The right time for sales training - Sales Leader’s Q&A

by Dave Kahle

Question:

 I wanted to do some sales training last year, but it just wasn’t the right time for it.  We had too many things on our plate.  Looking at our calendar this year, I am coming to the same conclusion.  Am I ever going to have time to do sales training? Will it ever be the right time?

Answer:

Great question.  Probably the number one reason sales managers don’t provide sales training for their teams is “the timing just isn’t right.”

     Why is it that some companies, regardless of the press of the urgent and the demands of the customers, find time to provide regular training and development opportunities for their sales force, and others, in the same industry, just can’t make the time?

     The answer really does not lie in the ebb and flow of “things to do.” Nor does it lie in the open spaces of the calendar – if only you could find some empty days, you could slot in a sales training event. The answer does not lie in the world of stuff outside of ourselves that so occupies our time and attention.  Rather, the answer lies inside ourselves and our organizations – in our attitudes, our values and our corporate culture.

     Let me lay some ground work with a bit of thinking about effective sales, in general and then circle around to address the question head on.

Difficult and Irate Customers!

These are the kinds of sales calls that keep us awake at night.  They get under our skin and bother us for weeks.

We all have them. 

While they may be few in number, the potential impact is huge:

• They cause us to be upset.
• We lose our confidence.
• They could cost us huge dollars of sales.
• The spin-offs – disgruntled customers telling others about their problem -- can expand like ripples on the water.

            Let me help.  In this 60-minute webinar, I’ll show you:

•  Two fundamental attitude shifts that will make all the difference.
•  A step-by-step process to effectively handle an irate or upset customer.
• A powerful skill that will enable you to get along with anyone—even the most irritating and difficult customers.
• A specific set of tactics for customers who are:

           Unreasonably demanding 

           Constant complainers

           Intimidating

           Sarcastic

           Know it all

           Excessively picky.

You’ll leave equipped with a set of tools that will allow you to confidently handle difficult and irate customers.

$47. Friday, June 28, at 12:30 PM (eastern)

Register here!

1. I think everyone would agree with this statement: Better sales people sell more than average sales people.

Better sales performance is not a matter of inheriting the best customer, or falling into a lucky deal.  Those things happen occasionally, but year in and year out, the best performing sales people are those who ‘sell better’ than the rest.  They do something, and usually a lot of things, better than their colleagues.  As a result, their customers respond more positively to them, and the sales people post better numbers.  They sell more because they act differently.  Not just differently – but better.

     There is a direct relationship between what the sales person does and how much he sells.  Here’s a simple example.  One study found that 74 percent of purchasing agents said they would be “much more likely to buy from a sales person, if that person would just listen.”  Doesn’t it follow, then, that those sales people who listen better sell more than those who don’t?  So, if you could help all of your sales people listen better, wouldn’t that result in more sales?  Of course it would. And listening is just one of a number of sales practices that are essential to better sales performance.

     That’s my point.  What a sales person does directly and measurably impacts how much a sales person sells. And better sales people, because they do things better, sell more than average sales people.

2. Most of my readers would also agree with this statement: Almost every sales person can become better.

     One of the things that I have most enjoyed about my career as a sales person has been the fact that I have never yet reached my potential.  I can always do better.  And, frankly, I’m a pretty good sales person.

     I’m not perfect yet, even though I have tried to get there my whole life. Rarely does a day go by that I don’t find myself saying, “I should have done this... READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE