Sales Tools Key Component of Training
Several studies have shown that people retain less than 15% of what they learn in just one month! Moreover, most people lack the sales tools and coaching needed to permanently change their selling approaches. So, how can sales training classes have a long-lasting impact?
Training effectiveness is greatly enhanced by providing sales tools that help salespeople apply specific techniques they’ve learned. Examples of effective sales tools that we help salespeople develop during sales training sessions include:
Effective Sales Tools
- Prospect research checklists
- Prospecting call and campaign openings
- Elevator speeches for profitable networking
- Qualification questions list
- Prospect ranking criteria (e.g. A,B,C quality rankings)
- Telephone openings
- Voicemail sales tools and approaches
- Phone tag reduction strategies
- Needs assessment questions
- Major account profiles
- Problems-solutions checklists
- Objections and responses list
- Commitments lists
- Negotiation concessions
- Key information to track on a CRM
Although managers have developed and supplied their people with some of these sales tools, salespeople rarely use them! Why? In short, “people support what they help to create.” If salespeople create the sales tools, they’re much more apt to buy into and use them than if the tools are given to them. After all, the truth most sales managers hate to acknowledge is that their suggestions are often downplayed or ignored.
In summary, when post-training sales coaching is combined with effective sales tools, long-term behavioral changes are likely to occur.
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