5 biggest challenges in sales training

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

E: blambert@astd.org

http://www.salestrainingdrivers.org