At Pearl Lemon Sales, we make a big deal about the fact we offer a custom training solution that is unique to each client. But does custom sales training really make a difference? We think it does – and so do our clients – but we understand that the answer might not be so obvious to everyone. That’s why we call our sales training real results sales training.
Selling is selling right? So sales training is sales training. Why bother with custom sales training?
Because no one-size-fits-all sales team exists, it’s no wonder that off-the-shelf sales training programs aren’t nearly as effective as personalized ones. A sales organization’s unique culture is formed by many elements, and those same factors should be addressed while developing a sales training curriculum with optimal impact.
Custom sales training programs are the most effective solution for these three reasons (and many more), and really are the real results sales training solutions you need.
Most sales organizations, in our experience, prefer to spend time in the field with customers and prospects rather than in a classroom. Because engaged, enthusiastic learners retain training content at significantly greater rates, acquiring early buy-in from salespeople is critical to enlisting their support and demonstrating the value of participation in any form of sales education.
Real results sales training makes it easier to sell the program to sales reps, especially if you involve key people in the customization process, such as successful salespeople and recognized managers. When they see vocabulary and concepts that are immediately pertinent to their day-to-day selling activities, and challenges, they are less likely to shut down. Rather than pondering whether or not the solution will truly benefit them, real results sales training provides them with information that is rationally related to their daily selling activity. Resistant students become enthusiastic participants after extensive personalization.
Everyone learns in their own unique way, and adult learners, in particular, benefit from a customized learning experience no matter what they are being taught. Assessments in a real results training program allow a sales team’s individual learning trends and preferences to be represented in the curriculum, which leads to improved levels of engagement and retention.
Bullet points and images, for example, are usually most efficient when a sales force is predominantly made up of fast-paced learners. Other groups will be compelled to seek more information, and ask a lot more questions, which should be reflected in the presentation of the program. Still others will really only ‘get it’ when they are given practical, hands-on examples to work through. Custom sales training with assessments allows sales reps to learn in the most efficient and successful way possible.
Developing a training curriculum that matches the day-to-day realities of a sales team not only increases credibility among participants, but it also bridges the gap between theory and real-world application. Attendees who can see how the training will benefit them right away will be more motivated to learn the topics and will be less inclined to fall back into bad, old patterns once the program is over.
The more mental leaps a sales training participant must make on their own, the less likely they are to take the training out into the field and put it to use. Real results sales training decreases the amount of work required by sales reps to apply what they’ve learned and increases the likelihood of it being adopted.
The same ideas apply to the follow-up reinforcement strategy that should be used once the sales training is completed. Because the quality of coaching a sales rep receives from a sales manager is closely connected with motivation and performance levels, a customized coaching technique is just as critical in boosting sales effectiveness as initial sales training. To guarantee that reinforcement is effective and capable of producing long-term outcomes, material and methodology must be tailored to the specific sales team and individual contributors.
As you might imagine, creating a customized real results sales training program takes a lot more work, but it’s work that we have found, time and time again, is worth it for all parties involved. Clients get sales training that is more effective, salespeople are engaged and learning during the process rather than bored to death (and possibly falling asleep) and we get clients who are happy with the results and share that satisfaction with their peers, enhancing our reputation. It’s a win-win-win situation.
To create our real results sales training programs, we begin by doing a lot of listening. We ask client stakeholders lots of questions about their current sales processes, their current sales team, and the problems they are hoping custom sales training will solve. But that’s not all. We also ask questions that help us learn about the company itself and the products and services it sells.
All this information allows us to create a custom training program that directly addresses each client’s sales pain points and training needs. Some clients have a sales team that’s highly experienced, others have one that is mainly comprised of newbies. Some clients sell B2B, others B2C and some serve both. Some focus on local sales, others sell nationally, and some sell globally. These basic variables can only be addressed by custom sales training, and they are just the tip of the iceberg.
One of the biggest focuses of our real results sales training is ensuring maximum engagement. This sometimes even means changing things on the fly, as our sales trainers realize that their learners would benefit by something being done differently. Fortunately, they are all experienced and confident enough to do that.
An investment in sales training can be a serious one in terms of both time and money. But if it’s one that pays off, the ROI can be incredible.
If you’re considering sales training for your teams, give us a call, and we’ll show you exactly why customized real results sales training from Pearl Lemon Sales will be worth every penny – and every minute – you invest in it.
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!