How can I capitalize on sales techniques training to improve my sales department and my overall company's performance?

Any sales techniques training makes sense only if there is appropriate follow up program for graduates/trainee. Head of sales department needs to devote sufficient time and attention to work out individual follow up program for each sales staff and ask them to set up their own individual challenge targets with measurable value effectiveness. It's should be also combined with some incentive program according to performance result assessment. 

Sales techniques training depends a lot on the personality, knowledge and behaviour of the trainer. Trainer is the most critical aspect when it comes to sales training and most of the organisation ignores  while doing so. As a trainer one should have the ability to hold the audience with its humour, skill and most important how to handle queries. In any sales training it is important to showcase the enablers for the sales force to go and achieve numbers. Product knowledge simply cannot suffice a good training session. The trainer has to make sure that apart from knowledge the sales team must have the understanding to press which gear to achieve numbers.  

the sales techniques training make me on track always and follow up about every thing new in the field  and market .

As a trainer I would say a sales techniques training plan and repeatability are the key factors. And I'm not saying it should be the same every time, but giving tasks on first training (e.g. 'try this technique while selling', 'offer new product this way' and during next meeting we will check how did it go, what went well/wrong) and modifying next meetings according to them is very important. Some people might be against trainings (because they feel it's not necessary, they know everything etc.) but showing them how beneficial it is, how they can get extra sales thanks to new skills is a great success.

At the end, trainings have to be adapted to audience according to their responsibility - different for executives, managers etc.

 

Sales is a marriage between strategic outdoor marketing and enhancing in store activities so the  depending on which areas you need to maintain/improve training/coaching staff is crucial to catalyse sales.

The first step and the most important ever when it comes to sales techniques training is to determinate your sales team weaknesses and correlate them with your business objectives. Only after you are really sure that you understood the gap points you can start to look for suitable training if it's necessary. Sometimes the problem is not with your sales team and there can be other factors which influence your sales (world-wide economy, the economy from your country, your advertising, your attitude with previous customers who had unsolved problems and made you a negative publicity, market fluctuations, competitors moves and so on). Spend your money wisely and before you think about training be sure that you analyse for real your business activity and the gap is your sales team. 

But like any skill, even naturally adept salespeople need to hone their skills through consistent sales techniques training. Here are a few tips for educating and developing your sales force:

1. Use E-Learning to Educate 

If your sales team doesn’t know your product front to back, even the best listeners will fall short in closing a sale. Salespeople need to understand product details to boost their confidence when selling, especially new recruits. With sufficient product training, they can identify specific client issues and understand products’ details well enough to position them as the perfect solution.

Of course, constant traveling and frequent sales calls make it nearly impossible to get your entire sales force in one room for training. That’s where e-learning comes in.

E-learning allows sales teams to brush up on their product knowledge on the go. Through online videos and modules, you can also track progress to ensure that everyone has viewed the necessary materials.

Real world example: L’Oréal recognized gaps in product knowledge across all members of its sales force and implemented an e-learning program to empower its team. With stylized web-based videos, the company made in-depth product knowledge accessible and memorable for all salespeople.

2. Keep Training Short but Consistent With Micro-Learning

A report by Sales Performance International warns that sales training can be too much of a good thing. Managers might be anxious to develop a highly competent sales force, but the truth is, salespeople — like anyone — generally can’t retain a huge amount of information at one time.

The study found that multi-day sales training events are essentially a waste of money, as approximately percent of the learning content is forgotten within5 weeks, much less applied to the sales process.

Overtraining can actually be detrimental to your salespeople’s natural talent, crush their confidence, and push technique over ability. Instead, send out reminders via email or encouragements via smartphone. This can enforce effective habits without totally overwhelming your salespeople.

Real world example: TED Talks exhibit micro-learning at its finest. Industry professionals and thought leaders discuss a variety of topics to teach and inspire in digestible-minute increments. Incorporating this method to train salespeople in easily manageable intervals will keep them engaged and help you deliver new information they’ll actually retain.

3. Reward Specific Achievements

Salespeople are driven by goals (probably more so than other employees), which makes an achievement-based training program another excellent option.

But generalizing your team members’ successes won’t make them stick. A much more effective sales training technique is to tell them they’re doing a good job because they exceeded their goal by a certain percentage or recognize their performance on a particularly difficult call. Always use specifics to make these successes tangible and more meaningful.

Real world example: Best Buy used this model in its Path to Excellence initiative. Leadership awarded the sales force badges when it utilized concepts taught in training. These badges led to four distinct levels of recognition, ranging from bronze to platinum. Best Buy found that the stores with the highest levels of recognition outsold those with lower recognition levels by three to one.

4. Field Train and Provide Detailed Feedback

Most of our talent development happens in the field. But it’s the analysis and feedback a salesperson receives after a call that resonates. Supervisors can emphasize listening to and understanding client needs and help salespeople avoid pushing a product by providing direct feedback in a real sales situation.

For effective real-world training to happen, a competent leader needs to listen in on sales calls, review recordings, and analyze the person’s performance to offer timely and specific feedback. This should ideally happen hours after the experience so the feedback is fresh and the salesperson can reflect on the experience.

Real world example: Walgreens implemented “Well Experience” field training to provide hands-on experience in a simulated pharmacy environment. It used games such as merchandise scavenger hunts to familiarize teams with new store layouts, job shadowing in stores with these layouts, and “go live” performance coaching. After, employees went through the program, confidence levels rose from percent to percent.

5. Share Success Stories

According to the National Business Research Institute, employee attitude affects  to percent of customer satisfaction, and the study of one retail giant revealed that a one-point increase in employee engagement led to a $, increase in monthly sales per store.

High employee engagement and morale has a direct impact on the bottom line. Sharing mutual successes also instills a sense of unity in your salespeople and encourages them to work harder and smarter.

it is always very helpful for the sales persons to find new approaches to attract customers and build your own capacity and this can be done through sales techniques training.

To my mind sales techniques training would be relevant mostly for graduates.However, its imporatant for any company to follow up new trends. I would suggest to send the head of sales department on trainings and aftewards he/she would share experience with colleagues if necessary. 

I would like to highlight that very important that your company have clear mission, vision and values which are shared by employees and they understand company`s purpose. Otherwise any training or courses would not have significant effect on performance

Arrange to appoint a Management Consultancy Company, they can simply guide the modern sales techniques and training methodology. which will help you to get immediate result within a short time and less money expenses.So you will not have time loss and money loss. Most of then western companies are doing so and find the successful results.   

Sales techniques training nurture n a way that u work with and observe the pros in the field.