Chapter 6

Continual Development of the

Salesforce: Sales Training
Role of Sales Training in
Salesforce Socialization
Initiation to Task
The degree to which a sales trainee feels competent and
accepted as a working partner.

Role Definition —
An understanding of what tasks are to be performed, What
have your socialization
experiences been like?
Sales Training as a Crucial Investment

Investment in Training

= Positive ROI
Managing the Sales Training Process
Assess Training Needs: Methods
 Typical Sales Training Needs

• Sales Techniques:
Salespeople have an ongoing need
to learn “how to sell,” including
questioning, listening, developing
trust, and managing relationships.

• Product Knowledge:
Salespeople must know their
product’s benefits, applications,
competitive strengths, and limitations.
 Typical Sales Training Needs

• Customer Knowledge:
Salespeople should know their
customer needs, buying
motives, buying procedures,
and personalities.

• Competitive Knowledge:
Salespeople must know
competitive offerings in terms
of strengths and weaknesses.
 Typical Sales Training Needs

• Time & Territory Management:

Salespeople should learn to maximize
work efficiency.

• Self-Management:
Salespeople should
continuously work on
improving their decision-
making and professional behavior.
 Relationship Building
Characteristics Required of Salespeople
• personally manage the customer’s desired results.

• fully understand the customer’s business.

• are easily accessible.

• solve the customer’s problems.

• provide innovative responses

  to customer needs.
Sales Training for Different Types of Buyers
Set Training Objectives

• Increase sales or profits.

• Create positive attitudes and
improve salesforce morale.
• Assist in salesforce socialization.
• Reduce role conflict and ambiguity.
• Introduce new products, markets,
and promotional programs.
• Develop salespeople for future
management positions.
• Ensure awareness of ethical
and legal responsibilities.
Evaluate Training Alternatives
Selecting Sales Trainers
• Internal
• External

Selecting Sales Training Locations

• Decentralized
(e.g., district or regional offices)
• Centralized
(e.g., corporate headquarters)
Evaluate Training Alternatives

Selecting Sales Training Methods

• Classroom/Conference Training
• On-the-job Training (OJT)
• Behavioral Simulations
• Absorption Training

Selecting Sales Training Media

• e-learning
(synchronous or asynchronous)
• Videoconferencing
• CDs/DVDs
• Paper-Based
 Training – Using Mobile

Tips For Designing Mobile Learning Content

Design the Sales Training Program

a i n in g program
e the tr essions
* Finaliz i n i n g s
ule tra nts
* Sched vel arrangeme
tr a
* Make
o m m o dations
ac c
* Book
Perform Sales Training

The sales manager’s primary

responsibility during sales training is to:

• monitor progress of the trainees;

• ensure adequate presentation of

the training topics;

• keep trainees motivated to learn.

Conduct Follow-Up and Evaluation
• Effort should be made to measure the effectiveness
of sales training.

• A reasonable attempt must be made to assess

whether current training expenditures are
worthwhile

• Sales training should be reinforced.

 Tips for Reinforcing Sales Training

• Include refresher

• Provide short (five minutes or less) learning

modules that are easily accessible.

• Provide coaching and mentoring to reinforce what

was learned.

• Use gamification to motivate and reinforce learned

information

• Review learner progress periodically to determine

if material is sticking.
Evaluating Training and
Development Programs

Assess Determine Assess Determine

participant principles, changes in outcomes
satisfaction techniques and job behavior resulting from
with training facts that were resulting from using what
learned training was learned
Ethical and Legal Issues

Training is Essential
 Ethically Troubling Situations
• Giving physical gifts
• Providing free trips, free luncheons or dinners, or
other free entertainment to a purchaser.
• Using the firm’s economic power to obtain
premium prices
• Gaining information about competitors by asking
purchasers.
• Giving preferential treatment to purchasers whom
higher levels of the firm’s own management
prefer or recommend.
• Attempting to reach and influence other
departments directly.
 Legal Reminders for Salespeople
• Use factual data.
• Don’t overstep authority.

• Be careful when communicating with

competitors.

• Don’t engage in “bait and switch”.

• Don’t engage in discrimination.

• Don’t tamper or disparage with a

competitor’s product.

• Avoid promises that will be difficult or

impossible to honor.
WELLS FARGO SCANDEL