There are more than 600,000 new businesses opening each year in the USA alone, according to Review 42. With so many new entrants in the market, competition for customers continues to stiffen. So, having every advantage over your competitors is critical.
A robust sales team is one of the most significant levers that any business can use to ensure that they outpace others. For that reason, sales training skills that build and empower salespeople are central to success in business. Let’s explore why.
To evaluate success
It’s critical for sales reps to learn how to recognize the techniques and strategies that work and those that aren’t yielding the most profitable benefits.
A sales training program can work as a review process to help the company pinpoint ineffective and outdated tools. It is especially useful for seasoned reps who may have become accustomed to a certain way of doing things. With training, experienced reps can update their methods or learn new ones to stay sharp and relevant.
To improve communication
Sales training helps salespeople develop the following competencies to position themselves way ahead of their competitors:
- Presence. Presence refers to a salesperson’s frame of mind and knack to show confidence and a strong belief in their offering. With the right mindset, reps can quickly build credibility, and trust with the buyer.
- Questioning skills. Asking the right questions stimulates openness from the buyer resulting in a thorough exploration of the customer’s needs.
- Ability to listen. When the seller practices intentional listening, they go beyond the buyer’s words to pick up cues and ponder on hidden messages.
- Negotiation. Learning how to break stalemates, overcome objections and get the most value out of every sale.
Once reps brush up on their communication techniques, they have a higher likelihood of delivering better pitches and closing more deals.
To find new prospects and opportunities
According to HubSpot, more than 40% of salespeople find prospecting to be the most difficult part of the selling process. As hard as it may be, feeding new prospects into the pipeline is the only way to maintain a steady stream of income and so training is extremely important.
With the right training programs, reps can be empowered with the skills they need to:
- locate new potential customers
- initiate contact
- understand the market
- present powerful value propositions
Some of the capacity-building tools that reps can assimilate in training include:
- Consultative selling. Reps can grasp how to get rid of seller-centric techniques, for instance, by improving on asking open-ended questions and listening.
- Sprint prospecting. Reps receive coaching on how to keep the conversation flowing with contacts and gatekeepers so they can get a hold of decision-makers.
- Sales networking. Salespeople can understand how to open new dialogue and put their best foot forwards to establish credibility and links, as well as get referrals.
To nurture and grow accounts
Having the right sales skills can empower sales reps to grow and build relationships with customers to cultivate repeat sales.
According to MyCustomer, once customers become loyal to your product or service, they tend to spend 33% more on each order than new customers.
Training programs help to enhance the connections and trust that are necessary to acquire loyalty from customers.
According to Impact Communications, 71% of the time, people’s decision to buy a product or service is influenced by how much they trust and believe the reps.
In addition, research by Involve.ai shows that when customers are happy and content with what you have to offer, they have an 87% likelihood of buying new services or getting upgrades.
With training, salespeople can improve the way they interact with customers and build lasting relationships, for example, through:
Account management strategies. Reps can learn how to become consistent in identifying every opportunity to expand an account. For instance, offering the customer a chance to upgrade or buy more products. It’s important to get the hang of when to time the offer so you don’t come across as too pushy which can negatively affect your chances of scoring the sale.
Excellent customer service coaching. Training can help reps to figure out the intricacies of dealing with customers and responding to any arising issues in a way that translates to more sales and business growth.
Improves employee satisfaction
According to Talent LMS, training programs help improve the relationship between the company and employees as well as improve employee satisfaction.
Reps can get a better handle on the tools available and learn how to use them to improve effectiveness and streamline the sales process. For example, salespeople can learn how to link the CRM with automatic phone dialers to make calls faster and increase their chances of more sales.
In addition, salespeople get the opportunity to ask questions and support each other through teamwork and role-play, which can contribute to higher engagement levels.
Reps can also gain more confidence, reducing stress and anxiety, ultimately leading to higher performance.
Success through training
Training can do wonders for transforming your sales teams from ordinary to phenomenal sellers, catapulting your business’s success. When empowered with the right skills, your reps will be better placed to communicate with buyers, build trust and cultivate lasting relationships and customer loyalty.
Most importantly, training programs can help reps master the dreaded prospecting process to improve the consistency of your sales.
