5 biggest challenges in sales training
DESCRIPTION
Overcome the biggest roadblocks to sales training in your organization today!TRANSCRIPT
The Top 5 Sales Training Issues
and Recommended Solutions
http://www.salestrainingdrivers.org
Brian Lambert• Joined ASTD in 2007 to lead sales training
– Fifteen years of sales/sales training experience (Government, IT, services & Large and small companies)
• 50,000 people in 19 countries
• Founder of the United Professional Sales Association
• Author of two books on sales performance
• Recognized as one of most influential people in selling*
• Education: – Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida
– Master’s of science degree in Administration and Human Resource Management from Central Michigan University,
– Ph.D. candidate at Capella University* by Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, 2006
Issue One: Sales Training Apathy
• The elephant in the room
• Trainers too quick to take credit ‐ usually
• Salespeople don’t give credit ‐ usually
• Assuming what salespeople need
• Going for entertainment value
• Wrong executive buy‐in
• Assuming that if salespeople make plan, there are no gaps in knowledge or skill
PersonalLeadership
Issue OneSolutions
ChangeManagement
LeadershipSupport
SystemsView
Competency-Based
Approach
Issue One: Sales Training Apathy
Issue Two: Wrong Sales Training Mix
• Do you talk “what” or “how”?
• What’s your definition of sales training?– Product Training
– Company‐specific Training
– Industry Training
– Skills Training
• What’s your sales process?
• What roles does coaching play?
• Who’s designing content? Making decisions?
• How do your customers make a purchase decision?
“48% OF SALESPEOPLE LEARN BY TRIAL AND ERROR
TO A HIGH OR VERY HIGH DEGREE”
ASTD/I4CP Research Fall 2008
InstillReal Coaching
Issue TwoSolutions
ManageKnowledge
Delivery is Critical
Know HowYour
Buyer’s Buy
You DriveThe
Content
Get the Right Sales Training Mix
Issue Three: Lack of Sales Development
System• Knee jerk reactions are common
• Needs analysis is sometimes spotty
• Sales career paths rarely often don’t lead anywhere
• Are you helping the sales team answer the fundamental sales questions at all times?– For example: “Where am I, and what should I do?”
• Reactive approach to developing content based on sales team wants, not needs
IdentifyReal
KnowledgeGaps
Issue ThreeSolutions
CompetencyBased
Approach
Learning&
PerformanceApproach
Develop aCoachingProgram
SalesTrainingStrategic
Plan
Treat Selling as a System
Issue Four: Poor Measurement Techniques
• Poor follow‐up after each training event
• No real definition of success
• Assuming that training will yield a business outcome
• Little/no emphasis on measuring coaching interactions
• Lack of documentation: If people believe it, it’s true
MeasureBehavioral
Change
Issue FourSolutions
MeasureLaggingOutputs
MeasureLeadingOutputs
MeasureKnowledge
Transfer
Split Sample
Better Measurement Techniques
Issue Five: The Wrong Content
• Prescription before diagnosis
• Customized vs. standardized?
• Outsourced vs. in‐house?
• Training delivers more knowledge and skill, not talent or wisdom
• Not understanding the organizational maturity of your sales team
• Re‐inventing the wheel
Select VendorsOn Objective
Measures
Issue FiveSolutions
Know WhenTo
Customize
Don’t BuyInto
“Flavor ofMonth”
UnderstandCompetencies
CentralizeTraining
Train the Right Content
In Summary:
• Sales Training is not a one‐time event
• Work to bring sales training to a holistic process
• Choose the right content for the right time and deliver it in the right way
• Measure the right outputs
• Don’t take the easy way out
The Sales Profession Competency Model
The definition of world‐class selling
http://www.salestrainingdrivers.org
Sales Competency Model Advisory Panel Representation
16
Partnering Insight Solution Effectiveness
• Spanning Boundaries• Communicating Effectively• Aligning to Customers• Setting Expectations• Negotiating Positions• Building Relationships
• Analyzing Organizational Capacity• Understanding Business Context• Evaluating Customer Experiences• Gathering Intelligence• Prioritizing Stakeholder Needs• Identifying Options• Building a Business Case
• Building Business Skills• Solving Problems• Embracing Diversity• Making Ethical Decisions• Managing Knowledge• Using Technology• Accelerating Learning•Executing Plans• Maximizing Personal Time• Aligning to the Sales Process
• Facilitating Change• Formalizing Agreements• Resolving Issues• Managing Projects• Leveraging Success• Articulating Value
Creating and Closing Opportunities Protecting Accounts
Defining and Positioning SolutionsSupporting Indirect SellingSetting Sales Strategy
Managing within the Sales EcosystemDeveloping Sales Force Capability
Delivering Sales TrainingCoaching for Sales ResultsBuilding Sales InfrastructureDesigning CompensationMaintaining AccountsRecruiting Sales Talent
Sales Roles
Sales Areas of Expertise
Foundation Competencies
AdministratorAnalyst
ConsultantDeveloperManagerStrategist
Thank You!
Brian LambertDirector, ASTD Sales Training
and Sales Training Driver
O: 703‐683‐8100
F: 703‐894‐2784
http://www.salestrainingdrivers.org