Communicating Sales Training Programmes

Before we can look at Communicating Sales Training Programmes, we need to be clear on what most sales training programmes aim to fundamentally achieve:

1. To understand the customer’s needs and map capabilities to those needs
2. To engage the customer and build trust
3. To listen and ask questions in a consultative way

Ask the Sales Audience

Ask sales people completing sales training programmes if they feel that their needs were understood? Were they engaged?  Were they listened to in a consultative way? Some programmes may get a few points here, but let’s face it, most sales training programmes fail to model the behaviours that they want their sales people to use. In short they often miss the opportunity to sell themselves effectively to their audience. In general we see three approaches that companies make when communicating sales training programmes:

1. The Assumptive approach: “The sales force already want to improve so let’s focus on logistics and simply let the sales audience know when and where it’s being held.”
2. The Consultative approach: “We need to get buy in for this programme so let’s do our utmost to get buy in from the audience.”
3. The Directive approach: “We don’t care about buy in, they will do this programme or else!”

Look at the Detail

We’ll be writing three articles in the next 7 days that examine the pros and cons of each of these approaches:

1. In the article, “Failing to Communicate Sales Training Programmes” we look at what happens when we assume that sales people are bought into the concept of sales training. When this happens the communication before the programme typically involves just logistical information. In the article we look at how counter productive and demotivating sales training can be when this approach is taken.

2. In the article “Communicating Sales Training Programmes for Success”, we look at how to achieve buy in through a consultative approach to communication which increases the effectiveness of your sales training programme.

3. In the article, “Adopt the Sales Training Methodology or You’re Fired!” We consider the effectiveness of the more directive approach to communicating sales training programmes.

Communicating Sales Training Programmes

Communicating sales training programmes is often not given the focus, priority or resources as the sales training elements themselves. In these three articles we look at the pros and cons of communicating sales training programmes, and what styles you can use for maximum impact.