“Nothing happens until something gets sold.” I've repeated this statement in just about every article I've written about business and the selling process. My instructional and training philosophy is simple, easy and effective so it would stand to reason that you don't have to have an IQ off the charts to comprehend my approach to sales training and coaching.
In speaking with sales people and managers nationwide I've confirmed what most of us know. Whether articulated or not, most sales people resent, or disagree, with their sales managers and are usually resistant to various attempts at control and accountability.
An excellent sales manager is one that not only engages in all the requisite functions of the position but can train coach, assist and increase sales production.
Many sales people think their managers have lost touch with the complexities and difficulty of selling, being busy engaged in creating nonproductive work for their subordinates.
Sales meetings, quotas, ride-alongs, forecasts and sales reports are just a few of the nonproductive functions most sales people associate with their managers. These are all necessary tasks for the sales manager and certainly are required to run a productive organization.
In addition to the aforementioned, a sales manager should provide individual, and group, ongoing sales training. The operative phrase is “ongoing.” It doesn't take much creativity to report and monitor a department's results and effectiveness.
The sales manager should have a direct input on sales production through means other than hiring and firing. To have a direct influence on sales production the sales team should have the benefit of effective, ongoing sales training.
Attendees of a sales training seminar, or meeting, won't resent their time investment (with the exception of an inept, boring or ineffective trainer running the session) if they've walked away with information that will improve their personal sales performance.
The prime motivation for sales people is to close a sale—that's what they get paid for and how they ensure their continued employment. If the purpose of the training is to introduce a new product or service, that goal should be clearly stated and an additional add-on for this session should be ideas and suggestions on how to turn this product into another sales opportunity.
Remember, this is the sales force. How will these people benefit? How well has the sales manager thought about the selling process?
Sales training should entail both group and individual modules. Everyone learns differently and it's difficult to just have group sessions without addressing specific requirements for individual comprehension.
Not only will an effective sales manager offer training regularly, but the manager will also work with individuals to assess the effectiveness of the training.
Following up with the sales team will identify the strengths and weaknesses of the training and/or those being trained. Role-playing is an excellent training method for evaluating the understanding and implementation of sales techniques.
Remember, it's not about having fulfilled the requirement of offering sales training, its about those in attendance benefiting, including the sales manager. Obviously, if the sales force benefits, the manager won't be far behind.
A productive technique the manager can utilize is to treat the sales force as the manager's client. Specifically, the manager should continually be “selling” his client to accomplish the manager's goals.
This is a good juncture to identify “benefits” as a critical factor in the decision-making process.
A successful sales manager and/or sales person knows that you must show the benefits of your product, service or idea before the client will consider accepting what's being offered.
Certainly, a sales manager can make attendance at training sessions mandatory, but we all know that's less effective than the “client” (sales person) who wants to attend training for self-improvement.
The client (sales person) must subscribe to the benefits before they'll be interested in the product, service or idea. The manager will have one shot at selling the benefits of training.
Envision the sales force anxiously taking their seats. After the first few minutes the benefits completely erode if the topic is boring or the presenter sounds like a funeral director.
If this happens, the manager will be fighting an uphill battle motivating the sales force to accept future sales training with any degree of enthusiasm. The moral of this scenario is that a manager that provides sales training will only benefit his sales force if the training is effective. It's naive to think a sales person will enthusiastically look forward to training if they don't experience the benefits for themselves.
Lastly, the sales manager should frequently be polling the sales team to ascertain what sales training they'd like to have. By definition, sales people are expected to sell and be productive.
Why would a sales person approach management and request training in the discipline of selling or any particular facet of selling their product?
For most, it would be viewed as a lack of confidence, a flag-raiser for diminished effectiveness and/or an admission of a sales deficiency. Obviously that's not really what's going on, but perception might become reality.
It's incumbent on management to initiate sales training and self-improvement exercises. Sales people will rarely share their deficiencies.
An anonymous comment sheet at the end of every sales meeting and/or training session is an effective tool in monitoring how the training was perceived and what training the attendees would like to see in the future.
A sales manager that improves sales production is a valued corporate asset. The role of a sales manager must include sales training and sales coaching if production levels are to meet sales goals.
Even the most proficient of sales associates will benefit from informative, simple, easy and effective sales training.
“Nothing happens until something gets sold.”
Stephen Greenberg is the founder and CEO of Synergistic Associates Inc., a national sales training and coaching organization. For a free consultation, or any questions, Steve can be contacted at
