No time to build a training program for your salespeople? Here are the steps you’ll need to get started – quickly.

Why we felt you need to know this…

One of the first things that sales and company executives ask us when we meet them is; “We need to grow our sales, what can you do for us?” To that we always respond, “If you’d share with us some of the processes that you have in place now for the sales team to follow – we can then take a look at them and see if there might be a way that we can help.”

What we’ve found is that most of the time the issue is always the same: There simply isn’t a process in place for us to look at – period. The salespeople almost always seem to be autonomous from the rest of the company. There are well thought out processes in place for finance, personnel and administration – but not for sales. When we ask the question of why the building of a business development process for the salespeople seemed to be pushed to the wayside, we almost always got the same response:

“It’s a huge undertaking and I know I should (Don’t you just love that word should?) be doing something – but where would I start?”

When you look at the big picture of building a process for the sales team – they’re absolutely right – where would one start?

It seems pretty scary. Training and motivating salespeople and account managers to effectively represent and sell services or products is probably one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today.  Whether you hire “experienced” business development professionals or novices, the need for a well thought out, structured and easy to follow business development process is not a  luxury – but an absolute necessity.

Let’s look at the scenario another way. What’s the cost of not training your business development professionals properly? Be honest – how much money is left on the table every single month because your sales team can’t talk about another reason to buy from your company besides price and that wonderful “great service” line? You and I both know that nobody wins when the decision to buy from you is based only on price.

Anyway, enough about what can go wrong – here’s what you can do to get an effective business development training program off the ground…

So Where Do We Go From Here? Section 1: Starting Out

Section 2: The Steps

“A leader is someone who steps back from the entire system and tries to build a more collaborative, more innovative system that will work over the long term.”Robert Reich”

Scope of Training

We’ve found that the most important factor in creating an effective business development training program is making sure that we’re  training on all of the elements necessary – not just some (What does our model call for?) You’d be surprised how many businesses overlook some of the basic criteria a good business development professional needs to know to be effective. Below, we’ve compiled a short list of training categories that we’ve seen many growth oriented companies use to continually build increasing revenue through their salespeople:

Step 1

Company Knowledge

Company history

Its experience serving the marketplace

The company’s Unique Selling Proposition(s)

Staff directory and responsibilities

Staff assistance — who can help with what

All the products that the company sells and to whom

Getting “Stuff” Done

Time management – (this is a “biggie”)

Organization Skills

Technology

Salesforce Automation/CRM software

Word Processing, Spreadsheet, PowerPoint (or equivalent)

Company specific software applicable and/or industry specific

Email Do’s and Don’t’s

Competition

Who are they?

Competition strengths and weaknesses

Comparing the company vs. competition – techniques/strategies, case studies

Selling Tools – Market Knowledge

Pricing Policy

Knowledge of customer – professional, distributor, trade, mfg.

Hot buttons and issues important to the customer

Face to face selling scripts, personal scripts for telemarketing/e-marketing

Building an attaché with the proper tools in it

Creating An Internal Training Program

Presentations

Building an effective Pitchbook – what it does, how it works

Using a PowerPoint presentation to close deals and not just for show

Customizing/updating different versions for different customers/vertical markets

Become proficient in the use of webinars and other internet communications mediums

Follow up process

Proposals

When we should write them and when we shouldn’t

Sample proposals in binders for review

Writing a proposal using company template

Marketing Materials

Web-based tools and information – what its does and doesn’t have

Printed Material – brochures, branded items, etc.

E-marketing templates

Terms/Conditions

Payment policy

Handling client-based expenses (if appropriate)

Credit terms – net 30 Days, credit cards, COD, etc.

Policy on updating accounts

RMAs (a.k.a. return policies)

Sales Process Equipment

Laptop Computers

Computer Projector

PDA

Cell Phone

Reporting

Filling out sales reports

Reviewing of reports expected from the business

development team

Meetings with business development managers

Company, Department and Individual Sales Goals

What they are

How they’re arrived at

Feedback system

Networking

Why it’s effective

Company expectations

Suggested networking events

How to maximize each event

Preparing for the event

Receiving a ROI from the event

Prospecting

Prospect sources (lists, Internet, trade associations,

etc.)

