Training Sales Force

8/8/2019 Training Sales Force

1/27

Training Salespeople

Prepared by: Santosh Pullewar


2/27

Sales Management

Planning PersonalSales RepsSales

Managers

Recruiting

Training

Motivating

Supervising

Managing a sales force involves recruiting, hiring, t raining , supervising,compensating salespeople, motivating them to become problem solvers, andproviding the proper planning and backup support so they can perform their jobsproperly.

1) New sales forcetraining

2) Developingcurrent salesforce

OverviewSales

Environment


3/27

Introduction

Training should follow the recruiting andselection programCompany must decide how to train and recruitefficiently and economically

(Source: Hite and Johnston)


4/27

TrainingTraining is a Process of LEARNING that is

specifically directed to the acquiring of specific

ATTITUDES and SKILLS for the successfulcarrying out of specific Objectives & Tasks.


5/27

Define training

Sales training- the effort an employer puts forth to provide salespeople job-related culture, skills,

knowledge, and attitudes that should result inimproved performance in the selling environments

(Source: Futrell)

What is a learning curve?


6/27

W hy train?

Decreased turnover Increase salesEnhanced customer relationships

Decreased costs (Source: Hite and Johnston)

Better MoraleImproved time and territory efficiency

(Source: Dalrymple et al)


7/27

W hy train?

Orienting new salespeople to the job

Improve knowledge

Lowering absenteeism and turnover

Informing salespeople

Obtain feedback from salespeople

(Source: Futrell)


8/27

Learning principles

Training programs should include the best possible techniquesfor imparting knowledge, skills, and correct attitudes tosalespeople

Motivation

Purpose

Reinforcement

Participation



9/27

Learning principles Practice

Repetition

Organizing for learning

Applicability(Source: Hite and Johnston)


10/27

Areas/Contents

Product Specific knowledge

Company Specific knowledge

Customer Specific Knowledge

Market & Competition

Sales Methods & Techniques


11/27

ContentProduct knowledge Is the salesperson familiar with the features of the products Can he/she express the benefits to the customers Does the salesperson have a complete knowledge of competing products

Company knowledge W hat does the company do? W hat is the companies organization structure?

W ho is responsible for what

W hat is the companies procedures? W hat does the company stand for?



12/27

ContentMarket knowledge W hat are the general business conditions? W ho and where are the industries involved? W ho is the competition and how do they operate? W ho are the customers and what are their needs? The customers buying process

Selling techniques Prospect Gather relevant information Approach the prospect Qualify the prospect

Develop a sales presentation Anticipate and answer objections Close the sale Maintain continuing good relations



13/27

ContentC ustomer motivation A salesperson needs to know how to develop enthusiasm within their prospects Enthusiasm will help built confidence in the product

Non-selling activities Customer service- those activities that enhance or facilitate the sale and use of

ones product and serviceStocking shelves, planning promotions, training salespeople, processing orders,delivering, maintaining and repairing products, answering complaints

Generating sales inquiries Time and territory management Paperwork



14/27

Planning the training programPlanning is the single most important ingredient for developing a successfultraining program

The most effective learning takes place when the new salesperson: Perceives a need to learn a particular skill, or perceives some form of personal

reward for doing so Can practice and apply the new knowledge in a setting similar to the actual

sales environment Can receive supervision, support, and reinforcement from someone respected

for having sufficient expertise in that skill to assist in the learning process(Source: Hite and Johnston)


15/27

Planning the training programW ho trains and where?

Staff Specialists

Often centralized

Sales specialists prepares the materials and conducts the classes

Cons Often times lack experience in realistic field-selling situations May cost small firms to much money



16/27


Outside Specialists

Outside consultants may be entirely responsible for the training programs or broughtto conduct specific sessions

Often times tailor their training to specific needs of the firm or the industry

Cons May be unfamiliar with a companys selling situation



17/27


L ine Executive (usually sales managers)

Lends credibility to the program because of their sales backgrounds

May have better knowledge of how to sell, and they may better know what skillstrainees need in order to perform will in the field

More practical

Cons May not be trained to communicate the information to a group of people in a classroom

setting May be preoccupied with current sales problems and do not have the time



18/27

Planning the training programW hen and how much?

Many companies place new sales personal into the field after only a brief orientation. In this case, the salesperson is expected to struggles and learnfor themselves Pros of this approach

Only those who stay with the company will receive the more expensive training programsThe salesperson will have a frame of reference for the material taught in the trainingsessions



19/27

Planning the training programW hen and how much?

W aiting to train a salesperson has several disadvantages Risking relationship with customers

Due to the risks, most companies will provide enough initial training so thesalesperson can function at some minimum level in the field. Advancetraining will be added at a latter time.



20/27

Planning the training programTraining methods

L ectures DemonstrationsPrimarily to disseminate information to groups

Group discussions/ Panels/ Role playing/ Simulations of gamesInvolve groups in participative interaction

Manuals/ Bulletins/ C orrespondence coursesIndividual instructional methods used to disseminate information

On-the-job training/ Personal conferences/ Programmed instruction/ Jobrotation

Individual instructional courses that involve individual participation(Source: Hite and Johnston)


21/27


L ectures DemonstrationsPrimarily to disseminate information to groups

One-way formal discourse delivered to a group of trainees, typically passivelisteners

Pros- large amounts of information can be conveyed in a short period of time

Cons- lack of verbal feedback

May not be good for teaching selling techniques, time and territory management, andqualifying prospects



22/27


Group discussions/ Panels/ Role playing/ Simulations or gamesInvolve groups in participative interaction

Group discussions- best when the group is less then twenty Discuss common problems under the guidance of a discussion leader Many points of view May be a problem with inexperienced people

Panels- three to six experts

Give a short presentation and answer questions with regards to the topic

Role playing

Simulations or games (Source: Hite and Johnston)


23/27


Manuals/ Bulletins/ C orrespondence coursesIndividual instructional methods used to disseminate information

Manuals

Bulletins

C orrespondence courses



24/27


On-the-job training/ Personal conferences/ Programmed instruction/ Jobrotation

Individual instructional courses that involve individual participation

On-the-job training

The quickest way to expose a new salesperson to the actual selling environment isthrough one-to-one, on-the-job training

Exposing the trainee to a real-world sales environment where the techniques learnedin a formal training sessions can be observed and triedCons- objective of the sales call and the costs



25/27


On-the-job training/ Personal conferences/ Programmed instruction/ Job rotationIndividual instructional courses that involve individual participation

Personal conferencesProvides two way communicationSalespeople should have the chance to bring up problems and seek advice and counselingC hance for positive reinforcement

Programmed instruction- the subject matter is broken down into highly organized,logical sequences that demand continuous responding on the part of the newsalesperson. If the answer is correct, the trainee proceeds to the next frame

Job rotationPros- give the sales trainee many perspectivesC ons- time it takes to implement the program



26/27

SummaryThe job description is the basic instrument for determining the trainingneeds

W ell-designed training programs should follow basic learning principles

Planning the training program is essential to success



27/27

Training Sales Force

Documents

Transcript of Training Sales Force