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:

Will Sales Classes Drive Long Term Sales Performance and Effectiveness?

The skills required for a sales person to help prospects successfully navigate through their purchasing process vary by industry and distribution channels. This straw competency model is created for a company that sells products or services used commonly by other businesses, and that the predominant distribution channel is direct to those customers.

The first four skills are critical skills to gain access to decision makers and key influence-rs. Once in front of the prospect these skills raise the prospect's awareness of their needs, probe for a business fit and raise the urgency to take action. The last four skills are those that are necessary for sales people to establish credibility as a knowledgeable resource, to effectively and efficiently manage their territory and prospect pipeline.

Prospecting - The ability of the sales person to recognize potentially valuable customer relationships and find an avenue of introduction to coaches, key influence-rs and decision makers. The effective sales person will utilize a variety of tools to generate leads including networking, on-line resources and good old fashioned "dialing for dollars". It is essential that every sales person have a two minute sales pitch, and a telephone script committed to memory (my opinion). Prospecting is the one skill that fills a sales pipeline. No matter a talented sales people are in other areas, a gap in prospecting skills will always put a damper on sales results.

Presenting - While prospecting is a sales person's least favorite activity, most feel they shine when it comes to presenting. However, presenting is so much more than standing in front of prospects and telling them everything you know. Generally there are two types of presentations. The first is an exploratory first discussion, usually with a coach or key influencer. The objective of this meeting is to exchange information and to probe for a potential business fit. I do subscribe the ABC's of selling (Always Be Closing). The close on a first presentation is usually not asking for the business, but asking for a next meeting. The next meeting is usually to perform a needs analysis. The other type of presentation is more formal, generally to discuss a proposal and the business fit between the two companies. To many observers this meeting may seem like a "love fest" when a talented sales person delivers a flawless presentation. This presentation is complicated, and many sales people are not as competent as they should be. Topics, tones and delivery are critically important. Senior level decision makers will be more from people that sell business fit, and demonstrate a knowledge of their company. In other words, senior level decision makers are more likely to buy because of what you know about their company...not how much you know about your company and your products.

Probing - The most consistently high performing sales professionals are not surprisingly the best at probing. They probe for decision making process, players & roles, current practices, potential obstacles and they are always looking for the components of a superior business fit. The very best probers will tell you they rarely have to ask for the order.

Proposing and Closing - There are several elements to the proposal presentation meeting. Introductions, agenda, customer overview, the business fit and next steps are all critical topics.

Industry Knowledge - Sales people should be very knowledge about their industry, and have a good working knowledge of the prospect's industry. Knowledge builds credibility and everyone is more comfortable with credible business partners.

Product Knowledge - All sales people must know everything about their products. The knowledge must go beyond the specifications of the product. The must know how the product is used! Spending time with customer service teams, operations, and within customer's operations are all splendid investments that will yield great returns over time. As important as product knowledge is, it is also important that this knowledge is shared sparingly. Prospects are only interested in enough product knowledge to assure themselves that they are buying a product/service that will work for them. Product knowledge should be crammed into a proposal, not a presentation.

Sales Pipeline Management - With the use of CRM the importance of sales pipeline management has grown because so many companies are using CRM to help forecast revenue. Errors in prospect assessment can make forecasting inaccurate if not misleading. In addition to correctly assessing each prospect opportunity, each sales person should be able to identify sales obstacles and develop tactical plans to move each prospect to the next stage.

Resource Management - Sales costs continuously move higher, and it is the job of every sales person to judiciously apply the resources necessary to acquire new business. Management relies on the sales person to call in the Calvary when necessary, but the Calvary is expensive and should only be called in when the opportunity warrants the investment.

Sales skills are one of the four controllable drivers of sales results. The others are sales will; performance management and leadership credibility all drive sales results.

Source: Gregory Deming link

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