There’s definitely no one size fits all approach when it comes to training a sales force, however, there are basic guidelines that you can follow to find success. Follow these tips to get your sales force ready to pitch to potential clients everywhere:
Share success stories.
Have your team of salespeople or wholesale distributors send in their success stories at the end of each month. Did someone win a client over using a new sales tactic? Or did your newest salesperson create a compelling case study that really wowed a new lead? There’s bound to be at least one inspiring sales success story a month, so collect them as they occur. Then, put together a monthly newsletter or email blast that sends out these success stories to the entire team. Not only will this help foster healthy competition between co-workers, but it will also give salespeople the opportunity to learn from other people on the team.
Build confidence.
When you begin to onboard new hires to your sales team, start them off slow. Don’t train them by giving them the most complicated product or service and expecting them to sell it right away. Instead, start them off with the simplest product or service that you offer, or give them the easiest, friendliest client. Let the new hire live on easy street for the first few weeks—without telling him that you’re making it easy, of course—and you will build up his confidence to prepare him for handling more complex sales.
Do weekly check-ins.
Set up a weekly check-in appointment with every new sales employee to see how he or she is doing on the job. Ask each new employee to keep a journal with them while they work so they can jot down any problems that they face or questions that they have while they work. Then, use these weekly check-in meetings to resolve the issues they’re having. If you don’t have time to handle one-on-one meetings with each new member of the sales team, then assign each person to a senior member of the team. This senior member should be responsible for holding one-on-one meetings with the partner they have been assigned to and answering any questions that he or she may have.
Teach them about the company.
Salespeople and wholesale distributors should know everything about the product or service that they offer, but they also need to know the company from top to bottom. When a customer asks a question, the salesperson needs to be able to answer it. How will a salesperson know what days items are shipped out or who to talk to in accounting about invoicing issues if they don’t know the company? When new salespeople start working for you, teach them about each department within the company so they have a better understanding of the process flow.
Are you part of or do you lead an incredibly successful sales force? What training tactics did you use to find success? Share your suggestions in the comments below!
Read more: The Power Of A Socially Enabled Sales Force