Business leaders are getting the picture. When they train their sales manager and reps, revenue rises. The plan sounds simple, but it isn’t. That’s because there’s one more big piece to the puzzle: engagement.

Sales training and coaching industry experts talk a lot about engagement. It’s easy to gloss over what that means. Most of us assume that engagement is all about employees showing up eager to do their jobs. Having a great attitude is part of engagement, but it may not impact the bottom line. Earlier this month, Tamara Schneck blogged on this topic: “Engaged sellers are driven by enthusiasm and dedication in two directions: their customers and their organization.”

You can have an employee who’s excited about their job and the company, but if they don’t channel their engagement properly with customers, you have a problem. Your sales reps must show prospects how your product or service is going to reduce their pain or fix their problems. Your reps' actions, words, and intonation must interest and influence the prospect. At that point, the likelihood to buy increases.

All too often, Schneck points out, sales training misses the mark on engagement. You can fix that issue by covering specific topics in training and then reinforcing the information with ongoing coaching sessions.

The Story

Employees, especially your younger reps, want to connect what they are doing every day with the bigger picture. They want to know they are making a difference. To strengthen that connection, address your company's mission during sales training. 

What problems are your products and services designed to solve? Are you helping clients reduce waste and therefore playing a role in improving the environment? Do your products help prospects deliver life-​saving medicines more quickly to patients? When your reps understand the “why” behind their actions, they’ll share their enthusiasm with prospects. They’ll work harder to close deals.

Your Sales Managers

The most logical team members to work with sales reps on understanding engagement and mission are the sales managers. Remind your sales managers to review your company's mission during their weekly one-​on-​one meetings and coaching sessions with reps. Doing so will improve engagement and sales.