Sales Training

Sales training is the responsibility of the sales trainer and his staff. This is where new products are brought to the attention of the sales force. Guest speakers are brought in to give advanced sales training. Selling skills are discussed with the idea of solving problem areas the sales people are encountering. If the same objection is being confronted by many of the sales people, there may be a product problem or concern. Maybe one of the more experienced sales people has discovered a way to overcome this problem. Passing this information along may help all of the force. Learning and reminding the sales force of the selling basics should be a consistent part of on going sales training.

The economy of the world depends on sales of products and services. If there were no sales, businesses would cease to exist. People who have come up through the sales ranks run many large corporations. There is an obvious reason for this, everything in a business’s operation starts with a sale. If there are no sales, all of the other functions of a business wither away. Since sales are the name of the game, it follows that sales training is a priority consideration of most companies.

Sales training encompasses many elements such as, product knowledge, sales processing, finding potential clients and sales situations and techniques. Mastering the techniques of sales is imperative to business—selling is an artform, the more creative the seller, the better the business’ bottom line. This is where sales training becomes quite helpful: it gives a business owner the opportunity to teach employees how to be effective sellers.

The sales trainer holds an important position with any sales organization. It is their responsibility to teach both new employees and more experienced sales people with the company. Many have a proven record of sales with the company and the ability to teach what they know. This passing of knowledge, sale techniques and how to get along with a customer can be taught. A good sales trainer can upgrade new employees so it does not take so long for them to begin to be productive. Their training list includes product knowledge, the company rules for processing the sale, sale techniques and how to follow-up on a sale.

The trainer may also be responsible for explaining company policies or rules. It depends on the company if the task is assigned here or the human resources person. Advanced classes for improving sales skills or techniques could also be part of a sales trainer’s assignment. The trainer may also bring in sales experts to teach so the class hears from a different voice. This has proven to be very effective as the guest speaker may be given better attention. There are many of these sales gurus available for just this purpose. Outside speakers can be very worthwhile when they know their subject extremely well. This knowledge can help any level of sales person improve their personal skill.

Sales training programs are many faceted in most companies. The programs consist of formal training for new and experienced sales people. When a new product is to be released, this is an excellent venue to show the product and its benefits as well as a suggested presentation plan. Guest speakers with their own sales plan can be used to vary the program and keep it fresh. Sales techniques should be openly discussed as to what seems to work and what doesn’t. All sales training programs should be kept interesting in content and use different means of presentation. This will help to improve the learning or the understanding of what is being presented.

Sales techniques are a subject to themselves as can be seen from the number of books that have been written on the subject. The techniques cover the minor to the major topics. Subjects that are covered vary from the importance of the right handshake (firm but not crushing) to telephone etiquette or from how to sit or how to stand when talking with a client. Should name familiarity be formal or informal? These questions and more are important considerations of sales technique.

A lot is written about maintaining eye contact when speaking with a customer. It definitely should be done. Not doing it will let the sales person miss important body language signs. The eyes and facial changes often give a clue as to whether the client is listening, distracted, interested or bored. As in poker, the face tells of what the potential buyer is thinking. Often the eyes will give off buying or no commitment signs. Do not undervalue this long time truism of selling.

If your presentation depends on asking several detailed questions of the prospect, it is important that you warn them of this beforehand. Tell them why you will ask the questions and the benefit of them giving you complete answers. If this is not done before the questions start, the customer has to guess why you are asking and may not answer completely or not at all. Sharing why you are doing this helps to gain their trust. Trust between the sales person and the customer is earned and cannot be overlooked as to its importance.

Find out the customer’s needs and then tailor the benefits of what is being offered to satisfy these needs. Help the customer with mental images of how your product/service will solve a problem they need to fix. When this process is done as described, you have a very good chance of making the sale.

Honest answers to tough questions are always the best way to go. Half-truths and evasion will be detected and can lose the sale. Tell the truth in a positive manner and do not exaggerate. Over selling or promising, will come back to haunt a sales person.

