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Why Should You Invest In Sales Training?

It's a great question and one which we are asked regularly.

First of all, the word 'invest' is the right one. Sales Training should always be seen as an investment in your business, your people, your customer relationships and your sales success. It should never be seen as a cost.

If you're not converting EVERY opportunity that comes your way, then there is always room for improvement!

If you're not sure whether sales training is the right thing for you to invest in, why not take advantage of our free, no obligation, sales training consultation service. We will be delighted to listen to your needs and give you our thoughts and advice as to whether sales training will work for you and the answer isn't always 'yes'!

We've set out some circumstances below where sales training might be an appropriate investment.

Opportunity

You've identified a sales opportunity which could increase your sales and profitability, but you feel that your sales staff would need more skills in order to maximise this opportunity.

Many of our clients approach us for this reason. They will often have a very clear idea of what training would be necessary or they are looking for advice on how the training should be structured to bring the best result possible.

A perfect example would be a client who designs, manufactures and distributes a core product to their customers, but there is the opportunity to sell additional, complimentary products that are needed by their customers. These add on sales were being lost to alternative suppliers.

We designed and delivered a sales training course aimed at identifying the needs of each customer with regard to these add on products, understanding where they currently purchase them from and why. We then taught the team how to demonstrate that there could be great value, both in time and financially, for the customer, if they purchased them along with the core product.

As a result, this company's add on sales have increased dramatically, not only bringing in more income, but making their relationships with their customers closer and more comprehensive.

Sales Issues

The second most common reason for sales training is that the company has identified deficiencies or issues in there sales team that need to be addressed. This is usually evidenced by missed sales targets, a lack of focus and motivation or technique.

These problems are not always caused by a poor attitude from the sales person, but can often simply be down to a lack of training, direction and motivation. In those circumstances, the right training can be very beneficial.

Many of our clients have come to us because they are not hitting their targets. We start with building an understanding of why this is happening, what the business needs from their sales people and then developing a training plan to solve the issue, along with management and measurement plans for making sure the new skills are implemented.

This is one of the key uses for our free, no obligation, sales training consultation, which you can benefit from by completing the form at the top of the page. Just drop us a note and we will get in touch.

Invest In Your Team

The third main reason that our clients invest in sales training is simply to add value to their sales people, helping them to build their skills and confidence in general and to help them to feel valued.

There is the age old question of "Should I invest in training? What if I spend money on training and then they leave?" - The counter question to that is usually - "What if you don't invest in training and they stay?" read our blog on the subject here.

Investing in your team can bring you many benefits, not only in increased sales. You will develop the loyalty and motivation of your people, which can have wide reaching, positive effects. Demonstrating that you help your people to build their skills and success can also help you attract future talent, making you a desirable employer for the most talented of sales people.

Keeping you team's sales skills and techniques sharp and up to date will deliver great benefits for you and for them.

When Should I NOT Invest in Sales Training?

There is one key reason why investing in sales training may not be appropriate - Management buy-in, participation and commitment to implementation.

We know that sales training is very motivational and will increase skills and knowledge. However, it will not make a major impact on long term sales unless the management of the business are committed to a plan for implementation, monitoring and measurement and a degree of coaching.

Once the delegates have left the training room, there will be a rush of motivation and a desire to try their new skills. this naturally tails off over time and needs management to maintain the focus on these skills and to maintain the level of motivation at its highest.

If you are not prepared to have your sales managers participate in the training in order to understand what their team has learned and committed to implementing, then they will not know how to drive these new behaviours and your sales training plan will not deliver the same return on investment as it would if they were fully involved.

What Next?

The simplest way forward is to talk to us about your training needs. What do you want to achieve from a training programme?

Start with our free, no obligation, sales training consultation.

We will arrange to talk, either on the phone, via Skype or face to face. We'll spend some time understanding your ideas, needs, current situation and give you some ideas of how we could progress.

As it says - it's free, there really is no obligation and it could help you clarify your thoughts as to how to proceed. Just complete the form below and we will get in touch.

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Testimonials

"Fantastic, positive, motivational day! Really well run!" CB - Nautibouy Marine

"Very friendly and felt comfortable interacting and asking questions. I wasn't embarrassed that I started with little sales knowledge" - CC - BoothBook

"Really informative and easy to follow. Very applicable to our business" - RP - Nautibouy Marine

"Great! Now I know what I need to work on!" - CA - BoothBook