Sales Training Classes:

Sales Training America is a world class sales training and custom development training company specializing in sales training and sales skill development of our client's sales force. At Sales Training America we help our clients improve their sales profitability through the development of their sales management and sales efforts through SalesForce.com implementation. Sales Training America offers both public (open enrollment) sales training classes well as the development of customized sales systems and sales classes for Fortune 1000 companies across United States and Canada.

Are you one of the many corporations now focusing on core sales activities while implementing SalesForce.com while outsourcing non-core functions in response to intense competition?

If you are, Sales Training America can help there too. If you simply want to outsource some of your sales or sales management training or if you want to redefine yourself completely to survive mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, downsizing, or corporate restructuring we can help you.

For free, no obligation information on how we can help you with your sales training needs please contact us today.

Sales Training Tips:

Sales Courses to Increase Sales During Downturns and Recessions

Since more sales would make your management life a lot better, take action with your sales force now. Do not wait another minute hoping something will happen.  Don’t depend on conditions to get better. They may get better, but they could also get worse.  Focus your attention on your selling team, and selling productivity vs. selling expenses. Sales may not be your expertise, but sales is your life blood so get involved and start applying pressure.  Here are some tips that can help.

1. Do not do sales training.  Not that you’d spend the money now anyhow, but because it won’t work for what you need right now.  You’ve heard all the good arguments about investing when the market is down so you can be tougher against competition and in position when conditions improve.  But this is not real estate.  You need results now.  Besides you’re sales people don’t believe they need training and you can’t afford time out of the field.

What you need now is performers - sales people with relationships who can get to the top people, who are motivated, who can beat the competition.

More importantly you need sales managers who can train, coach, mentor, motivate, recruit and hold their sales people accountable.  You do not need sales managers that can sell, yet this is what most sales mangers default to during sales downturns.

Therefore you’ve got to slash the weak, burn a hole in your sales managers’ bottoms, and bring in the Special Forces.  This is no time for a pump you up event.  It’s time for results or a ticket to the front door.

2. Fire sales people and hire sales people.  You know you’ll keep your top producers but you’ll have to get rid of the poor and mediocre.  Now here is what will make you sales team leaner, but delivering more sales.  Eliminate more sales people and managers than you have to so that you can hire some really good ones that your competitors have already let go. However, don’t pick who goes on your gut feel or hunches and don’t hire using the same. a. Evaluate your selling team analytically (sales people and managers), using a tool designed for sales people and sales managers - not personalities or behaviors.  Even the Boston Red Sox manage the team analytically and that’s how they won 2 World Series after 80 years. see this website…………. b. Hire new sales people and managers using screening tools designed for sales that will predict someone’s’ selling and managing success in your company.  The one I recommend is highly validated, EEOC compliant and 96% accurate over 19 years.  It provides a recommendation, the candidate’s critical strengths and major weaknesses for selling success.

These evaluations will cost a few hundred dollars per person and the screens can cost tens of dollars, but they will be extremely valuable and guarantee selling success.  Besides they cost less than a sales call, a customer dinner, or a flight to anywhere.  They are worth it so cut some other expenditure to fit these in.

3. Get help for your sales managers.  Face it; your managers are as good as they will be.  I’m sure they are giving it their all are not holding back.  Bottom line they won’t get better without help and if they stay the same, today’s sales level is all you’ll get unless condition get worse.  You sales / market share will not move ahead until the economy gets better.  Can your company handle this?  Are your bosses, directors and shareholders will to wait?

You sales managers are the drivers who have to provide the coaching and motivation to their sales people to get them to the next skill level.  You know your competitors are throwing everything they have at stealing your customer or capturing anything out there.  Your sales people must be better than theirs and the only way that will happen is if the sales manager shows the sales people how to sell in tough times and holds them accountable to do it.  Again, if the managers knew how to do it, they’d be doing it already.

So buy some coaching for your managers.  It can be inexpensive and can happen remotely or on-site. This will pay-off quickly and be the trigger to move you beyond your competitors. See

4. Bring in people outsider - consultants, directors, customers to help.  As with your sales managers, all your internal resources and ideas have been tapped.  You need fresh eyes.  I know it is tough to spend overhead, but it has to be done.  Times are different and while you’ve been focused on running the business new perspectives have developed and taken hold.  You need to hear about them, and then determine if and how they might fit into your go to market strategies.

If you’re really worried about cash flow, cut performance deals with the outsiders.  Consultants that know they can deliver will be open to this idea.  However, if you do offer performance incentives in lieu of fees, don’t be stingy on the upside or you won’t get anyone worthwhile to participate.

5. Get involved.  I’m not recommending micro management, but you need to be asking tough questions and getting honest answers.  The more you’re people tell you “I don’t know?” the more you’ll know they are in control.  Here’s why.  If one knows s/he doesn’t know, that person can now dig-in to find answers.  If you hear a lot of good news or “Everything is OK boss,” you will know that person is out of control.  S/he doesn’t know what s/he doesn’t know and that’s when the unexpected (usually bad) happens.

Encourage “Don’t Know’s,” but be sure to follow them up with “What are you going to do about it, and by when?”  Then check-up and hold them accountable.  The more you follow-up and present consequences for not getting what they said they’d give you, the more you’ll get them to perform at higher levels.  Be careful however, manage their game plans and schedules, not their activities.  It’s a lot easier and less frustrating for you to let them manage their time and to-do’s and far more productive for everybody.

Source: Sam Manfer link

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