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This chapter provides an overview of sales training, including the planning, organization, and evaluation of training programs. Topics covered include needs assessment, training methods, and the importance of evaluation.
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PART IV TRAINING THE SALES TEAM
CHAPTER 10 THE MANAGEMENT OF SALES TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
LEARNING OBJECTIVES To establish and maintain a productive sales force, an ongoing sales training program is essential. This chapter should help you understand: • What sales training is and what its purposes are. • How to plan a sales training program, including conducting a needs assessment. • That organizing a training program includes various training methods. • Who is involved in the staffing of a training program. • The motivating influence of a sales training culture. • The importance of an effective evaluation system.
WHAT IS SALES TRAINING? Sales training is the effort an employer puts forth to provide sales people job-related culture, skills, knowledge, and attitudes that should result in improved performance in the selling environments.
REENGINEERING TRAINING On-time training, one-on-one coaching, and behavioral-change training are just some of the strategies companies are applying to sales training curricula across the country.
PURPOSES OF SALES TRAINING • Increasing customer satisfaction. • Helping salespeople become managers. • Orienting new salespeople to the job. • Improving knowledge in areas such as product, company, competitors, or selling skills. • Lowering absenteeism and turnover. • Positively influencing attitudes in such areas as job satisfaction.
PURPOSES OF SALES TRAINING continued • Lowering selling costs. • Informing salespeople. • Obtaining feedback from salespeople. • Increasing sales in a particular product or customer category.
FIGURE 10.1 A SALES TRAINING MODEL – DETERMINE HOW TO EVALUATE TRAINING WHEN PLANNING
PHASE ONE: PLANNING FOR SALES TRAINING The first step when developing or maintaining an ongoing sales training program is assessing needs. Needs assessment entails determining the training needs of the sales force and setting objectives for satisfying those needs.
ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS Four principles ensure a successful training effort: • Value • Focus • Mass • Duration
OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS A difficulty analysis uncovers and analyzes problems salespeople experience.
SALES PERSONNEL ANALYSIS The behavioral objectives identify the goals of the training program for both the trainer and the trainee.
CUSTOMER ANALYSIS Incorporate “the voice of the customer.”
MAKING THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT This requires the following sequence: • Identify the requirements of the position. • Determine the difference between performance objectives and results. • Determine why a difference exists. • Revise the training program (if needed).
MAKING THE NEEDS ASSESSMENT continued This requires the following sequence: • Develop training objectives. • Conduct the training program. • Evaluate the training program. • Revise the training program (if needed).
FIGURE 10.2 REVISION OF TRAINING PROGRAM BASED ON NEEDS ASSESSMENT
SOURCES OF INFORMATION FOR DETERMINING TRAINING NEEDS • Questionnaires. • Interviews. • Tests given during meetings for diagnostic purposes. • Direct observation in the field. • Analyses of sales, profits, and activity reports.
Other ways to assess training needs: Failure analysis determines the reasons low-performing salespeople fail to achieve their sales goals. Success analysis is used to identify factors that appear to make salespeople successful. Exit interviews determine attitudes toward the job.
PHASE TWO: ORGANIZING FOR SALES TRAINING • Training objectives to be accomplished. • Number of trainees. • Trainer’s experience. • Each salesperson’s understanding of the subject matter.
PHASE TWO: ORGANIZING FOR SALES TRAINING continued • Each trainee’s ability to learn and past experience. • Training materials available. • The costs per trainee of each method. • Extent of presession assignments.
TECHNOLOGY-BASED TRAINING METHODS • Interactive multimedia training. • Electronic performance support system. • High-tech customer service. • Distance learning.
ROLE PLAYING In role playing the trainee acts out an event such as the sale of a good or service to a hypothetical buyer.
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING The best and most frequently used training takes place on the job.
TRAINING LEARNING CURVES The shape of the learning curve indicates the extent to which the rate of learning increases, levels off, or decreases with or without training and practice.
Salespeople go through three phases of “usage” before true behavioral changes occur as a result of training. • Awkward usage. • Conscious usage. • Natural usage.
Plateaus The rate of learning change will be influenced by factors such as: • The nature of the material itself. • The manner in which the material is presented. • Time intervals between training. • The extent of follow-up and OTJ training. • The trainee’s attitude toward learning.
FIGURE 10.3 A HYPOTHETICAL S-SHAPED LEARNING CURVE WITH A PLATEAU
WHERE DOES TRAINING TAKE PLACE? • Centralized training. • Decentralized training.
WHEN DOES TRAINING OCCUR? • Training begins the first day of work. • It continues throughout the career. • Sales meetings serve as important training methods.
PHASE THREE: STAFFING FOR SALES TRAINING WHO IS INVOLVED IN TRAINING? • Corporate staff trainers. • Sales force personnel. • Outside training specialists.
PHASE FOUR: DIRECTING THE SALES TRAINING EFFORT TRAINING CULTURE Sales culture is the set of key values, ideas, beliefs, attitudes, customs, and other capabilities and habits shared or acquired as a sales group member.
PHASE FOUR: continued SUPPORT FROM THE TOP LEADERSHIP
PHASE FIVE: SALES TRAINING EVALUATION STEPS IN THE EVALUATION • Determine what should be measured. • Determine the information collection method. • Determine the measurement methods. • Analyze the data, determine the results, and draw conclusions for making recommendations.
WHAT SHOULD BE MEASURED? • Components to measure: • Reactions • Learning • Behavior • OTJ results
Groups to Evaluate: • Program • Presenter • Trainees • OTJ results
Items to measure: Specific items to measure can be derived from training objectives.
What should be the information collection method? • Questionnaires • Interviews • Tests • Observation • Company data
What should be the measurement methods? • After only • Before/after • Before/after with control group
THE BOTTOM LINE Effective sales training provides the foundation for an effective sales force. A director of a sales training program can divide the program into five equally important phases. Planning the sales training program, step one, involves determining the sales force’s training needs and establishing objectives to meet these needs. After the plans have been made, the next step is organizing the program.
THE BOTTOM LINE continued Once the training plans and evaluation procedures have been developed and organized, the next step is to determine who will do the actual training. The fourth phase in the sales training program deals with directing the training effort. Evaluation is the fifth and final phase in a sales training program.
