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Very often our prospects state that “ they don’t have time for sales training ” or “ it doesn’t fit in with their current initiatives ”. The phrase “We don’t have time for …” is very often used to stall and/or avoid action which results in regression . There really is never a lack of time. Rather, it’s really a matter of setting priorities. If sales training is not a priority, the question is whether business growth is of importance.
We all suffer from time deficiency. Our busy schedules, cluttered with appointments and obligations and getting inundated with information through voice mails, emails, social media alerts, Twitter feeds, Instagram, you name it – we’re in overload! That is why it is really important to align company goals with important business initiatives.
While sales training might be viewed as time consuming, when done right the rewards will be efficiency and proficiency. Good sales training programs are designed for participants to work at their own pace and to apply the skills on a daily basis. While class room training is still something that many companies want, there also should be an ongoing process baked into the approach to ensure that sales people are learning while selling .
There is never a good time to have a baby, or to launch sales training but the rewards are worthwhile.
No Sales Training = Status Quo
There is always room for improvement and if we don’t learn, we stagnate, or even worse we regress. Companies that choose to ignore or delay sales training efforts will run the risk of becoming stale in their approach. Sales has changed over the last decade with the presence of social media and content marketing. Decidedly, an on-going sales training program provides an opportunity to regroup, to challenge that Status Quo and to develop a common Sales & Service language.
Is Business Development a Priority?
If a company decides that business growth is a priority, then sales training needs to be on top of that list as well. And it’s not only to improve your sales people’s performance but also to streamline the process and to bring everybody on the same page. Sales training can be a great vehicle to establish added accountability, to provide transparency and to establish a platform for shared best practices. It almost forces companies to look at their internal processes and to adjust accordingly.
Top Performing Companies Get It
Interestingly enough, most of the companies we engage with are already successful. Our clients are top performing companies in their industry and they continuously seek out solutions that can help them to be more strategic and to grow revenue in a more effective way. They also know that by helping their business development staff be more effective, it will lead to a win-win situation. Their people will earn more and it will lead to more revenue and higher profit margins.
Still No Time for Training? Think Again.
What people don’t realize is that not doing anything doesn’t necessarily mean that everything stays the same. It means that you are not progressing but your competition might very well be. While your sales people are doing things the way they were done 5, 10, sometimes 15 years ago, the competition is learning to plan strategically, to overcome objections with real value solutions and to close business with clients who fit in with their strategic objectives. If your sales people are not kept fresh and up to speed, they will be left behind.
Related: Why Selling Is Never the Best Strategy
On a more personal note…..What is Your Business Growth Worth to You?
My health and sanity is worth 6 hours a month to me. That’s the time that I take away from my busy schedule to practice Yoga. It keeps me grounded and it keeps me sane.
My business growth is worth 20 hours a week, that’s the amount of time I spend on prospecting, writing articles such as this one and learning about new best practices.
Our clients have their sales and account management people spend 4-5 hours a month on learning to become more strategic business development people by embracing and utilizing a consultative approach. When they graduate from our program (which usually takes 6 - 8 months, remember – sales is a process and so is learning) they have grown their business by over 30% on average. A small time investment if you think about it in terms of ROI.
Not having time means that growing your company is not a priority. And that’s surely not what you are aiming for, is it?