10 Components of an Effective Sales Skills Training

Selling well is an innate behavioural skill. However, through continuous practice, one can master skills like pitching, researching, and customer handling required for a successful sale. The role of an effective and well-planned sales training program comes in here.

In this article, we bring you ten components of effective sales skills training. You will also learn what sales training is and why it is important.

What is Sales Skills Training? 

National Society of Sales Training Executives, USA, defines sales skills training as “the intentional and sound application of ordinary sense to the problem of helping the sales personnel to make the most of their talents.”

Sales training is intended to improve the selling skills of your sales team by inculcating better seller behaviour to maximize sales success. Sales training comprises creating, implementing, managing, and analysing the sales educational sessions in your company.

Why is Sales Skills Training Important?

Consistent Sales skills training can help in adding value to your company in many ways. Efficient sales training:

1. Helps empower your sales team.

2. Helps you provide better customer support.

3. Can bring out the best in your sales team.

4. Can help you grow your client base.

5. Can help you build brand loyalty.

6. Enables you to develop through leadership in your team.

7. Can help your team to tackle the challenges in a better way and make them resilient.

10 Components of an Effective Sales Skills Training 

If you need to get better business returns, growth in yearly revenue, and a better brand image, then you need to invest in sales training. Here are some components which you need to work on to provide an effective sales skills training program: 

1. Right Choice of Facilitator: First, you must appoint the appropriate facilitator for the training program. No matter how robust your training curriculum is, if the facilitator fails to conduct it properly, it won’t work. You can appoint an in-house and experienced facilitator from the sales team or hire the services from an external agency. 

2. Basic Sales Skills: Any sales training program should cover these basic sales skills, even if it is not for beginners. This way, your employees will get a chance to brush up on their skills:

1. Finding and knowing your prospects

2. Cold pitching and writing cold emails

3. Making cold calls

4. Giving a sales presentation

5. Drafting a sales proposal

6. Following up through emails, phone calls, and in-person meetings

7. Closing the deal

8. Onboarding of clients after the deal

3. Customer Insights and Experience: Sales is a customer-centric process. And sales reps need to understand the customer better to know their problems, struggles, and products that would suit them best. Empathy toward customers is of utmost importance for any sales professional, and sales training must train them in customer handling.

4. Product and Market Knowledge: Your staff must be equipped to answer customer queries regarding your products. The sales rep should be encouraged to practice product demonstration during the training program, and a mock question and answer session will prepare them to deal with the customers during the actual pitching.

5. Your Company’s Sales Process: Every sales department follows certain processes to achieve targets. These can range from methods for lead generation, identifying prospects, and pitching prospects to closing a deal. You must incorporate information about these processes in your training program to update the hires and refresh the knowledge of your existing staff.

6. Sales Strategy Building: The most important part of your sales efforts should be building and executing a robust sales strategy. Every step should be in a blueprint, from finding a prospect, pitching and following them, to closing the deal. It is important to analyse your sales process and strategy once you close (or fail to close) a deal to understand what has worked and what didn’t for your future sales efforts. 

7. A Virtual Demo: With the advent of technology and the internet, sales have shifted towards virtual sales. You can pitch and communicate with your customers via virtual sales via internet calls or emails, saving time.  

8. CRM and Sales Tools Training: Learning CRM and similar tools that help in sales processes are crucial to make your work seamless. During the training program, assign your team members tasks that train them in using the software. Allow them to have hands-on training by making new entries into the CRM, using the search function, updating information on existing accounts, etc.

9. Team Building Exercises: Sales is teamwork. From rehearsing pitches to making strategies and assessing the entire process, sales efforts depend on group work. And sales training sessions are best to develop a bond among the team members. It is best to use group activities to bring your team members closer. 

10. Analysis of the Sale Activity Outcomes: Last but not least, training programs should incorporate an assessment of the sales efforts of the trainee. This would help them know their strengths and weaknesses and also measure the training modules' effectiveness. Self-assessment practices should also be encouraged. 

Bottom Line 

Like the sales processes, sales training should also have a robust plan. While conducting sales training, the organisation and the facilitator need to keep in mind certain factors like:

1. The objective of the training program

2. Expertise level of the attendees

3. A little background of their sales career

These points will help the mentor design the training program better, as the expectations and requirements for the training would be clearer. Also, as a company, one must have a specific strategy mentioning the frequency and follow-up sessions to ensure that learning takes place more systematically and consistently. 

Juno School of Business conducts sales skills training for those who want to make a successful career in sales. You can do this 8-week-long online training at your convenience, anywhere in the world. Apply now and take one step closer to a successful sales career.