There are many basic rules that good sales people follow almost by instinct, but the rules also can be learned and put into practice. If you have the chance to watch a top sales person with your company do his work, take advantage of the opportunity, keep your mouth shut during the sales call and afterwards ask questions. Professional sales people love to tell how they did it and why.

Closing on a minor point is something that many sales people do not understand. Instead of asking do you want to buy, you could ask would you want delivery this Thursday or next Tuesday. If the customer picks a day, stop talking and write up the order. Do not keep selling. Do keep writing.

Sales training seminars must have merit as many companies spend large amounts on them and require their people to attend. If you get one idea you can use to make you better at selling it is worth the time spent. Learning from experts is not only smart, but speeds up the learning curve. Seminars are all about improving your sales skills. When put on by a pro, they can prove invaluable to the attentive listener.

After learning the basics, the smart sales person tries to advance their selling skills. Some advice is in order here. Do learn the product line cold or the services your company provides. Not knowing the answer when getting started is one thing. Not knowing answers after some time on the job is never acceptable.

Keep track of statements you make in the heat of the sale that seem to capture the customer. These zinger statements are worth writing down so you do not forget them.

Read magazines and books about selling, prospecting, and sales techniques. Go online, as there are many websites worth reading. Talk with sales pros that you know and try to learn from them. Some will help you and some just do it by instinct. Discussions are worth starting, as you never know what nuggets you may discover. Take advantage of any seminars you may be able to attend.

Appointments when you can get them are wonderful. It means that you have a person willing to give the time to learn what you want to talk about. It does not mean a guaranteed sale.

Cold calling is harder work, but can lead to very good sales. If doing it in person and not by phone, use the technique of seeing when you might get an appointment to discuss your products or services. If the person to see is available: give them a short overview of what you want to say and see if there is any interest. If not thank them and leave. If they seem hurried, ask if there is a better time to see them. Hurried stressed people are not attentive and are not ready to make any decisions.

If you go to an appointment, and it is a bust or a no show, make a few cold calls in the area if you have the time. Sometimes this can be pure serendipity.

After a sale is made and delivery has been handled, stop in and see if there is any thing you can help with or improve. If all is well and the customer seems to be satisfied, it is a good time to ask for referrals. Always let the customer know you are only a phone call away if they have any questions. When leaving thank them for their business. You never know whom they will recommend you to. Many people are reluctant to give referrals, but will tell others that you are a good person to do business with.

Sales follow up calls can also generate follow on sales. Additional sales to a person who previously bought from your company are much easier to get. Trust has been established already between the customer and your company. This is a major reason for making follow up calls on previous buyers.

It is much easier to ask how you can further help a customer you have a good relationship with which you have earned by past actions. All of these reasons are valid for making a follow up call.

Daisy chaining from one customer to the next via referrals is an excellent way to grow your sales at a rapid rate. Referrals work for one simple reason. The referred person knows the person you got the referral from and this may give you a real edge with them versus other sales people. If they respect the person who gave you their name, this is a real plus for you at the start. Some customers are so willing to refer you, they will call the person they are referring and tell them they should grant you an appointment. This has real power for the sales person that is lucky enough to get this level of help. If you get the appointment or make the sale to the referral, call and thank the person who gave you the referral. You may get another referral from this simple courtesy. Many people like to be a center of influence.

The sales game is a lot like the game of golf. A pro makes it look easy and the amateur shows how difficult it is to do well. Another common trait between the two is that the learning curve never stops and will continue for your lifetime. About the time you think you know it all, you will get a big surprise.

Time spent learning the sales game is well spent as a good sales person can make substantial levels of money on an annual basis. Upper management is also readily available to top sales people within a company. Many companies fast track talented people from this job path. Sales managers and sales trainers usually come from the sales ranks, not hired from outside sources. Promotions from these levels can easily follow if the results of these jobs are very good. People who can perform get looked at seriously for higher-level positions. Excellent results will open the path to further promotion and more responsibility.