|
|
| Sales Training Information |
|
|
Is It Time To Rethink Your Sales Training Program or Is Your Sales Training Delivering Results?
Sales is still a must for any company who wishes to stay in the marketplace. A recent Internet search uncovered over 471,000,000 hits on the words sales or selling. Visiting an Internet bookstore revealed similar interest with almost 11,400 titles including the key word of sales, over 8,208 titles with the key word of selling and 4,700 titles with the key words of sales and marketing. Extensive research conducted by the American Society for Testing and Development (ASTD) discovered direct training expenditures were 2% of payroll costs with another 10% of more in indirect costs. With all of this interest and dollars being invested in training and development for improved sales, possibly now is the time to assess your sales development. The following evaluation is for you, your manager, or your organization to determine the effectiveness of the current sales development initiatives within your company. After taking this quick assessment, some thoughts and questions to consider have been provided to help you truly discover how to secure the sales development results that you desire and more importantly require in today's highly competitive global business market. 1. Are the learning engagements training (learning a new skill) or development (enhancing a current skill set to improve the already learned skill)? Training Development 2. Is there a minimum of 50 hours of training or development per year devoted to the development of the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes and habits necessary to become a world class organization? No Yes 3. Is the training or development offered on a weekly or biweekly basis providing ongoing opportunities for application and feedback? No Yes 4. Is the training or development offered on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis where learning engagements exceed 6 hours per day without opportunities for application and feedback between learning engagements? No Yes 5. Is the training or development aligned with the current organizational goals and supported from the top down by the CEO and executive committee? No Yes 6. Is the training or development based upon "core" competencies? No Yes 7. If training or development is based upon "core" competencies, how many times have you had to repeat the training? None 1 time 2 times 3 times 4 times or more 8. Is the training or development based upon "desired" results? No Yes 9. If the training or development is based upon "desired" results, how many times have you had to repeat the training or development? None 1 time 2 times 3 times 4 times or more 10. Is the training or development based upon weaknesses or upon the strengths of each individual within the organization? Weaknesses Strengths Thoughts and Questions for Your Consideration Now, that you have completed this straightforward assessment, the following thoughts and questions are designed to help you determine the effectiveness of your current sales training or development. 1. Are the learning engagements training (learning a new skill) or development (enhancing a current skill set to improve that already learned skill)? Training Development If answer was training and the objective is to learn a new skill, you are right on target! However, if your people already possess skills, then the learning needs to focus on development. Development goes beyond training and works to build the What's In It For Me (WIIFM) leading to the What's In It For Us (WIIFU). 2. Is there a minimum of 50 hours of training or development per year devoted to the development of the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes and habits necessary to become a world class organization? No Yes If the answer was Yes, GREAT! You and your organization are committed to the your people and to reaching that next level of success. However, if any part of the answer was NO and you want to create a World-Class Organization, how are you going to achieve that goal? Much of the traditional training or development focuses on only knowledge and skills. Yet, performance failure more often than not is because of poor attitudes and habits. Attitude redevelopment is the KEY driving force to changing behaviors and securing sustainable results. Remember, if your people have spent at least 20 years learning something, one or even 10 hours per year will not significantly change their behaviors. 3. Is the training or development offered on a weekly or bi-weekly basis providing ongoing opportunities for application and feedback? No Yes If the answer was Yes, again CONGRATULTIONS! People need numerous opportunities to practice newly learned skills so that they are highly "competent" in both their attitudes and behaviors. For example we all know what 10 x 10 is. However, very few of us can answer as quickly and with as much confidence what 23 x 24 is. 4. Is the training or development offered on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis where learning engagements exceed 5 to 6 hours per day without opportunities for application and feedback between learning engagements? No Yes If the answer was Yes, then the learning may not be delivering the desired results and potentially creating a negative return on investment. Research suggests that a one time exposure to a learning event such as a 1 or 2 day full training or development session results in 50% cognitive retention after 24 hours; 25% cognitive retention after 48 hours and less than 2% cognitive retention after 16 days. Remember, the brain only absorbs, but the butt will endure. 5. Is the training or development aligned with the current organizational goals and supported from the top down by the CEO and executive committee? No Yes If you answered, Yes, again you and your company are headed for success. If the response was No, then you may wish to consider looking at your organizational goals to ensure alignment. An important side question to ask is can everyone in your organization name exactly the same top 3 organizational goals for the current year? If not, what are those "miss actions" costing you in terms of financials, leadership, relationships both external and internal and growth and innovation? 