There may have been many changes in the world of business, but one thing that has not really changed is the pressure a salesperson faces at the end of every month, every quarter, and every year. The reviews, number-crunching games, and desperate attempts to seal that last deal to qualify for an award are still the same in most organizations. The pressures of keeping sales in the green and growing remain as always. So organizations continue to invest in improving sales performance.
Sales Performance Drivers Remain the Same
According to a research done by Training Industry in association with Richardson, the top priorities for organizations if they are looking to improve sales performance are:
- Developing sales process
- Training of sales representatives and managers
- Coaching of sales representatives and managers
(Source: Best Practices in Design and Delivery of Sales Programs, 2015)
This is not surprising because a good process coupled with well-trained and motivated teams can do wonders for your sales. The sales process is unique to each organization and is developed based on the organization’s requirement. I will not focus on that here. What I am more interested to share here is about training. Yes, once a salesperson joins an organization, they undergo a thorough training program that orients them to the organization, sales process, products, and all they are required to know to be successful in their career. This is important, but is it enough? Apparently, it is not.
50 Percent of Learning Is Forgotten in Five Weeks
According to a research by Sales Training International, a global sales performance improvement firm, approximately, 50 percent of the learning content is forgotten within five weeks and about 84 percent of what has been shared is lost within 90 days of the training. This only goes to show that there has to be systematic and ongoing learning and reinforcement of training so the training becomes worthwhile—both to the organization and to the employees.
In terms of training, the sales process generally involves Prospecting, Preparation, Approach, Presentation, Handling Objections, Closing, and Follow-Up. Each of these has its own individual components and steps that need to be addressed. Obviously, salespeople will be given an orientation and overview (or detailed understanding) of these steps during the training program. But will they recall them when they need it—when they are on the field? Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on an individual and his or her strengths. Some may be good at prospecting, but they may lack presentation skills. Is there a mechanism by which salespeople can be supported in areas where they require support?
A blended learning approach is a good idea. While continuing with the traditional face-to-face training and coaching methods, we also need to use online training methods smartly. The old way of delivering e-learning courses that are 60 minutes in duration may not really work today. We need to reformat the way we approach e-learning. E-learning has to be granular, easily accessible, and in a format that suits the learner.
Here are some ideas that can be used to help sales personnel with the sales process—just in time!
- Give your sales personnel options such as Podcasts, Webinars, videos, and e-learning. Face-to-face classroom training is the traditional option you may continue with. But along with it, you need to make knowledge available to your salespeople in other formats. That could be on-demand Webinars (a concise version of face-to-face classroom training) for those who missed one, e-learning modules for those interested in structured learning and for certification purposes, or podcasts/videos for just-in-time performance support.
- Provide access to just what they need via micro learning. Create small modules or videos based on the steps involved in the sales process: Choosing the target audience and identifying ideal prospects could be the subject of a module or video. The same is true the rest of the steps in the sales process. So when a salesperson finds an obstacle to proceed with a deal or part of the sales process, all he or she has to do is access a module that focuses on that particular step. These serve not just as refresher training to salespeople but also as performance support right when they need one.
- Make knowledge easily available via mobile learning. It is not always possible for salespeople in the field to access learning through desktops or laptops. They may not even have one. Restricting them to access learning modules only at home or at the office defeats the whole purpose of training. We know how stressed salespeople are, and the last thing they want to do when at home is log in to their company’s learning portal and study. However, if you provide them the same learning when they are in the field and demonstrate that it is going to help in their next move, they will be more inclined to do the training. The best way to make this happen is ensure that the modules and the videos you create are accessible through mobile devices. This means the resolution, screen size, and bandwidth need to be taken into account when developing these modules.
- Allow them to help each other and learn from each other via social learning. Salespeople have always learned from each other, but that learning typically was limited to when they got together in the morning, when they reported to the head office, or at the end of the day when they were required to sign off. This depends on the organization and its procedures. Today, we have technological platforms and online forums of groups that individuals can create and access via mobile devices. If you have a problem, such as not being sure of how to handle a difficult customer, all you have to do is send a message to the members in the group. A senior, peer, or someone with similar experience will respond with a solution, suggestion, or, at the very least, some words of encouragement.
- Create a learning platform from where all resources are accessed. You already may have a customer relationship management (CRM) platform in some form or another. It would be good to also have a learning management system (LMS) that can be independent or aligned with the CRM platform. You could even coordinate all your trainings—classroom, e-learning, on-demand Webinars, and other learning resources such as podcasts, videos, and so on—on a single platform: the LMS. So if someone needs resources related to the sales process, he or she can access them with just one click.
What is important to understand here is that training is not a onetime event but a continuous process. Luckily, we are in an age when we have excellent technological resources that we can use to create training based on the unique requirements of the organization. Custom e-learning and custom learning management are no longer exclusive to major organizations. Even small and medium organizations can afford to indulge in these types of training initiatives without the need for big budgets. So think smart when you have to train your sales force: Think about just-in-time and just-the-right kind of training through custom learning solutions.
Dr. Ayesha Habeeb Omer is the co-founder and chief operating officer of CommLab India, a custom learning solutions provider serving customers across the globe. Habeeb Omer has 19 years of experience in financial services, university teaching, training, and e-learning. She holds an advanced e-learning Instructional Design Certificate from ATD. For more information, visit:
Website: http://www.commlabindia.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayeshahabeeb
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E-mail: ayesha@commalabindia.com
