Choosing a sales training company is not as easy as it seems. The wrong choice can waste time, money, and even set back the sales culture. However, investing in the right sales training company can help you elevate and optimize your sales team’s performance.
If you search for sales training companies, you might be overwhelmed by the number of providers you may find. Here are 4 steps you can take in order to choose the best sales training provider for your team.
When selecting a sales training provider, it is best to plan with your team before reaching out to a potential sales training partner. For example, having goals like increasing the number of initial appointments, reducing churn, etc., will help make your conversation with a potential training provider more productive.
If you reach out to a training provider before specifying your goals internally, be sure to start conversations with your potential partner by defining your goals. Any legitimate sales training company will be more than capable of helping you define your goals.
When searching for an online sales training company, always pay attention to the pedigree of their content. Stay away from those who claim to make your team “as good as they are.” Best practices cannot possibly emerge from a single individual’s experience or knowledge. Sales best practices can only come from field research and by studying salespeople and what they do during successful interactions with buyers.
Teaching sales training content that is not statistically validated by field research is a massive risk. Meanwhile, if you train your team with sales training content that is backed by field research, you can have a great deal of confidence that the training will work if followed correctly. So, when selecting your next sales training provider, be sure to ask them about the field research that their sales training content is based on.
Sales training companies should not be selling you cookie-cutter solutions. Each sales team faces unique challenges, therefore the content and the method of delivery need to be customizable.
As far as content is concerned, your online sales training partner should do a thorough job of understanding your team’s current situation and where you are trying to get to. The content recommendations should be derived from a thorough understanding of your team’s desires. Sometimes training may be overkill if basic processes and systems are not in place for the sales team. Make sure your potential sales training company can also offer sales consulting services or consultative sales coaching when needed.
The online sales training company you work with should also be able to deliver the training in any medium that works best for you. Over the last few years, sales training has shifted online, and many new sellers are comfortable taking sales training courses on an online platform. Therefore, make sure your sales training provider has a flexible and scalable online sales training option. Even though the training is rapidly moving online, an on-site sales training option is still the best choice for some teams. Make sure your potential partner can deliver online and in-person/instructor led sessions.
Sales leaders choose a sales training company because they want their sellers to use best practices. Unfortunately, most sales training engagements leave sellers with an understanding of the best practices but provide no roadmap or strategy for turning this new knowledge into habits.
The content your team is being trained on is important, but that content’s value is null if the team doesn’t end up using the new skills they’ve learned about. The post-training phase is the most critical part of an engagement with any online sales training provider. If your potential partner doesn’t have a plan for reinforcement and habit change, you should reconsider your options.
The online sales training provider you choose can have a dramatically positive impact on your team’s performance. Just make sure to start with the end goal in mind. When searching for your sales training provider, verify the pedigree of their content and their ability to customize their content and delivery. Most importantly, make sure your sales training partner has a clear plan for turning best practices into new habits for your team.
Contact us at Funnel Clarity today and learn more about sales training programs for your team.
