Sales Training: 3 Powerful Ways to Build an Unstoppable Sales Team
Recently, the Cape Cod Times wrote, “There are no customers, no revenue, no profit, no business without sales.” As such, your business will likely be as good as the sales team behind it. Here are three powerful ways taught by one of the best sales training companies to help you build a killer salesforce.
Train your sales team regularly
A Sales Performance International study found that most salespeople forget about 50% of what they learned in less than 35 days. In 90 days, they forget 84% of what they’ve learned. However, TaskDrive says companies that invest in ongoing sales training can reap 50% higher net sales per rep. Using regular training sessions to reinforce what’s been taught seems to be sales training’s magic bullet.
Regular coaching is a great way to set up both new reps and old employees for long-term success. It’ll also keep the skills, tools, and knowledge gained in training classes from slipping through the reps’ fingers. Such programs offer ongoing coaching in several ways, such as:
- Online modules
- Periodic topical workshops
- Gamification and simulation
- Augmented or virtual reality
- Webinars
Define your sales process
Have a clear step-by-step guide on how your reps nurture prospects until they buy and become repeat customers. Help each team member find their role in the entire process. This thought-out onboarding can streamline the sales process, save time, and drive revenue up.
The success of high-performing companies seems to lie in their ability to vet sales training programs by their potential to equip learners with the tools, metrics, and resources they need to come up with a process unique to the business. These tools of trade include:
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software: Salesforce, Hubspot, and Zoho.
- Sales analytics tools: Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Kissmetrics.
- Sales automation software: SalesLoft, Outreach, Yesware, and Clevenio.
- Sales enablement resources, e.g. product demos and case studies.
- Key performance indicators (KPIs): revenue, conversion rates, and customer acquisition cost.
- Lead generation resources: inbound marketing campaigns, social media ads, and paid search ads.
Use technology to your advantage
A SpringCM study found that high-performing sales teams use nearly thrice as much technology as subpar ones. Technology can automate tedious tasks such as customer follow-up and data analysis. With more free time, reps can focus on activities that boost revenue like building close customer relationships.
Mike Crow of Acumen Solutions says his company has coupled Salesforce with Google Apps for Work to track accounts, opportunities, and other crucial CRM bits and pieces. Collecting data from multiple sources and analyzing it in one place will help your team make more sound data-driven decisions.
Sales are the mainstay of your business. Therefore, building an unstoppable team is key to sustainability and long-term profitability. It can help propel revenue growth, strengthen customer loyalty, and solidify your bottom line.
