Getting salespeople to embrace and internalize new concepts is a significant challenge. Studies show that most knowledge gained during a live training event is forgotten within 90 days.

Establishing a consistent reinforcement sequence that challenges reps to apply new skills and behaviors is key for transforming the short-term performance boost of conventional sales training into lasting behavior change.

Identifying the Right Audience

The best sales training doesn’t just focus on teaching skills but also on delivering results to your business. Many factors should be considered when designing a sales training strategy, whether it’s a new product launch or changing the company’s operations.

For example, product-focused training might help your team sell to customers with specific pain points addressed by the products or services your company offers. However, it’s important to understand that product knowledge is only one element of a successful sales conversation. Building trust with prospects will get you closer to a sale faster than just pitching them your solutions.

Focusing too much on product-based training can backfire. When your salespeople spend too much time learning about your products, they may lose the ability to spot gaps in your customer’s needs and provide effective solutions.

To help your salespeople succeed in the field, you must identify your buyers’ unique problems and offer solutions that address those needs. That requires deep insight into how your customers think, act and speak, which can be gathered through CRM software. You can then use this data to design sales training focusing on the right outcomes. To make impactful sales training, it is important to establish procedures for monitoring progress towards set goals and providing guidance and assistance to sales professionals to ensure they implement the techniques learned in real-world situations.

Identifying the Right Solution

Sales training is a powerful way to improve your team’s performance, but it’s important to identify the right solution to achieve your goals. Be clear on the specific metrics and KPIs you want to impact. Prioritize leading indicators, such as new pipeline and time to first deal, before focusing on lagging indicators like sales productivity or win rates.

It’s also important to consider how to make new behaviors sustainable, which requires a shift in mindset and sales approach. This methodology can be applied to all sales activities, including prospecting and customer interactions.

Regardless of your sales training program, build in ongoing training best practices to ensure the concepts learned in classroom sessions stick. This includes delivering bite-sized content that uses different learning modalities (blended learning). Providing ongoing sales training also allows your teams to practice new skills in roleplays or real-world scenarios and receive feedback on their delivery. This is critical to transforming the short-term boost from conventional sales training programs into lasting behavior change.

Identifying the Right Time

The sales world is fast, and new solutions are constantly surfacing. A company can only keep up if its people are trained in the latest tactics and strategies that their customers are using. To do that, companies should consider a more agile approach to their sales training programs.

Make sure the right training is delivered at the right time. For instance, if your team is transitioning from field to remote sales, provide a crash course in the specifics of this new model. Doing so will help them feel confident and competent in their new roles, making them more likely to hit their quotas and exceed expectations.

Also, if your sales reps are pursuing strategic accounts or key account management, training that helps them manage these opportunities more effectively will give them an edge. These programs typically focus on helping sales teams identify important customer information during the prospecting stage, build value in each deal through a customer-centric approach in discovery, and present a compelling solution to customers in the proposal stage.

In addition, the training should be short and to the point. Long sales theories can bore people to the end of no return, so trainers must create engaging content that draws in their audience. Whether that’s through storytelling or using video to teach skills, it can help reps retain the information and apply it to their work.

Identifying the Right Opportunity

Keeping salespeople motivated isn’t easy, especially for remote workers. Evaluating what motivates your team and implementing ways to support their needs is critical. For example, encourage your reps to stay engaged by implementing a training reinforcement program. This could include video coaching, a virtual learning environment, or a live webinar that allows participants to interact with the trainer.

Another way to keep your salespeople motivated is by facilitating friendly competition. While some companies may shy away, a few simple tweaks can make this a great tool for your salesforce. Whether it’s a leaderboard or tiers of commission, these types of motivation tools can help your salespeople stay focused on meeting and exceeding their targets.

Another way to motivate your salespeople is to identify and nurture their strengths. For example, if you have one low-performing salesperson who fears to present, provide coaching and training in presentation skills. This can help them overcome their fear and improve their performance. You should also look closely at their sales process and identify what might be causing them to struggle. This can help you make better hiring decisions and build a team of high-performing salespeople.