It’s important to choose your sales training program wisely. Every company wants a sales team that is motivated, equipped and ready to meet the needs of their consumers. Unfortunately, a lot of sales courses look good on paper but fail to make a difference to the bottom line. I.E. Increased sales! Whenever I develop and present a sales course my focus is on what happens AFTER the training otherwise the money spent is wasted rather than invested.
Information alone is worthless.
It’s the application of information that makes it valuable!
Here are a few questions to ask before you decide on your next sales course.
1. Are they a sales expert?
An inexperienced sales trainer will struggle to deliver an effective sales training course. You wouldn’t go to a doctor or dentist who was not properly qualified, would you?
Experienced sales trainers are able to answer questions and give relevant advice – based on real situations – instead of unrealistic textbook answers.
Personal experience also makes a sales course trainer authentic, which translates into trust and credibility.
2. Are they informative?
Sales course trainers need to be more than entertainers; they must have useful and relevant information to share. Does the trainer deliver a lot of psychology and self-improvement ideas, or will they give your sales team the tools and a plan of action to implement the skills and techniques presented?
Learning is most effective when the participants are encouraged to engage with the material. A good sales trainer is able to facilitate discussion and listens to and interacts with the delegates.
3. Will they customise their sales courses?
Most sales courses have a canned “one size fits all” program. A good sales training program should be customised to your industry, your product, and your buyers.
Be clear in your own mind about what problems you are wanting to solve and what outcomes you would like the sales course / program to achieve – and then ensure that the trainer you choose will be able to meet both. If not, you will not achieve the expected ROI.
4. Do they provide practical take-home tools?
Most companies want to see an immediate increase in productivity after the training. If there are no take-home skills and techniques for the delegates to implement immediately, the training will be forgotten within the first week or two.
I don’t ask my clients what they want their people to know, I ask them what they want their people to DO after the sales training program.
5. Will they get a proper briefing from you?
A good sales course trainer should make it a priority to ask questions in order to fully understand the objectives and outcomes you have in mind for the sales training. There is a direct correlation between the quality of the brief the client gives, and the outcome of the sales training program.
I ask management and the delegates to fill out a questionnaire to help me decide on the sales training program content and key focus points.
If necessary, I accompany a few of the delegates on appointments to get the information I need to customise the program to fit in with their industry, product or service.
6. Can they provide testimonials?
Testimonials are proof of a sales course trainer’s credibility and the trust that others place in them. So, be sure to get them (in written or video format). They tell you if the trainer is able to do what they say they can do.
I invite prospective clients to make contact directly with my testimonials if necessary. My testimonials range from 1994 to the present day.
7. Are they experienced facilitators of sales training programs?
Many trainers are just trainers. It takes an experienced facilitator to get the “buy-in” from the delegates.
The sales course trainer needs to be able to answer ALL sales-related queries that the delegates bring up during the training.
8. What follow-up do they provide?
While the content of a sales course is important, it is meaningless unless implemented. Consider the following points when choosing a sales trainer:
- Do they provide comprehensive notes or workbooks?
- Do they offer to debrief with management after the sales training program?
- Do they make themselves available to handle any obstacles the delegates might encounter when implementing the material?
- Do they give advice and assistance with the implementation of the material?
If the answer is NO to one or more of these questions, then you should be concerned.
I am an experienced and accomplished Sales Trainer and Conference Speaker. I am committed to helping salespeople move from just being “Presenters” and “Information Providers” to being “Sales Experts”. Everything I speak about and everything that is in my sales training programs comes from personal knowledge and experience not internet research.
Give me a call, I would love to develop and present your next sales course!
Related Tag: Sales Courses
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© 2019 Ray Patterson. All materials, images and contents contained herein are the intellectual property of Ray Patterson and may not be copied, reproduced, distributed, displayed, adapted or modified without Ray Patterson’s express permission. Any unauthorized copying, reproduction, distribution, display, adaptation or modification will amount to copyright infringement.