The Importance of Sales Training Programs for Building Stronger Sales Teams
Jul 05, 2023
As a successful entrepreneur, corporate leader, and expert sales coach, Ben Wright has identified four key habits that consistently drive the success of sales leaders. These habits include -
- having a good sales process
- a focus on peak performance
- a simple way to measure teams, and
- a long-term focus on training and coaching.
In this article, we will explore the fourth key habit in-depth, supported by direct quotes from the Stronger Sales Teams podcast: the importance of sales training programs for building stronger sales teams.
Introduction
Sales leadership can be a challenging position that requires a solid foundation in sales management and leadership. One of the key components of building and motivating a highly effective sales team is investing in ongoing sales leadership training and high performance sales coaching. In the Stronger Sales Teams podcast, Ben Wright provides real-world and practical advice on the importance of sales training programs for building stronger sales teams.
Why are sales training programs important?
According to Ben Wright, there are six reasons why sales training programs are crucial for building stronger sales teams.
Reason 1: Practice
"Everybody needs practice. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, everyone needs to continue to practice their craft," says Wright. Sales training and sales coaching programs provide an opportunity for salespeople to practice their skills and solidify their knowledge.
Reason 2: Bigger Base, Higher Peaks
Wright emphasizes the importance of having a large base of knowledge to draw from when interacting with customers. "So the bigger the base of fitness, the bigger the base of knowledge that you have, the more easily you can bring it out in day to day conversation," he says. Sales training management programs help build a larger base of knowledge, allowing salespeople to be more agile and build trust with customers.
Reason 3: Markets Change
"Every industry that I've ever been in has at a minimum, subtle tweaks to how it operates," says Wright. Sales training programs should evolve to reflect changes in the market, such as the rise of AI. By incorporating training on new technologies and market trends, sales teams can stay ahead of the curve.
Reason 4: Dynamic Feedback
Wright has consistently received feedback from high performance sales coaching and sales training programs that has led to significant improvements in business. "It can be anything from tweaking a market offering through to a huge change," he says. Sales training programs provide an opportunity for salespeople to share ideas and improve their processes.
Reason 5: Opportunities Arise
When high performance sales teams come together for b2b sales training, cross-pollination of ideas can lead to new opportunities. "Teams that play together, stay together," says Wright. Sales training programs can be fun and engaging, building relationships and empowering teams.
Reason 6: Cultural Aspects
Sales training can be a fun and engaging way to build relationships and strengthen team culture. "If you get training right, people come to it with a great open mind about what they're going to learn," says Wright. Sales training programs can help build a positive and supportive team culture.
Listen Now: How to Design a Training Program That Will Impact Your Team's Results
What makes a great training program?
Ben Wright emphasizes that b2b sales training programs should be engaging and well-structured. He recommends breaking training programs down into three key areas: sales skills, technical skills, and business skills.
1. Sales Skills
Sales skills training should focus on how to sell and engage with customers. This includes lead generation, networking, the sales process, objection handling, closing deals, and win/loss deal reviews. It should also cover softer skills like influencing, handling uncertainty, and dealing with adversity.
2. Technical Skills
Technical skills training should cover everything the sales team needs to know about the product or solution they are selling. This includes features and benefits, applications, limitations, new and upcoming products, and competitors.
3. Business Skills
Business skills training should cover topics like time management, project management, and financial management. It should also include training on company's culture, values, and mission.
When and How to Conduct Sales Training
Ben Wright recommends conducting sales training programs in the morning when the brain is most alert. After training, teams can have a quick coffee together or break out into separate ideation or support meetings.
Effective sales training programs should be ongoing and evolve to reflect changes in the market and business. Feedback from salespeople should be taken into account and used to improve the training program.
Designing a Training Program
Ben Wright provides a step-by-step guide on how to design a sales training program that will actually impact your team's results. He emphasizes that sales training methodologies should be engaging and well-structured, with a focus on sales skills, technical skills, and business skills.
Wright recommends breaking down the training program into three key areas, setting a consistent time and date, and getting feedback from both leaders and team members. He also recommends inviting everyone to the training program and having action-oriented outcomes with follow-up and communication.
Analysis and Implications
Investing in ongoing sales training programs is crucial for building and motivating highly effective sales teams. Sales training programs provide an opportunity for salespeople to practice their skills, build a larger base of knowledge, stay ahead of market trends, share ideas, build relationships, and strengthen team culture.
By providing ongoing sales training and high performance sales coaching, sales leaders can ensure their teams are continually improving and performing at their best. This leads to increased revenue and profits for their businesses.
Listen to the podcast: How to Design a Training Program That Will Impact Your Team's Results
Conclusion and Future Outlook
In conclusion, sales leadership is a challenging position that requires a solid foundation in sales management and leadership. By investing in ongoing sales training programs, sales leaders can build and motivate highly effective sales teams that grow revenue and make their businesses actual profits.
Looking to the future, sales leaders need to continue investing in their teams and providing them with ongoing b2b sales training and high performance sales coaching. By doing so, they can ensure their teams are continually improving and performing at their best, leading to increased revenue and profits for their businesses.
"An organization's ability to learn and translate that learning into action rapidly is the ultimate competitive advantage." - Jack Welch
If you're an ambitious sales leader who wants to build the highest performing and engaged teams, Stronger Sales Teams is right where you need to be.
Eager for more insights?
I've got so much more to share with you on the Stronger Sales Teams Podcast – with new episodes dropping weekly, listen in today!
About the Author
Hi, I’m Ben
I’m a builder of incredible sales teams, trainer, coach and an avid believer that the best sales leaders are constantly sharpening their tools to achieve an ‘edge’.
