One of our offerings is sales training and I would like to share with you a few useful B2B sales training tips. We are currently working with a number of organizations providing sales training for entrepreneurs, salespeople, and recent grads. Even though the content for these groups may be different, some of the fundamentals of what makes for a great sales training program remain the same.
Here are some of my top tips for a successful sales training.
Get them engaged
I like to try and get the participants engaged right away. Depending on the size of the training cohort, this could mean talking about themselves and what they hope to get out of the class. I also allow for questions when they come up as I find that will lead to more questions and better conversations.
Make it real
When working with entrepreneurs, I have them use their business as the examples. Making the sale training more real allows them to take the learning back to their business. I often have cases where things learned in class one week are implemented the next week.
Active learning
Active learning to me is getting the participants to play an active role in the learning. This goes above just being engaged and actually working on tasks for the class, live in class. As an example, when we are working on elevator pitches, I have them pitch the class and get feedback. In some cases we actually practice cold calls.
It is okay to be nervous
Sales is tough and putting yourself out there in front of strangers can be a challenge. One of my B2B sales training tips is to reinforce that sharing and trying new things with the group can help when you are in front of clients and prospects.
Mix it up
To keep the students’ attention and make it interesting, I like to mix up the sales training. This means some instruction, questions for the group, questions from the group, role playing, group work, and even videos. One of my favourite sales videos is from Tommy Boy. This is one of the few examples of sales in movies where they aren’t trying to scam their customers.
Get prepared
Depending on the engagement, I will assign prep or homework as part of the training. This allows for deeper discussions and lets the students get more out of the course.
If you are would like to learn more B2B sales training tips or are interested talking about how VA Partners can help with sales training needs please contact me.
