Training Will Increase Sales

Sales just happen without special skills or techniques and anyone can do it. Right? A person shows up at a prospective customer, presents the product or service, and walks away with an order. The attitude - no need to spend valuable resources, time, and money, to formulate sales goals, programs, and training when it is so easy to do is still pervasive in the minds and cultures of many business executives. Especially those that began in the "good ole days" when competition was scarce and people formed relationships that endured for years.

In those days, there were no computers, cell phones, or message machines - great productivity devices. Today, technological advances are not the only changes in the work place. Selling and sales skills are more important than ever before. Everyone wants to increase sales and obtain a bigger piece of the pie, but it is increasingly difficult to achieve this goal.

Several reasons for this difficulty include more competition; purchasing decisions are being impacted by pricing, and lack of confidence in economic policy. Sales just do not "happen" by showing up - they never did and never will. Management executives with this antiquated view are having a difficult time in understanding why their business is not growing. The attitude that we are doing the same things now as before and it has always worked is no longer valid. The view of "we don't need sales people or training" is out with the typewriter.

A definition of sales training, taken from JRC Training Solutions - "those things which are done to help salespeople gain mastery in the skills, concepts, behaviors, and attitudes that will enhance their expertise in influencing prospects to make positive purchasing decisions." The training helps sales personnel learn how buyers and sellers interact.

Inadequate Sales Training

What happens when there is no formal sales training or it is inadequate?

First, those assigned with the responsibility of sales lack confidence in their ability to present and promote the product or service.

Second, they may experience frustration and/or low morale, as they are unable to respond to the mandated task.

Third, productive decreases and stress levels rise because obligations go unfulfilled.

Fourth, few if any new sales are achieved.

Unless all existing business is maintained, which never happens, and no new accounts are brought in to take the place of lost customers, the result - loss of profits.

Proper Sales Training

What is the positive value of sales training?

First, sales training increases the productivity and performance of those responsible for sales by:

            Preparing sales people to maximize the effectiveness of each sales encounter.

            Teaching people a selling process, making it easier for those whose primary responsibility is something other than sales, to apply

            specific techniques to make presentations, understanding how to respond to questions, and how to recognize buying signals.

Second, sales training improves cost effectiveness as the sales person is able to recognize and prioritize genuine sales opportunities.

Third, the training can reduce employee turnover and lower the stress level of those responsible for sales. 

Fourth, sales training improves the overall effectiveness of everyone in the organization by utilizing the same process and standards for everyone, regardless of their position or functions.

Professional sales people are "worth their weight in gold," as the cliché goes. Those organizations that feel they can do without professionals and leave the selling to operational or other staff members will find that their business will go the way of the pay phone and typewriter. Training increases sales and profits and keeps business healthy and alive - especially in hard economic times.

For more information on how training pays contact me at: gthornton3@cox.net.