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How By Answering These Three Questions Can Dramatically Improve Sales Training

Guest post by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Article Overview: If you only had 3 questions to answer to improve sales training. what would they be?

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How By Answering These Three Questions Can Dramatically Improve Sales Training

According to American Society of Training & Development (ASTD), in 2007 U.S. business invested over $134.39 billion dollars in training. This equates to almost $1,500 per employee.

Yet this same organization and many others who research the benefits of training and development continue to suggest that training delivers less than 5% positive results to the bottom line. In other words, most training becomes a liability, a cost instead of being an actual investment.

Sales training programs are no exception. Research within those who are involved in selling suggests that up to 50% of all leads are not followed up. Additionally, 90% of all sales professionals make no more than four contacts with a potential customer even though 80% of all sales are earned between the fifth and twelfth contacts. Most sales managers to CEO to even those who deliver training when questioned about this research would eventually have to admit the rationale for existing learning needs to be re-examined.

So this leads to answering these three critical questions:

  1. What is the real problem poor sales skills or something else?
  2. What results do you want this learning experience to deliver?
  3. How much emphasis do you place on sales skills when the obstacle to success is existing behaviors (attitudes and habits)?
Many times in organizations confuse symptoms with problems. For example, training is recommended because of poor customer retention or similar poor sales skills. The real problem may be other departments within the organization and not necessarily the sales team.

Identifying the desired results up front seems like everyday common sense. However, from my experiences in working with my continuous business process improvement and sales coaching clients this is not necessarily true. Also, the results should be measurable so that they can be easily tracked. If the result is to increase the number of sales with an existing client, then both the number and the value along with the profitability of those results need to be tracked along with the sales professional’s time to achieve this goal.

Finally, existing curriculum within the Human Resource or any proposed sales training problem needs to include attitude and habit development. To improve attitudes and establish sustainable habits begins with infusing a proven goal achievement process into the existing sales and marketing plans. Performance assessments probably also need to be part of the answer to this question as well as reviewing exit interviews of past employees.

By answering these three questions, you can improve sales training programs and deliver a positive return on investment. Remember training, learning or professional development (whatever you call it) needs to be always considered an investment and not a cost if your organization or even yourself truly wishes to achieve the goal to increase sales.

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Home > Business-Coach > Leanne Hoagland-Smith > How By Answering These Three Questions Can Dramatically Improve Sales Training
Article Tags: amp, astd, attitudes, billion dollars, bottom line, business process improvement, ceo, common sense, continuous business, critical questions, customer retention, desired results, learning experience, li li, nbsp, obstacle, poor customer, rationale, sales managers, sales professionals

About the Author: Leanne Hoagland-Smith
RSS for Leanne's articles - Visit Leanne's website

Executive consultant, sales coach and speaker, Leanne Hoagland-Smith, partners with innovative and crazy busy leaders who want to dramatically improve their team results. What this looks like differs for each firm and why a free strategy session is offered just by calling 219.759.5601 CDT USA to have a conversation about the results you are seeking. If you prefer you can forward a request to coach@processspecialist.com

Her book, Be the Red Jacket is a no-nonsense and quick read to help discover potential gaps that may be keeping you from your goal to increase sales. The forward is by Evan Carmichael of EvanCarmichael.com

Remember if you think you cannot or you think you can either way you are right. (Henry Ford). Sales Coaching Tip:  Change your thoughts; improve your results.

Click here to visit Leanne's website
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