Inside Sales Training Programs
Inside sales has become the most popular and commonly practiced way to make B2B sales. This has been the case for a number of years, but the restrictions placed on businesses by the pandemic over the last few years has meant that even businesses who did not rely heavily on inside sales in the past have been forced to do so.
Because it calls for a very different skill set to traditional outside sales, in order for any inside sales efforts to be successful they need to be carried out by salespeople who have the right skills. Which is where inside sales training programs come in.
If you’re looking for external sales training vendors, knowing what good inside sales training is like is the first step toward ensuring that your chosen inside sales training programs tick all the right boxes.
We’ve identified a few of the most critical factors to bear in mind while selecting an inside sales training programs provider (although of course we suggest Pearl Lemon Sales)
Deciding What Sales Success Looks Like For You
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to any sales leaders out there, but outcomes are what define excellent inside sales training programs. Simply by moving the needle, you’ll be able to tell if sales training was effective.
Depending on your organization, team, and goals, these “results” will be different. It’s critical to decide on your goals before attending sales training, whether they’re sales units sold or market share won.
This is especially true when working with a third-party sales training provider. Your vendor should be familiar with your objectives, sales process, products, customers, industry, and competition.
To be regarded as “excellent,” any sales training program must help you reach your objectives. Outlining these goals and what success looks like ahead of time is a proven way to ensure that your team gets what they need from their inside sales training.
Ideally the inside sales training provider you work with should be able to tailor an inside sales training program that meets your specific needs and objectives once you have established what those are. We know that many sales training companies don’t do this, but Pearl Lemon Sales do, and it’s one of the many things we are proud to say set us apart.
More Characteristics of a Great Inside Sales Training Program
The Inside Sales Training Program Has the Right Focus
Make sure your inside sales reps are receiving inside sales training if you’re training them. It may appear straightforward, yet well-intentioned sales team leaders are frequently deceived into believing that “sales training” is sufficient. Using your company’s existing field training to train your inside sales team could cause more harm than good.
The majority of popular sales books and training programs focus on a relatively specific aspect of sales: the dialogue between Person A and Person B. Anyone who has worked in inside sales for a time knows that establishing that interaction in the first place is the real challenge.
Conversation selling and overcoming objections will fall short if your reps are struggling to connect with decision-makers, receive callbacks, locate the proper people, figure out who to call, and catch attention at the top of the funnel.
Ensure that your inside sales reps are receiving sales training on topics such as:
- How to leave voicemails that are intriguing and will be returned
- How to get a prospect’s attention inside the first 30 seconds (which is crucial)
- Learning how to conduct engaging discussions vs. reading from a script
- How to get more callbacks after an initial call.
- How to deal with gatekeepers.
It's critical to ensure that other components of the inside sales strategy are covered as well, so that salespeople may rely less on their sales managers for common questions like:
- I’m not sure who I should call first.
- I’m not sure how often I should call.
- Is it important for me to leave a voicemail message?
- How often do you do it?
- So, what should I do now?
Inside Sales Training Should Be Active and Hands On
Ensure that reps are getting on the phone during inside sales training. There’s no reason why training shouldn’t be halted so that representatives can put their new skills to the test, because role-plays don’t tell the whole story, do they?
Live calls to real consumers as part of the training ensure that the training approaches are implemented. Live calling in a secure environment increases rep buy-in and confidence. When reps see the methods in action, they are more likely to adopt, implement, and test them out.
Good Inside Sales Training is an Ongoing Process
Sales training is a process, not a one-time event. According to the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals, reps have identified “lack of development” as a top five challenge every year for the past five years. They also cited a lack of development opportunities as the top factor for reps departing organizations for pastures new, where they feel they might get the training they need.
It’s a wise decision to engage in sales rep development, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s “one and done.” Your inside sales reps want to keep learning, growing, and progressing in their careers. The sales landscape is constantly changing, and to keep up even the most seasoned sales reps will benefit from – and appreciate – additional training to ensure they are prepared for whatever new challenges they face.
Recent research states the average number of development hours per sales employee each year is around 48 hours – or four hours per month. Is your in-house training team capable of delivering this? By being responsible for delivering new hire orientation and dealing with onboarding, most corporate training staff rapidly become overburdened, even if they have the inside sales training skills needed in the first place. A great salesperson does not always make a great inside sales trainer!
Continuous inside sales training from a third-party provider, such as Pearl Lemon Sales, will nurture and advance skills, ensuring that new capabilities are retained while also offering the continuous development that reps want and need.
Ready to get started?
Are you ready to offer your sales reps the innovative, active and ongoing inside sales training that will take their performance to the next level? Pearl Lemon Sales is ready to deliver.
Contact us today to learn more about how our bespoke inside sales training solutions will help develop and nurture your sales reps higher level sales skills, which will, of course, translate into increased revenue for your firm, making the investment a no-brainer!
Contact us. We’d love to hear from you!
If you have any questions, please do get in touch with us! If you’d prefer to speak directly to a consultant, book a call!