A new study by Vantage Point and the Sales Management Association reveals which sales management training topics yield the greatest impact on sales performance. In the survey of 213 business-to-business sales forces, the researchers measured the difference in revenue growth between companies that judged themselves to be effective or ineffective at training on certain sales management competencies. The competencies that evidenced the greatest boost to sales performance are:
Of note, sales coaching, a perennial focus of sales management training, finished in the 11th spot, just above leadership training. The key takeaway from this study: Sales managers need less training on generic skills such as coaching and leadership and more preparation to perform their tactical, day-to-day activities such as running the sales force, managing sales pipelines, and creating accurate forecasts.
