Sequential Selection Process of Industry Sales Person

Phase 1
Preliminary screening of resume
Variables Considered

Phase 2
Initial Interview
1. Personal Characteristics, dress, appearance 2. Personality: Interactive skills, Verbal ability 3. Motivation 4. Interest in company 5. Other interpersonal characteristics 6. Other historical or factual info.

1. Education 2. Work Experience 3. Activities 4. Age 5. Other historical or factual info.

Variables Level Eliminated

1. Insufficient Education 2. Low Grade point 3. Insufficient Work Experience 4. Poor work record

1. Offensive Personality 2. Low motivation 3. Not interested in position

Sequential Selection Process of Industry Sales Person

Phase 3
Intensive Interview and testing
1. Personal Characteristics (still under observation) 2. Personality (Further assessment) 3. Mental aptitude for position 4. Physical Health 5. Career Goals

Selection decision
1. Make Offer 2. Postpone Until further info. Available ( Decisions of higher ranked candidate)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Offensive Personality Low sociability Low test score Poor health Unrealistic career goals

1. Terminate consideration

Differentiate between formal and informal sales

training

Relate training to the sales person career cycle Identify the reasons for sales training Discuss the educational principle upon which a sales training program should be based

Explain how formal sales training program should be evaluated

Discuss informal sales training and sales management field coaching goal

Formal Sales Training Plan training program Informal sales training Continuous professional development of sales personal Coaching Informal on the spot instructions also known as curb side training

Formal Sales Training Carefully planned training programs complete with schedules, lesson plans, visual aid, other teaching of sales training devices as well as systematic reviews and evaluations. Three distinct phases of formal training are
1. Designing the sales training program 2. Managing its operation 3. Evaluating its success

Informal Sales Training

Involves continuous professional development of the salespeople. Activities are as important as formal training. Prime responsibility of immediate supervisors Coaching Informal, on the spot instructions to improve performance

Sales training & salespersons career cycle

Preparation New to selling or to company the emphasis is on orientation and training. New recruits must be aware of their of duties and functions as well as working environment. Must receive products, company knowledge, and basic selling techniques

Sales training & salespersons career cycle

Development New salespersons productivity begins to rise. More supervision is required. Development needs more field coaching to identify and correct sales problems and to prevent him acquiring bad habits

Sales training & salespersons career cycle Maturity Productivity is highest level. Mature salespeople work smarter rather than harder. But many begin to take short cuts. Should be retrained, transferred, promoted to next step. DECLINE is difficult and challenging problem for sales management

Maturity Decline Development Mature sales people work smarter than harder

Preparation

Reasons for Training Sales Personnel

To develop the right work habits

They learn how to cover their territories make sales call approach customer travel what sort of record to keep how to plan & execute their sales calls

Reasons for Training Sales Personnel

To offset the effect of detraining
Salespeople are constantly exposed to detraining which is learning the wrong things, through field experience like undesirable short cuts, ineffective ways of selling, often become discouraged of competitive market place

Effective Training Sales Pays

It improves relationships with a customer Motivate sales people to develop themselves and raises their morale because they see their company as concerned with their personal development It reduces the cost and lost sales that result from high turnover of sales personnel It reduces the cost incurred by inefficient territory coverage, by poor use of company supplied sales tools or by the wrong application of companys policies

Effective Training Pays

It makes sales people more flexible and innovative in meeting changing competitive conditions It increases sales volume It reduces cost of supervision It increases the efficiency of controlling sales activities. A well trained sales person needs less direct control by supervisor

Educational Principle and Sales Training

- Like all management training, sales training must be based on educational principles. Before considering the design of a Training mission is transmitting knowledge, skills, formal sales training one must understand the learning creating positive attitudes or enhancing if already exists process. Basic learning situation 3 things are true

1.The learner knows nothing about the subject 2.He knows something but not sufficient 3.What learner knows is incorrect

Educational Principle and Sales Training

Clearly recognized purpose - Trainer must recognize the purpose & mission of the training program - trainees must be given clear understanding, why they are being trained - What are directions/goals - How to apply/use new learning - What are personal benefits - Should be taken seriously, not just walked through as a matter of company policy

Educational Principle and Sales Training

Clarity of presentation - Trainers know much about company, industry, products - Trainees do not & if trainer assume too much, the trainees are likely to become quickly lost among unfamiliar language, concept, procedure - Training material should be simple, understandable

Educational Principle and Sales Training

Planned repetition
- For better understanding of complicated ideas and concepts, good trainer builds restatement and repetition into the program

Systematic review
Reviewing & highlighting material already covered, has many advantages Allows trainees to check their understanding of the covered topics Shows what they have failed to understand Learning correctly, enhances moral Periodic review sets the stage for training material to follow

Educational Principle and Sales Training

Orderly development of material
- Major difference between learning by experience or by training is that training is orderly and can be repeated where as experience is random and uncontrolled - Training program should be designed so that learning has a logical and meaningful sequence, avoiding random skips

Sensible pace - Training proceedings not too fast Trainee participation

- Discussions, involvement, role play, demonstration

Orientation of Sales Recruits

Sales manager or HR specialists should make sure that all employment records are completed or processed Each new sales person should be provided with all the necessary employment information especially that concerning expense accounts, vocation, policies , payroll procedures and other important policies and procedures Each new sales rep should be informed of formal and informal office practices and special company events or activities such as office parties or gift funds

Orientation of Sales Recruits

The sales manager should make sure that the new sales persons office space is ready and samples and offices supplies are available If a car is provided then the company policies about maintenance, insurance and personal use should be explained New sales people should be introduced to the other sales people, immediate supervisor, clerical and secretarial workers and all other concerned people

The sales manager should make a special efforts to keep in touch with the recruit to get frequent feedback about on job performance

Designing a formal Sales Training Program

Which sales people should be trained and at what points in their careers? What should the training program cover? How should the training be done? Who should train sales people and where does training fit into the organization?

