Think of sales as an adventure. You learn enough to enter the jungle of contacts and either you flourish as learn how to pass all of the dangers or you slowly sink into a pit of quicksand. Or, perhaps you’re in the middle — you’re only thigh-deep into the quicksand because you grabbed on to a sturdy vine … or a strong snake. Regardless of your predicament, without sales, you don’t make money and neither does the business you work for, and this can mean a shift of priorities of the company … which don’t involve you.
Like many other industries, sales is a never-ending learning process. Thus, the reason why training is so important before and during your tenure as a sales representative. However, businesses aren’t prone to send their salespeople out to external classes. Not only is it expensive but it draws representatives away from the company who can help them build their customer base. This is why you may want to speak to your management on taking an online sales training course.
There is no lack of these businesses on the Internet, Organizations like IHD Insight provide comprehensive training courses that help you determine what you’re capable of, what works for you, and what you need to improve on. As usual with these types of companies, you need to do research to see if they are right for you and if your management will be willing to make the investment.
First, see what type of training they offer. Is it simply beginning sales classes or do they have training for all levels of sales? Should they offer multiple programs you need to determine if the curriculum differs enough for each course to be worth the investment. Some items to consider in sales training are steps to improve communication with potential customers, the best way to hold on to prospects, steps to close a sale, and overall best practices.
Next, review what else comes with the training. Some organizations take a look at the current practices of the sales force and management in order to come up with a proper training. Others do phone consultations and one-to-one breakouts in addition to group workshops. In addition to these extras, training companies may reevaluate the sales force after training to see if their curriculum had a positive effect.
Of course, what the company charges for individual or group training should match what is being offered. Always look at customer reviews on the company’s site as well as independent locations to get a feel for the organization before making a significant investment.