Utilizing trade associations to get business

Prospecting plan – telemarketing and/or door to door

skills

 

Compensation

When and how you get paid

Emphasis on profit levels

Understanding matrix pricing

Understanding the job description is the compensation plan

Focus on achievable goals – not “pie in the sky”

Step 2 – Assign Responsibility

Take each category of the above and determine who would be the best person to provide training on each subject. Sometimes it’ll be an OEM sales rep, other times, it’ll be an internal manager or an outstanding member of the sales team. Assign each category on your list of topics to the chosen manager/sales team member. This is now your training team and each member will be responsible for developing his/her portion of the training program.

Step 3 – Assemble the Team

Have a meeting with the training team and present the overall goal for training. Schedule a private one-on-one meeting with each person within three to five days to go over his or her specific training program criteria. Detail what you expect them to do and give them guidance as to what form of training is to be used (PowerPoint slides, purchased program, one to be developed internally by the training team or some combination of these). Set a drop-dead date when their training program must be complete. It’s very important that each training team member understands what format the training is to take – so that when the programs are complete and delivered – that they’re all trying to accomplish the same thing – increased sales.

Step 4 – Get the Business Development Team Involved

It’s very important to get the business development people who will be trained involved in the process of building the training.  When they have a say in that process, they’re far more likely to“buy in”. Have any interested salespeople pair up with a training team member. You’ll find that the salespeople who “get it” will generally be excited about helping out.

Step 5 – Check It Out

On the scheduled meeting dates, review their training programs and fine-tune them as necessary with the other training team members present so they can offer their own input. Keep in mind that each team member has put a lot of time and energy into the process, so be thoughtful if major changes are necessary.

Step 6 – Assess Personnel

After each component of the training program is complete, meet with your managers and review all of the business development personnel to determine who will require what training module.  Assign someone to coordinate the dates and times for specific training modules and then send invitations to those business development reps that need to attend each module.

Creating An Internal Training Program

Step 7 – Share It With Everyone

After existing personnel have gone through the necessarytraining, coordinate with human resources to develop a compressed version of the training program. This condensed version can be a great refresher course. It can also be an additional resource to train counter salespeople, account reps, etc. on what steps the business development staff is taking to bring in additional sales.

Step 8 – Monitor the Process

Monitor the process to ensure that all members of the training team are doing their job effectively. Consider auditing trainees within each module until you’re confident that the training is effective. Good work habits from training only come when the skills become automatic – a.k.a. a habit.

Step 9 – Measure Results

Are your business development professionals generating better results after the training? If so – you’re on the right track. If not, review how the training is being done and received so that it can be fine tuned to ensure that any holes in the program are plugged. When all is said and done – will it be perfect? No. But is it always a work in progress – absolutely!

Creating An Internal Training Program

“Training salespeople and account managers to effectively represent and sell services or products is probably the biggest challenge facing manufacturers and distributors today.”

Final Thoughts

Creating An Internal Training Program

Business owners and sales executives often lament that they are at a disadvantage because they don’t have the capital and/or resources to train the sales staff the “right” way. To that we disagree. We have seen many, many small businesses grow because the people responsible for building revenue made a decision to make the training process happen and held themselves accountable to doing it – period. What we mean is that the successful executives always found a way to make things happen and the unsuccessful ones always found a reason why it couldn’t be done. Getting started could be as simple as building a script for the business development team to follow while making a cold call or even training them on how to effectively utilize their time. More than likely, it’s a combination of many of the things that we have already mentioned in this article. Whether you leave these things to happen by chance or actually implementing them is – as always – up to you.

About Strategic Planning & Implementation Associates Inc.

Companies tend to focus their training on “closing the deal,” our philosophy targets filling your sales funnel.  SPIA Inc. works with companies of all sizes to help them address growth objectives, enhance business development, grow revenue and build a healthy company.

 

If you would like to discuss whether or not we can be of any assistance to your company please contact Craig @ SPIA Inc. by calling: 978.640.0803 or email cstimmel@spiainc.com