The Definitive Sales Training Checklist
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The imperative of sales training in sales enablement
In the dynamic landscape of sales, the winds of market evolution are persistent and unpredictable. Sales leaders, seasoned by experience, recognise the undying need for agility and adaptability across their sales force.
Central to this ever-evolving journey of sales is the instrument of sales training, one that forms the backbone of a robust sales enablement framework.
The disconnect in traditional sales training
Sales training is not just an educational supplement; it’s the foundation upon which the edifice of sales enablement stands tall. Its essence? To empower sales professionals with the skills, knowledge, and qualities necessary to effectively engage in sales conversations with prospects and customers, aiming for a transformative impact on their sales actions and outcomes.
Yet, traditional blueprints of sales training appear to be falling short. Even as businesses channel billions of pounds annually into new sales training initiatives for their sales teams, a staggering majority – between 85% to 90% – don’t hit their mark.
This sentiment is echoed by multiple studies:
A week post-training, B2B sales representatives have forgotten approximately 70% of what they learned (Gartner).
A year after training, a concerning 90% of the acquired skills are no longer retained (Human Performance).
Nearly 90% of funds spent on training don’t lead to improved performance (International Journal of Training and Development).
A mere 21% to 25% of executives believe their organisation’s training equips employees to bolster business performance (McKinsey).
Only a third of leaders see a significant alignment between their training strategy and overarching business objectives, with a scanty 16% feeling it’s perfectly aligned (CTDO Magazine).
Barely 38% of managers are convinced that training initiatives cater to the unique needs of their learners (ATD).
Such statistics spotlight a glaring disconnect between conventional training models and the true needs of today’s sales force. This demands a re-evaluation of what sales training should genuinely encapsulate.
The practical benefits of effective sales training
Sales training is not just about imparting knowledge; it’s a change management journey. It beckons a shift in habits, thought processes, and actions among sales peers.
The overarching aim? To weave learning seamlessly into sales team members’ daily routines, ensuring skills are consistently applied and internalised. This not only aids in identifying relevant opportunities but also increases employee retention, bolstering continued sales efforts.
Consider the poignant case study from the book, “Sales Enablement: A Master Framework to Engage, Equip, and Empower a World-Class Sales Force” by Byron Matthews and Tamara Schenk. Here, a multinational company, initially aiming to standardise its sales approach, uncovered a fundamental flaw: sales teams were so product-focused they struggled to address the actual business problems their products intended to remedy with their prospects.
By revamping their training strategy and integrating tailored playbooks for different use cases, competitive scenarios, and industries, the organisation experienced a notable 32% increase in their sales pipeline within just two months. Their sales team, post-training, outperformed previous quotas by significant margins, supported by a deeper understanding of their target market.
Such anecdotes resonate with my own experiences in global enablement. One particularly stands out: an initiative I spearheaded led to a 44% boost in outbound call volumes and a 31% increase in opportunity creation in the subsequent quarters, while another one, focusing on a sales enablement tool adoption, increased average weekly usage by 150% over a two-month period.
Furthermore, Rain Group’s research accentuates the importance of sound sales training, revealing metrics like win rates and sales goal attainment during the sales cycle to be directly proportional to training quality.
The path forward
In essence, sales training is pivotal. Yet, its potency is unlocked not just by introducing a training regimen but by ensuring its excellent execution, synergised with the actual needs of the sales force, fitting within the broader sales process overview, and aligning with the company’s technology and sales tools.
It’s imperative, then, to reconceptualise sales training.
Beyond disseminating information to sales reps, you must create an environment where continuous learning, refinement, and application become second nature to every sales professional. Only then can the true potential of sales training, embedded within a comprehensive sales enablement framework and sales process, be truly realised.
To support these efforts, I recommend exploring my sales training best practices guide alongside this sales training checklist.
Both resources provide invaluable insights to enhance the quality and effectiveness of your sales training by adhering to established learning and psychology principles and catering to a modern sales force.
