left behind. Ongoing training is essential to keep your team current on the latest sales strategies and techniques.
The best sales teams are constantly learning and growing. Don’t make the mistake of thinking your team is “too experienced” to need sales training. The truth is that all sales organizations can benefit from effective sales training programs.
If you want your sales team to be the best it can be, invest in a high-quality program. By doing so, you and your team will never stop learning.
Consider The Brooks Group for Sales Team Training
Our IMPACT Selling® program gives sales professionals the skills to build customer relationships, overcome objections, negotiate, and close deals. Contact us to get more information about our custom sales team training.
