BY Austin Richards
Are you wishing that you could clone your top sellers? Most sales managers would like to do that. But since they can’t, the next best thing may be to reengineer your sales training program.
How to Reengineer Your Sales Training Program
Before you begin to adjust the details of your sales training initiatives, take time to study your rain makers. What metrics do you use to measure them? What are they doing that their co-workers don’t do?
The Rain Group published a few key findings on this topic.
In any organization, the top sellers often make quota. They achieve this goal by maintaining a high win rate on their proposals. And in general, Rain Group analysts point out, the quota numbers are not easy to reach.
How do these individuals generate great results? Their co-workers might suspect they’ve been given the best leads. But that’s not true.
Top sellers exhibit specific behaviors and optimize key skills. Here are the details.
The Rain Group found that top performers generally stay more focused than other sellers (73%). In addition, these sales stars are not stuck in a rut. 67% quickly adapt their work habits when they realize it will benefit them.
In addition, consultative selling skills stand out when top performers engage with prospects. These sellers quickly determine the business problems facing their prospects. Armed with that information, they put together effective proposals.
These proposals show the prospect how the solution will address the core business problem. And, top reps shine in another area: They demonstrate value. Remember that detail as you reengineer your sales training program.
Help Your Reps Train for the New B2B Sales Cycle
While your top reps devote energy to discovering their prospects' key business problems, they’re likely doing something equally important. They are staying current with developments in the industry and in the prospect’s company.
Keeping up with business changes may sound like a time-consuming task. It doesn’t have to be. You can give your reps access to a tool that feeds them the information they need.
One of the most important ways to reengineer your sales training program is to provide timely intelligence to reps.
Instead of spending hours looking for the latest industry research, they can use easily-accessible data in their communications.
Your New Sales Training Program
In today’s B2B business sales cycle, prospects wait until the last minute to reach out to sellers. They’re often ready to decide between two or three vendors. This new reality means that sales training should show reps how to manage their digital credibility.
Credibility is key to buyers. Our research finds nearly 50% of buyers seek sellers with experience in their line of business. And 47% check social media posts for reviews.
Your sales training should emphasize the importance of maintaining digital credibility for every rep.
With the right online app, SalesCred PRO, this process is easy to manage.
Changing Sales Rep Behavior
The Rain Group research findings indicate the best sales performers are willing to change to their habits to stay productive. Train your reps on new ways to access the latest research. What used to take hours, or perhaps even a call to the research department, now takes only seconds.
The even better news is that writing emails no longer has to be a chore. Reps can tap into online tools such as SalesCred PRO to generate email messages that make a difference.
In today’s rapidly changing B2B sales world, you don’t have to worry about your sales stars. But you should reengineer your sales training program. In that way, you'll give everyone on your team the best competitive edge.
Photo on Pexels by Christina Morillo