What's included in the sales training checklist?
Our comprehensive sales training checklist is a toolkit designed to elevate the effectiveness and relevance of your sales training endeavours.
Here’s a snapshot of its components:
9 Proven Sales Training Best Practices
A checklist crafted from evidence-based practices that have stood the test of time, ensuring your training initiatives are built on a solid foundation. The 9 sales training best practices include:
Conduct training needs assessments
Involve sales managers from the get-go
Integrate adult learning principles
Apply a variety of learning approaches
Map training to the learning curve
Align training with learning styles
Incorporate the 70-20-10 rule into training design
Leverage blended and in-the-flow-of-work learning
Measure training outcomes
Adult Learning Principles Worksheet
Drawing inspiration from the pioneering work of Malcolm Knowles, this worksheet aids in aligning your training modules with the six essential adult learning principles.
Recognising and harnessing these principles can drastically enhance the engagement and learning retention of your training participants.
Learning Approaches Worksheet
Learning Curve Worksheet
Learner Obstacles Worksheet
Every training module has its challenges. This tool is designed to spotlight common learning hurdles that might arise and offers strategic solutions to navigate them effectively.
What's the value of adopting this sales training checklist?
As touched upon in one of the preceding sections, a clear gap exists between traditional training methods and the evolving needs of the modern sales force, not to mention the dynamic market and more complex sales cycles they navigate. Falling into the pitfalls of outdated sales training approaches can result in wasted investments and missed opportunities.
To sidestep such errors in the design, delivery, and sustenance of sales training, what’s paramount is a compass: an accessible, hands-on set of guidelines that guides you from the outset of the training conception.
This sales training checklist serves precisely that purpose. It doesn’t just encapsulate essential learning and development principles, but it lays out transparent, actionable steps. With these, you’re equipped with concrete application ideas that you can incorporate immediately.
By embracing this checklist, sales and sales enablement leaders position themselves for success in their continued sales efforts. They’re empowered to craft training programmes that resonate, drive retention, and translate to tangible improvements in sales performance, making every pound spent a strategic investment in sales talent.
Who is the sales training checklist for?
Delivering excellence when it comes to sales training requires precision tools designed with a clear understanding of the task at hand.
Our sales training checklist isn’t just another tick-box exercise; it’s a set of guidelines that can rapidly increase the quality of your sales training.
Tailored for ambitious leaders, from those at the helm of emerging start-ups to seasoned professionals overseeing large commercial departments, this resource offers unparalleled clarity.
Whether you’re a sales leader, a sales enablement director or manager aiming to recalibrate outdated practices, a sales manager keen on uplifting your sales team’s performance, or an experienced sales professional intending to put together some rapidly impactful training sessions for other sales reps, this toolkit is your trusted guide.
Grounded in tangible insights and forward-thinking strategies, this sales training checklist champions a holistic approach to sales training. It ensures that the journey from design to instruction to implementation is both seamless and impactful, making it much easier than a time-consuming process often encountered in traditional formats.
How do I use the sales training checklist?
To derive maximum benefit from the sales training checklist, initiate your journey by immersing yourself in the 9 best practices I’ve delineated in my sales training best practices guide, which can also serve as a great resource for your sales onboarding process for new sales reps.
Not only will these best practices set the stage for your sales training overhaul, but they’re also encapsulated within the checklist for your convenience.
Upon familiarising yourself with these foundational principles, transition to the pragmatic worksheets. Here, you’ll be equipped to pinpoint swift, actionable adjustments to enhance your current training or to weave in these best practices from the very outset of your sales rep training design process.
While it’s entirely feasible to dive straight into the worksheets without a comprehensive grasp of the best practices, bear in mind that such an approach may only scratch the surface of their potential.
A thorough understanding ensures you’re positioned to maximise the true value of each tool, designing sales training programmes that stand out in both efficiency and efficacy.