Choosing the wrong training provider can waste your time and money. Worse still, an unproven training company can sow the wrong seeds that can spoil your entire sales culture and strategy.
The sheer volume of courses available makes it hard to choose the sales training companies. So, let’s go over some key steps that can help you pick a training program that will add value to your business.
Understands your needs
Take time to plan and create a clear-cut outline of your goals and needs. Clarify what you need to get out of the training. For example, are you looking to increase your qualified leads or improve your close rates? Does your team struggle to develop relationships at the right levels, or uncover and address your prospects’ pain points?
Not all training companies can provide you with courses that solve your problems. So, when you specify your goals, you can then choose a course that best suits your needs. The sales training companies should be able to diagnose your team’s sales needs.
Look for substance
Some sales training providers dish out theory that isn’t always practical for your industry or products. Such programs are loaded with broad generalizations and leave the translation into day-to-day practices up to you. So, be aware of half-baked courses by asking the right in-depth questions.
Find out how much of the course is centered on execution. Also, be wary of training that’s based on the experiences of a single “guru”. The experiences of one person seldom give enough insight into the entire sales sphere. So, check to see if the course is proven and based on field research.
Check the content
The best reps have a firm grasp of how to handle every stage of the sales process. So, it’s important to pore over the training company’s content with an eagle eye. Check if the course covers key skills such as:
- Identifying and developing new business opportunities
- Contacting, following up, and booking calls with leads
- Negotiating and persuading on calls
- Writing proposals
- Presenting strong pitches
- Closing deals
- Post-deal follow-ups
- Developing and maintaining relationships with key accounts
- Managing customer accounts and ensuring timely payments
- Staying up-to-date on industry trends and customer needs
That said, consider a company that drills down on one specific area if that’s the missing ingredient in your team’s success.
Asses the mode of content delivery
Your reps have different learning styles and will respond to content differently. The most common modes of soaking up new information include:
- Visual. Some people can only see the point through visuals such as charts and infographics.
- Auditory. Listening to podcasts and lectures can help certain learners take in information faster.
- Tactical. Hands-on learners grasp content through active stimulation, such as gamified simulations and performance feedback.
So, consider a company that offers a course with various teaching styles that cater to the needs of your team.
Look for customization options
A cookie-cutter sales course may fall short of your goal of propelling your team to their A-game. It’s typically not possible to get a training company to create a fully custom program from scratch. However, the best companies offer a certain level of customization. They will make an effort to get in tune with your needs and tweak the course as much as possible.
Customization allows you to tailor the course to meet the needs of your reps and help strike all the right chords needed to stimulate your team’s performance.
Check for references
A tried and tested program will bring more results than one that’s still finding its feet. It helps to look for a program that comes highly recommended by companies with needs similar to your own.
While case studies and success stories from the company are helpful, avoid leaning towards a program based only on these metrics. Instead, sound out the companies the training vendor has dealt with in the past, to get first-hand accounts.
Also, pay attention to the training providers’ footprint across various platforms. Do they have an established reputation in industry forums? Are they considered thought leaders? Go over their content, and refer to webinars, renowned influencers, and blogs as a yardstick for their level of authority.
Choosing the best sales training companies
Finding a company that understands your needs and offers well-delivered content goes a long way to firing up your training. It’s also important to look into the company’s references before engaging them. All in all, a reliable training provider can enrich your team’s skills and give your business an edge.
