Sales training is the foundation for a successful sales career. However, not all sales training is grounded and there are many factors to consider when selecting a sales training program.

An individual wouldn’t have any direction without sales training. He/she would be wasting his/her own potential and the resources of the company. Therefore, it is important that the sales training relate not only to the individual’s needs but also to management objectives and their line of business.

Most sales transactions are emotional decisions and not rational ones. It becomes a matter of understanding human behaviour and the better way to interact with buyers. Sales training should not only address this matter but should relate to either business to business – commercial sales, or business to consumer – retails sales.

Although there are a number of sales training programs covering these areas, they may not be comparable to each other in terms of needs and objectives. Effective sales training leads to customization, duration, methodologies, adult learning techniques, evaluations and measurements, supportive learning tools, follow-up, re-enforcement and coaching, sales management training, in-house “train-the-trainer” programs, and the list goes on.

Subsequently, it is most important that your sales training needs and objectives are well defined up front. This can be done by means of interviews, needs analysis, performance reviews with your sales people and sales management team. By involving them in the decision making process, they in turn take ownership which is very important to nurture their desire to learn.

Combine this with your strategic business plans, targets, number of sales people and overall desired outcomes from the sales training, and you now have the wherewithal to create your sales training objectives.

These objectives can be used to determine the budget for the training. They also establish whether you go single or multiple days, ongoing, public, or in-house with customized supporting Sales Management and Train-the-Trainer training. These specific sales training objectives ensure everyone is on the same page, and provide ongoing coaching and internal re-enforcement on a daily basis.

The sales training must be engaging and must sanction participant ownership in the process. There is no need to set objectives for the participants, instead determine their expectations and let them set the objectives during the sales training. At the same time deal with any concerns they may have prior to setting the ground rules for effective learning.

Adult learning techniques and self discovery of the sales process are equally important. These two processes grant them ownership. Participant ownership awards them the courage to go out into the real world and try something they have never done before.

The key to learning is performing in the real world and not just in the sales training session. However, if an individual should fail, he must know there is someone to turn to for coaching.

Research has proven that 87% of what is learned is lost within 30 days. This is due to lack of training re-enforcement and coaching from management. It is important that sales management attend the sales training. In addition, they should attend sales management training too.

Management will not only learn to demonstrate appropriate behaviour, but will also learn how to provide constructive feedback and coaching, run effective meetings, and make available ongoing re-enforcement of the sales training via adult learning techniques.

Therefore, know what you want. Use a magic wand, pretend nothing is impossible and list all the attitudes, behaviour, and competency improvements that you would like to see demonstrated by your sales team following the sales training. Set your sales and sales management training objectives and find the sales training programs that are best suited to your needs.

Remember this acronym – A.S.K. Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened. Ask your sales team for their sales training needs and sales training objectives. Seek a sales training provider and you will find one. Knock and they will open the door so you can enter a sales training program and discover a world of increased sales to up your bottom line.

To succeed in sales today, you must do the opposite of selling. You must learn how to attract, engage and empower buyers to buy.

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