Sales Training That Doesn’t Suck

Mention the words “sales training” to a group of sales reps and undoubtedly you are met with groans, yawns, and eye rolls. Yet, you would be hard pressed to find a sales organization that doesn’t follow some type of sales process methodology or a salesperson who won’t admit that sales training has its necessities. So why the negative reaction? At the core of the matter is that the delivery of most sales training stinks. Learning (let alone mastering) different parts of the sales process is a long and difficult process requiring a great deal of practice.

Typical Sales Training

Let’s start by painting a picture of a typical sales training. Attendees are sitting in a room, a few are attempting to absorb the lecture while most are distracted by their laptops and smart phones. At the front of the room is the sales trainer. She’s well spoken and has funny stories, but even her rhetoric can’t stop the brain from glazing over as she clicks through slide after slide of another PowerPoint presentation. By the end of the session, some realize that the methodology would be impactful if followed appropriately. However, the amount of studying and practice needed to master the new process could prove demoralizing for some attendees. Furthermore, there is no application of skill; no real-life calls to hear how the process works with actual customers.

Why do well intentioned sales training programs fail to make people sell more? Most buyers of sales training are not aware of new research on how the brain processes and learns new information. To see how this research applies, divide training delivery methods into cognitive or behavioral approaches. Cognitive methods–lectures and e-learning — provide information in written or verbal form, explain relationships among concepts, and provide rules explaining how something should be done. This approach is appropriate in introducing concepts, but does not help people to learn new skills. On the other hand, behavioral methods such as behavior modeling and role playing allow the sales rep to practice techniques actively. Learning, stimulated through experience, is best for skills development and changing attitude.

Think back to most sales training experiences and the death by Power Point. It’s fair to say most sales training falls into a cognitive approach. This is appropriate for introducing concepts and developing a general understanding but not for developing skills and changing attitudes. Forward looking leaders realize that practical skills application and behavior modeling are two absolutely essential elements of any successful sales training program.

A Better Way

Common sense dictates that one cannot emulate good behavior until one sees what good looks like. Behavioral learning dictates that adults learn through observation, emulation, and repetition. Put simply, seeing someone else do something well is critically important in training adults. New studies bring to light the power of this social-learning theory, particularly for training complex motor-skill tasks and communication skills.

Based on this knowledge, sales training could benefit tremendously from actual calls to prospects and clients in real time. For sales training to truly be effective, it must include live calling with participation from both the trainer and the sales rep. This allows sales reps to observe trainers on the phones actively proving the concepts, tactics, and techniques. Live calling creates a memorable experience. Walking away from a training session, most people will forget the materials, but they will always remember the live prospect call because of the experience it creates. This experience is the foundation for retention and mastery of skills.

Applying observational learning to technical training is as easy as assembling a piece of furniture or something similar. The following approaches are listed from most to least difficult.

1. Trial by fire → 2. Verbal instruction → 3. See diagrams → 4. Watch someone do it
   So how can any organization accomplish these goals? Two recommendations:
2. Find someone inside the organization who has the ability to make live calls to prospects and customers in front of a group during sales training workshop.
3. Find a sales training organization that believes in the power of behavioral modeling to make live prospecting calls in real time with the team.

Applying more of these behavioral modeling techniques will result in a more robust training experience and leave an the team with an impactful memory that changes behavior and drives sales.