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Why Generalized Sales-Training Programs Don't Work
The "one size fits all" generalized sales training programs that have flooded the market since the sixties, no longer work - so what does? And how will sales team development be conducted in the future?
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Why Generalized Sales-Training Programs Don't Work
In my opinion, hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide are wasted every year on
irrelevant, unnecessary or inappropriate sales-skills development, and there are
four obvious reasons why.
To begin with, the typical one-day seminar may supply a short-term motivational
buzz and provide the delegate with a number of thought-provoking ideas.
However, in reality, once these people are back on the "front line," the day-to-
day pressures of hitting quota, etc., take over again and the reactive mindset
returns. It is rather like the Chinese meal effect: When you leave the restaurant
you feel full, but by the time you arrive home, you want to eat again.
Secondly, most -- not all, but a very high percentage of courses available today -
- deliver what I term "generalized" skills development.
For example, someone operating within the aerospace sector negotiating
multimillion-dollar contracts can find himself sitting next to a young salesperson
who markets insurance policies and is based in a call center. In the next seat is
another person who is developing a successful career in manufacturing selling
hydraulic components. You get the point.
To achieve sustained success in all of these disparate industries requires specific
skill sets, and the generalized workshops simply cannot deliver them.
Thirdly, I would estimate that at least 80 percent of training organizations today
make the assumption that all delegates are at the same level in terms of
experience and expertise. This is, of course, totally unrealistic.
While it is not possible to equate age and experience with success, the reality is
that although some professional salespeople do have 10 years' experience, most
have one year's experience 10 times!
The very best salespeople -- the ones who consistently exceed expectations --
have usually received ongoing skills development from the emerging stage all the
way through advanced, right up to the consultative level, if appropriate. The key
word here is "ongoing."Finally, and this is the most significant and blatant error of judgment most sales
directors make, is that every member of the team receives the same training,
i.e., they are all sent to the same course regardless of whether or not they
already have those skills, or if indeed they need to have them in their current
role.
The point here is that there is far too little planning, assessing, and objective-
setting; it is much easier to abdicate responsibility to the training company. The
downside to this approach is, of course, so much money is wasted. So what is the
answer?
Changing Your Sales-Training Approach
The first step for any company deciding to make a change in their sales approach
is always an assessment of the situation. What processes and methods are
currently being employed by the company? What has their sales performance
been? What percentage of salespeople is meeting quota? What are the biggest
obstacles to success? How dynamic or stable is the company's environment?
What are the practices and expectations of the buyers? These are only a few
considerations.
Training must be based on what the salespeople need and should be tailored to
address diagnosed performance gaps. Using a diagnostic approach, a formal sales
team skills audit saves an organization money and time because there is nothing
to be gained from teaching people something they are already doing well -- or,
conversely, that they don't need to do in the first place. A well-targeted program
is far more likely to engage participants' full interest because they'll see its
immediate relevance to their daily results.
Any training program will be more effective when the skills that participants learn
are reinforced on a regular and continual basis. For maximum impact, every level
of management must reinforce training. Such reinforcement can come in many
forms, but the best way is for the sales manager to serve as a "model of
excellence" who provides an ongoing demonstration of required skills so
salespeople begin to live and breathe them.
Choosing the Right Training Company for Your NeedsMost sales-training companies have a unique philosophy and therefore a
specialized approach. Perhaps they are strong in the area of selling business
value to board-level members at the expense of competitive positioning. Perhaps
attention on strategies for winning very complex sales situations dilutes their
efforts toward working with students on the details and tactics that they need to
execute in order to win -- down to the actual words they need to be saying and to
whom.
A training company that specializes in one or more areas of sales expertise will
not necessarily perceive or look for your requirements in other areas. If the
training/consulting provider is left to define your approach, there will more than
likely be a gap in the methodology, and of course a resultant gap in the
subsequent training.
One way to handle this is to employ two independent providers. One would assist
in assessing your situation, defining your requirements, and perhaps in building
your methodology. The second would provide the training and would be evaluated
and selected based upon their ability to meet your specific (and complete)
requirement set. That would ensure that the first provider would not be defining
your requirements to meet their expertise.
The best alternative is to employ a firm that is completely independent of any
training or sales consulting provider and can offer the proper guidance
throughout these steps to achieve the best possible result. Important to any
company that makes an investment in sales team development is measurement.
Benchmarking current levels of performance, setting reasonable goals and
objectives based upon a careful assessment of the situation, and measuring
progress against those goals is a necessary -- but for the most part overlooked --
component of most training initiatives.