6. Is the training or development curriculum based upon "core" competencies? No Yes If you answered yes, then whose competencies are you using? Do all those competencies work for and with your organization and your people? 7. If training or development curriculum is based upon "core" competencies, how many times have you had to repeat the training? None 1 time 2 times 3 times 4 times or more If you answered more than none, then is a core competency based curriculum, truly effective and creating the desired end result of transformation? 8. Is the training or development based upon "desired" results? No Yes If you answered No, then why are you undertaking this training or development? 9. If the training or development is based upon "desired" results, how many times have you had to repeat the training or development? None 1 time 2 times 3 times 4 times or more If you answered more than none, then potentially, the desired end results were not clearly communicated within the ENTIRE organization. (Refer to above Question 5, the side question.) 10. Is the training or development based upon weaknesses or upon the strengths of each individual within the organization? Weaknesses Strengths If you answered, weaknesses, then the question is why do winning teams win? Is it because of their weaknesses or strengths? Training or development should be strength-based not weakness-based. A strength-based curriculum ensures that everyone is leveraging their assets while working to improve their potential strengths and weaknesses. This quick assessment as well as the hints and questions are designed to help you easily recognize where your current efforts might be redirected to ensure that your sales training and development is truly delivering your desired end results. Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, is the Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business and education experience, she builds peace and abundance by connecting the 3P's of Passion, Purpose and Performance through process improvement. Her ROI driven process solutions affect sustainable change in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation with a variety of industries. She aligns the strategies, systems and people to develop loyal internal customers that lead to external customers. As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential:Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for June 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please call Leanne a call at 219.759.5601 or email leanne@processspecialist.com if you are seeking amazing results. Copyright 2005 Leanne Hoagland-Smith, http://www.processspecialist.com Permission to publish this article, electronically or in print, as long as the bylines are included, with a live link, and the article is not changed in any way (grammatical corrections accepted)
Prospecting and Cold Calling Presented by Dancing Elephants - dBusinessNews Triangle (press release)
Sales-Training - Google News Want to copy DVDs? Click Here!
|
|
|
|
Coaching Resistance Training for Sales People What was the quickest rejection you ever got? 2 minutes into your call? 1 minute? 15 seconds, 3 seconds? The 7 Deaths of a Salesman In sales, you can work one of two ways. You can either do the things you should do or you can do the things you want to do. Sometimes these are one in the same, but more often they are at odds with one another. However, this article isn't about doing the right things, it's about showing you what things to avoid. If you can figure out how to control each of these 7 things on a daily basis, you'll be well on you way to selling success. Training for Trade Shows - 5 FAQs Trade shows are so obvious. You go. You hand out brochures. You come back to the office. It's just a glitch in your work week. Well, it's much more than that. Your bottom line can float on when you make - or lose - a sale at a trade show. 10 Killer Ways To Multiply Your Sales Would you like to multiply your web site sales? Or course you would, who wouldn't? :) Then take a close look at the following 10 killer ways to multiply your sales... Reaching Goals in Direct Sales From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals for their business. We've also noticed that while the goals being set are good, the results aren't. Around 90% of those in Direct Sales do SET goals, but never reach them. Cross-selling for Increased Sales, Profits, and Customer Satisfaction Cross-selling - the art of selling for non-salespeople A Simple Sales Strategy: Talk to Yourself! You are about to speak to a potential client, go to a networking meeting or give a presentation. What should you be saying to yourself in those few minutes beforehand? If you spend that time saying what I propose below, you will effortlessly and naturally become very attractive to your potential clients. This approach is very powerful, I promise you. Successful Sales People Know Which Differentiators Matter Know where to focus. Not everyone evaluates product solutions with the same decision criteria. Cutting Through Stalls and Objections It's the prospect. If stalls and objections frequently come up in your sales calls, it's a good idea to bring them up before the prospect has the opportunity. If you bring them up first, several good things happen: Do You Fold Like A Taco? Have you ever eaten a soft taco? The shell isn't hard - it is soft - and folds over really easily. They are delicious! In business, however, I see too many people fold like a taco when they are negotiating with a customer. How to Spellbind Your Prospects in 10 Seconds! You've got yourself 10 seconds to HOOK your prospects or LOSE them! Closing the Sale - It Doesnt Have To Be Uncomfortable "The Close" is sales jargon for the bit where you ask the customer to make a decision or to place an order. However, it doesn't always relate to sales. Many people feel uncomfortable when they ask someone to make a decision. Change Takes Time I am writing this at the Philadelphia Airport on my way back from meeting with one of my clients. Three weeks ago, we offered a training program for their staff in basic selling skills. She