Sales Training
Determining the optimum contents
Programs for new hires
Company orientation Product and market information Selling skills Technology skills

Retraining experienced sales people

When new products are to be introduced When the new type of customers are to be solicited When a sales person is to assigned to a new territory When new reporting or other new sales operating procedures are to be introduced

Retraining experienced sales people

When a sales man is to be promoted to a supervisory position When there is evidence that the salesperson has adopted improper selling habits When competition, economic conditions, government regulation or other environmental conditions change in such a way that they drastically effect the company's selling operations

What should the training program cover?

Determining the optimum contents
Product Knowledge

Knowledge of company policies and procedures Required Selling Skills Attitudes

What should the training program cover?

Determining the optimum contents
Knowledge, skills, attitude sales person must have

Less
Knowledge, skills, attitude attained

Training needed to be more effective

Topics Commonly Covered

Determining the optimum contents

Check list for training program Product Knowledge Knowledge of Company Policies, Procedures Required Selling Skills Attitudes

Check list for training program Product Knowledge

-

Determining the optimum contents

Technical knowledge, how much information required. How do they are made? characteristics, feature, benefits Their expected life? Competitors product knowledge, strengths, weaknesses

Company Policies, Procedures - Internal policies and procedures such as expenses, retirement sick leave, medical policy, insurance, vacation, transportation - Marketing policies & procedures like credit terms, product guarantees, advertising promotional support, technical assistance

Determining the optimum contents

Check list for training program

Selling Skills
- how to make an effective sales presentation? - Selling process

What POSITIVE ATTITUDE they have towards Customer Company Job Supervisor Relationship with customers and attitude required

How should the training be done?

Learning basics and training policy - Based on education philosophies or policies - The best alternative for a particular sales group depends on specific conditions involved - On the characteristics of the sales people, product, market, competition & customers
Conditioned response - Sales persons are trained in advance to make the proper responses to any & all problems, conditions and objections that they may encounter . Its a generalized response

How should the training be done?

Cognitive Script - Approach to prepare salespeople to deal with common field situation - Sequence of activities or events to fit in a specific selling situation

Advantages

Disadvantages

Expert experience and advice is brought to encounter all the problems No problem, procedure or situation is overlooked Training is economical once the response program has been developed All salespeople in the group react in the same way

Salesperson may overlook particular interest or problem of individual customer while adhering to conditioned response pattern Salesperson is not allowed to adjust unique selling condition Customer may resent a standardized selling process as manipulation or as a high pressure tactics Some salespeople may resent absence of initiative & opportunity affecting moral

Customers are provided all information the company wants them to have

How should the training be done?

Insight response - Sales people are trained to response to selling on the basis of their personal insight into the nature of each selling situation to manipulate their communications, tone, voice, body language, facial expressions to create certain impression on buyers

Advantages

Disadvantages

Salesperson is flexible to adjust to changing market and customer condition Salespersons focus is on an individual situation not on a generalized situation Customers individual conditions and problems are central in the sales call Salespersons morale is raised by active participation in his work

Sale Training is slow, difficult and expensive

Training Techniques

Lectures Discussions

Panels Role playing Visuals aids Audio tapes

High-Tech Training Methods

Three Major Forms
Computer assisted instructions Interactive videos Video conferences

Who should train sales people and where does training fit into the organization? Professional teaching skills are critical The sales trainer and the training location Combination plan Selecting outside trainer

Evaluation and Follow-up Evaluating the immediate impact of training Evaluation issues
To what degree does the training produce appropriate learning? To what degree is learning transferred to the job? To what degree is the knowledge or skill level maintained over time? Does the value of participant improve performance, meet or exceed the cost of training?

Training Evaluation Methods

Supervisory appraisal Self appraisal Knowledge tests Bottom line management Customer appraisal

Course evaluation Trainee feedback Teaching staff comments Supervisory feedback Performance test

Training Evaluation Methods

Observe other sales people at work
- Skilled observers who know the training program & its objectives can accompany recent trainee on their sales call and whether learning is been applied correctly and desired results are being achieved

Ask customers - Contact customers personally for their opinion

about salesman performance before and after training. Customer reaction indicates the strengths and weaknesses of the training program

Review sales performance against standard

- Sales companies establish performance standard

for trained and untrained salespersons and evaluate performance accordingly

Training Evaluation Methods

Interview Trainee
- Carefully planned pre training interview can be compared with post training to indicate effect of training on knowledge, skills and attitudes

Seek Managers Opinion

- Immediate supervisors can be helpful and provide

information about the value of the program, improved attitude, selling skills and other necessary company and market information

Redesigning the Sales Training Program

What if an evaluation indicates that sales training program is inadequate? If evaluation also shows that salespersons do not posses proper attitudes Their products, company , or industry knowledge is insufficient or they lack required selling skills The management is confronted with the necessity to design the training program Re examination of the training objectives, program content, teaching methods, training location and training personnel, is the key

Limitations of Formal Sales Training

Whether sales managers are developing new training program or revising the existing one , a formal training program cannot impart all of the necessary skills, attitude and knowledge to all of the companys salespeople Success requirements vary among sales group Individual sales persons training needs vary Informal training can accomplish much

Informal Training
Field coaching - Joint field visits
Customer Contact
- For salespeople best way of learning
- On job training