When progress is at or above expectations, everyone is encouraged, motivated
and continues to perform and excel. If expectations are not being met, the
opportunity exists for immediate problem diagnosis and adjustment, assuring
that the initiative will get back on track and provide the return on investment
expected.
In my opinion, hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide are wasted every year on
irrelevant, unnecessary or inappropriate sales-skills development, and there are
four obvious reasons why.
To begin with, the typical one-day seminar may supply a short-term motivational
buzz and provide the delegate with a number of thought-provoking ideas.
However, in reality, once these people are back on the "front line," the day-to-
day pressures of hitting quota, etc., take over again and the reactive mindset
returns. It is rather like the Chinese meal effect: When you leave the restaurant
you feel full, but by the time you arrive home, you want to eat again.
Secondly, most -- not all, but a very high percentage of courses available today -
- deliver what I term "generalized" skills development.
For example, someone operating within the aerospace sector negotiating
multimillion-dollar contracts can find himself sitting next to a young salesperson
who markets insurance policies and is based in a call center. In the next seat is
another person who is developing a successful career in manufacturing selling
hydraulic components. You get the point.
To achieve sustained success in all of these disparate industries requires specific
skill sets, and the generalized workshops simply cannot deliver them.
Thirdly, I would estimate that at least 80 percent of training organizations today
make the assumption that all delegates are at the same level in terms of
experience and expertise. This is, of course, totally unrealistic.
While it is not possible to equate age and experience with success, the reality is
that although some professional salespeople do have 10 years' experience, most
have one year's experience 10 times!
The very best salespeople -- the ones who consistently exceed expectations --
have usually received ongoing skills development from the emerging stage all the
way through advanced, right up to the consultative level, if appropriate. The key
word here is "ongoing."Finally, and this is the most significant and blatant error of judgment most sales
directors make, is that every member of the team receives the same training,
i.e., they are all sent to the same course regardless of whether or not they
already have those skills, or if indeed they need to have them in their current
role.
The point here is that there is far too little planning, assessing, and objective-
setting; it is much easier to abdicate responsibility to the training company. The
downside to this approach is, of course, so much money is wasted. So what is the
answer?
Changing Your Sales-Training Approach
The first step for any company deciding to make a change in their sales approach
is always an assessment of the situation. What processes and methods are
currently being employed by the company? What has their sales performance
been? What percentage of salespeople is meeting quota? What are the biggest
obstacles to success? How dynamic or stable is the company's environment?
What are the practices and expectations of the buyers? These are only a few
considerations.
Training must be based on what the salespeople need and should be tailored to
address diagnosed performance gaps. Using a diagnostic approach, a formal sales
team skills audit saves an organization money and time because there is nothing
to be gained from teaching people something they are already doing well -- or,
conversely, that they don't need to do in the first place. A well-targeted program
is far more likely to engage participants' full interest because they'll see its
immediate relevance to their daily results.
Any training program will be more effective when the skills that participants learn
are reinforced on a regular and continual basis. For maximum impact, every level
of management must reinforce training. Such reinforcement can come in many
forms, but the best way is for the sales manager to serve as a "model of
excellence" who provides an ongoing demonstration of required skills so
salespeople begin to live and breathe them.
Choosing the Right Training Company for Your NeedsMost sales-training companies have a unique philosophy and therefore a
specialized approach. Perhaps they are strong in the area of selling business
value to board-level members at the expense of competitive positioning. Perhaps
attention on strategies for winning very complex sales situations dilutes their
efforts toward working with students on the details and tactics that they need to
execute in order to win -- down to the actual words they need to be saying and to
whom.
A training company that specializes in one or more areas of sales expertise will
not necessarily perceive or look for your requirements in other areas. If the
training/consulting provider is left to define your approach, there will more than
likely be a gap in the methodology, and of course a resultant gap in the
subsequent training.
One way to handle this is to employ two independent providers. One would assist
in assessing your situation, defining your requirements, and perhaps in building
your methodology. The second would provide the training and would be evaluated
and selected based upon their ability to meet your specific (and complete)
requirement set. That would ensure that the first provider would not be defining
your requirements to meet their expertise.
The best alternative is to employ a firm that is completely independent of any
training or sales consulting provider and can offer the proper guidance
throughout these steps to achieve the best possible result. Important to any
company that makes an investment in sales team development is measurement.
Benchmarking current levels of performance, setting reasonable goals and
objectives based upon a careful assessment of the situation, and measuring
progress against those goals is a necessary -- but for the most part overlooked --
component of most training initiatives.
When progress is at or above expectations, everyone is encouraged, motivated
and continues to perform and excel. If expectations are not being met, the
opportunity exists for immediate problem diagnosis and adjustment, assuring
that the initiative will get back on track and provide the return on investment
expected.