reported that they saw an immediate increase in sales after the program. Since these are all telemarketers, she listened in on their calls to see what had changed. To her pleasure they were asking good, open-ended questions. They were taking time to listen to the client's responses and using their comments to match them with the right product. They were even closing right at the correct time. She was thrilled. How To Give Your Sales Job A Strategic Tune-up In happens every year in June. 4 Reasons Why the Sale is Not Made When sales are down, a salesperson must begin to take stock of why that is happening. Most sales people start by blaming the company's policies. "If you'd only offer better specials," or blame the economy, "If only customers had the money," or they blame their boss, "If only I got a better schedule," or they will blame whatever happens to come to mind that day. Never, do they take stock of their own selling techniques. How To Master the Art of Super Salesmanship Mastering the "art of selling" is simply knowing how to present whatever it is that you are selling, to the buyer in such a manner that he feels buying it from you will solve his problems or fulfill his dreams. Selling online is really no different than selling in person, face to face with your prospect. Really, it's just a way of making sales calls more efficiently and economically. You've got to get his attention - you've got to appeal to his interests -you've got to make him understand how his purchase of your product will benefit him and finally, you've got to close the sale by causing him to reach into his wallet for money or to write out a check for whatever it is you are selling. Remember, in essence, even though the method of selling is the Internet, it's the same as if you were knocking on his front door. Thus it's very important that your material look its best. Make your website look professional and successful. The opening encounter with the prospect affects the success of the presentation and whether or not a sale is ultimately closed. Once he's gotten the website opened and is looking at your presentation, you've got to carry over that image of professionalism and success -Make him feel comfortable -Be friendly and believable. -Stimulate his interest in whatever you are selling by appealing to one of his basic wants, needs or problems with a solution. Don't waste his time with a long and/or complicated dissertation. >BR>The most important thing you want to do is to create within your fulfillment he'll have as a result of buying from you. Stimulate his imagination, and explain to him how he can use whatever you are selling to his advantage. Finally, and most importantly, make it as simple and as easy as possible for your prospect to buy from you. Don't force him to read a long, drawn out sales agreement or contract. Just make your presentation, explain how purchasing from you will solve his problems or fulfill his dreams, paint a word picture that allows him to see himself with your product and his problems solved or his dreams fulfilled, and then direct the buyer to your order page on your website. Too many sales presentations begin with some sort of story about the seller Hello there, I'm writing to you from the beautiful beaches of Waikiki; or after a hundred years of research I've found the fountain of youth; even some such tripe as dear friend - you may not know me but I'm now a millionaire... When you put your sales presentation on paper - when you are trying to sell something by mail or online - appeal to the basic wants, needs or problems of your prospect. He or she wants only to satisfy his or her problems - not read about who or where you are or what you've done -just ask them if they'd like to know how to make their tires on their car last 10 years or more (or whatever the benefit of your product is) Above all else, remember that people's wants, needs and problems are changing constantly - and that people are learning all the time meaning that you must constantly be up-to-date with what you are selling, and always be improving your sales presentation. May be reprinted and redistributed freely as long as the resource box remains intact. To show my appreciation to the people that use my article, I run a free solo ad to my ezine list. Once I receive confirmation of the url or a copy of the ezine that the article was used in, I will run your solo ad. Send the url or ezine copy to pnewsletter2004@yahoo.com*************************************************************DeAnna publishes the biweekly ezine Prospecting and Presents. Why ALL Sales Decisions Are Based On Emotion - Heres The Proof! Have you ever gone into a newsagent, picked up a magazine and flicked through the pages for a while, read the index, read some of the pages in the magazine? Like It or Not... You?re in SALES! Mention the word sales or salesman and two out of three people get a little clammy under the skin. "I hate sales people and I could never do what they do!" is what many say at the mere thought of having to sell something. How wrong they are. Say What?!? Sales is a Profession? What exactly is the sales profession? Without a common dialogue and context for the sales profession, sales professionals and corporate executives who choose to engage marketing, sales, and customer service functions through a sales effort are often left scratching their heads when it comes to understanding what sales really is. What do we make of the numerous and powerful "How to" concepts defined and implemented within the sales profession? These "How to" concepts are invaluable, but they only define one-half of what is needed to be considered a profession. Without the other half, we're doomed to non-professional status. Let me explain. Better Listening Skills = More Sales Today's business environment is intrinsically tied together by ongoing information exchanges between two people. This personal communication is most often facilitated by the spoken word. Understanding this information, as it flows within a dialogue between two people is fundamental to improving one's selling effectiveness.
|
| home|Learn Sales Management|Learn-Telesales|Site map | 
|
© 2006 www.elearn-university.org |
