Sales Management: Shaping Future Sales Leaders
Chapter 9
Training and Developing the
Sales Force
1-1
Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
Sales Training as a Crucial Investment
 Most organizations see a link between sales
training and salesperson productivity
 U.S. companies spend approximately $8.7
billion annually on training
 The need for sales training is continual
 Sales managers play a crucial role in the
training process
Sales Force Training-Issues
 Despite the proven relationship
between sales training and sales
productivity, studies report that
only 30% of firms provide real
sales training
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Sales Force Training-Issues
 Further studies indicate that at the average
company, 9 out of 10 salespeople who have
been through training have been disappointed !!
 In addition, customers often feel that salespeople
who serve them are not very effective
 Question: Are sales training programs any good?
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Sales Force Training-Issues
1. Many companies design training programs
without thoroughly assessing the training
needs
2. Customer needs/evaluations of salespeople
are often ignored in program design
3. Management does not reinforce the training
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Sales Force Training-Issues
4. Training used to attempt to solve corporate
problems which are actually systemic,
strategic, etc.
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Obstacles to Introducing Training
 Top management not dedicated to sales training
 Lack of buy-in from frontline sales managers and
salespeople
 Salespeople’s lack of understanding of what
training is supposed to accomplish
 Salespeople’s lack of understanding regarding
application of training to everyday tasks
Sales Force Training
 Who should be trained?
 What should be the primary
emphasis in the training program?
 How should the training process
be structured?
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The Training Process:
4-Stage Training Cycle
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The Training Process:
Step 1
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Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
Determine Objectives
Assessment of Training Needs at Different Levels
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Identifying Knowledge, Skills, and
Abilities (KSAs)
Sources of Training Needs Information
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Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
Determine Who Needs Training
 Training needs may be identified from:
Quantifiable performance appraisal data
Customer satisfaction or CRM data
Training needs surveys taken by sales managers and
reps
9-14
Common Sales Training Topics
1. Product/service knowledge
2. Market/Industry orientation
3. Company orientation
4. Selling skills
5. Time and territory management
6. Legal and ethical issues
7. Technology
8. Specialized topics
What Content Is Needed?
Topics Commonly Covered
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Product Knowledge
 Companies that produce technical products
spend a greater amount of time on product
knowledge
 KSA’s?
Product Knowledge
 KSA’s = knowledge, skills & attitude
Task-related KSA’s: essential elements to sell
Growth-related KSA’s: adaptive, creative,
attitude, etc.
Meta KSA’s: salesperson’s self-development &
self-management
The Training Process:
4-Stage Training Cycle
Step 2
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Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
What Content Is Needed?
Topics Commonly Covered
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Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall.
Staffing the Training Program:
Internal vs. External
 Generally, internal trainer will have more
credibility
Exception: new technology, training offered by
developer
 Dedicated sales training team within the firm?
Large number of people needing immediate training?
If the training is not specific or “generic”.
Outside technology partner to facilitate delivery?
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Selecting Delivery Method
Classroom
 Face-to-face training
 Mentoring
OJT
 Job rotation
(on the job training)
Web/Conference  Presenter delivers info remotely to trainees’
individual computers
Calls
Webcast /
Webinar
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 One-way flow of communication
 Two-way flow of communication including feedback
The Training Process:
4-Stage Training Cycle
Step 3
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Scheduling the Training
 Location
 Travel, lodging costs
 Lost selling time
 Psychological “readiness” of the trainees
 Timing of the training in the sales cycle
 Time to complete pretraining assignments
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The Training Process:
4-Stage Training Cycle
Step 4
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Assessing the Results
 WOW ! Only 28% of sales trainers have a
definitive method for measuring the value of their
sales training
Reaction
Learning
Behaviors
Results
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Value to Individual
Reaction
 Trainee feedback, training staff comments,
supervisory feedback
 Most frequently used method
 Don’t show if anything was really learned and
applied
Learning
 Measuring the amount of information participants
mastered during the program
 Doesn’t necessarily reflect if material can be applied
productively back in the field
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Value to individual
Behaviors
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 Identifies to what degree trainees applied training
principles and techniques to their jobs (learning
transfer)
 Research shows this level of evaluation has only a
few shortcomings and is particularly useful
Value to Organization
Results
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 Whether or not an organization achieved objectives
it sought by conducting training
 More sales, fewer complaints, higher svc rating?
 Difficult to tell if results are because of training or
other factors
 Utility analysis: looking at economic impact the
training had by examining cost-benefit trade-offs of
training program
Assessing the Results
Caselet 9.2: Transcontinental Imaging
Company (TIC)
 TIC has 1500 reps worldwide
 Regional rep Bob feels training isn’t meeting his
needs
 Training is via Internet, lectures, infrequent
seminars
 Professional Development—Building sales skills
 Work Group Training—Understanding the business unit
you work in
 Systems and Software Training—Understanding the
tools to perform your job
 Compliance Training—Focusing on ethics
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Caselet 9.2 (continued): (TIC)
 Bob has had 3 sales managers in past year,
feels neglected
 Each manager handles 40-50 reps
 Has trouble penetrating new accounts
 Pay is based on commission
 Requested training during reviews, but nothing’s
happened
 Called corporate sales training supervisor, Claire
Boston, who told him to read some books and work with
his direct supervisor
 Bob decides to resign
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Caselet 9.2 (continued): Questions
1. What potential areas of weakness can you identify in
TIC’s approach to sales training?
2. Do you believe that TIC’s sales training is appropriate
for its type of business and the number of salespeople
it has?
3. Did Bob Sullivan do the right thing in resigning? What
other steps could he have taken to improve his current
situation?
4. In this case, who should take responsibility for a
salesperson who needs help to perform at a higher
level? What do you think of Claire Boston’s advice to
Bob? What would you have said?
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