Most sales training is terrible. It doesn’t relate to the salespeople, and it’s outdated… if the company has any training material at all.
Back in the day, we used flip charts. Our training (like most US companies) went like this:
Introduction: Don’t stray from the script. This sales presentation is fail proof. Build some rapport, make sure the key decision maker is present, then use this flip chart.
Page 1: Our company was founded in…
Page 2: We are 20 million in sales!
Page 3: (More company history…)
Sure, company background builds credibility, but it’s no longer an effective tool. Why? You’re only talking about yourself. Today, making a sale means relating to clients — building a relationship so they can see how your product meets their needs.
Closing sales requires out-of-the-box thinking. That means it’s time for new sales training ideas to go with the new approaches it takes to sell.
Film REAL Salespeople Talking About REAL Opportunities
Interview your number-one salesperson via video. Then use their insight to teach others. Ask about recent opportunities and success so everyone learns how they’ve earned their spot as the top seller.
Then replicate this each time another sales person climbs to the top. Not only does it build your library, it also builds competition.
Stage Selling Opportunities
Want to pitch to a real client and end up with great sales training material? Hire prospects to play the part of a potential buyer.
Call a key prospect in your marketplace and say, “We’re creating training material for our reps and need to film a sales presentation. I know you’re with XYZ firm and aren’t interested in switching, but I’d like to offer you a $250 gift card if you’d be our client for the mock presentation.”
Sure, this technique may cost you a little, but think about the value of pitching to that prospect. In this scenario, you get a sales opportunity and training material. Even if you don’t need more sales training techniques, it’s a creative way to make a pitch.
Role Play
If you can’t find actual prospects to participate, hire actors or use salespeople for video role play. This works best stranger to stranger, so make sure you don’t use co-workers who know each other.
Provide the “client” with a persona. Give them a name, business details, and pain points.
Then choose a salesperson to make the presentation without knowing the client’s pain points, just like a real sales scenario.
Film their interaction and point out objections, pain points, and strategies for overcoming obstacles during a training.
Sales Program Essentials
You need more than one filmed scenario to fully train your salespeople. So, as you build your material, make sure to include these essentials.
Objections
Every organization has about 8-10 objections. Make sure your salespeople know how to handle each one. How? Ask your top 10-20 sales reps what objections they hear and how they respond to them. Then, either film these interviews or point out the objections in role play clips.
Video
Is video really necessary? Yes! It builds your library and allows people to study the details. I can train and role-play one on one, but a video is much more effective. It lets people study body language and facial expressions — repeatedly.
If you’re on a budget, use Google Hangouts to make the recording simple. All you need is a webcam.
Alternatively, you can make the video on your phone. No need to go hi-tech. Just record on your phone or in Google Hangouts, then put the footage to work.
Create for 2 Hours/Week
Sales managers, if you want to know how to develop a training program for your new hires too, start collecting these videos. It doesn’t have to take up much time. If you set aside two or three hours a week to build sales material, you’ll soon end up with an extensive resource for new hires.
You can use these videos in your hiring process. Require candidates to watch three hours of training material. Then have them “audition” for the sales role. If they don’t put in the work ahead of time, no need to waste your time.
Building a top-notch training program doesn’t require endless funds or time. With this plan, you’ll soon have the training resources you needed to equip your team with skills they’ve been missing!
