This article describes a number of educational techniques that can be used on training courses to keep your sales trainees motivated and learning.
Where there is no motivation to learn, training is a waste of time and money. Too many sales training courses are unsuccessful because the trainees do not have the motivation to learn. Salespeople who are sent on a course and so find themselves 'back at school' must also have the desire to acquire new knowledge and develop their skills. If the motivation is not there, the training course, however good, will be a pure waste of time and budget. As a sales manager or sales trainer, you will only be able to achieve your training objectives if you structure your training courses in such a way that your salespeople feel that their needs are being met. To do this, you will need to apply some basic educational principles. These principles are described below.
How a training course or session starts is vitally important. The right introductory address is at the beginning of your sales training course or session develops a certain trust in the instructor and also gives the salesperson the initial motivation to participate and learn. Below are just a few ways of how to introduce your training session:
You could start by finding out the level of existing knowledge in the sales people by, for example, asking questions. However, be careful not to ask direct questions, such as: "Tell me what the most important advantages are..." Instead, you should apply the principles of educational discussion. This method encourages discussion, for example "The annual general meeting with key clients has many important functions. Which have you learned from your own experience?"
Alternatively, if the session builds on a previous course or session you can usefully start by referring back to the previous training. For example: "Yesterday we discussed some key account problems, what do you think the link is between these issues and today's subject of discussion?"
Or you could use stimulating or controversial questions to promote thought and discussion. Such as: "In your view, what are the benefits of sales training in your company with regard to future business developments?"
Another technique is to get the delegates to set goals. For example, by asking: "By the end of this month, how far do you want to get with your market analysis?"
Using practical examples can also be a good way to start sales training courses. For example by asking: "If you were to sell model ABC to one of your clients, what objectives would you expect them to raise?"
Whilst getting a session of to a good start is important of equal importance is achieving permanent motivation throughout the course. There are many options for structuring a sales training course in such a way that the motivation of the sales people does not flag. Described below are just a few examples of training techniques for you to try:
Developing solution strategies with the salesperson. For example by asking: "What other ways could you solve this particular sales problem?"
Using praise and recognition, both of which are powerful motivators for sales people. An example is: "Your ability to overcome objections is obvious for all to see. Congratulations! How did you manage to overcome them in the ABC account, for example?"
A good way to maintain motivation is to combine a number of different educational methods. For example, you start by getting the group to watch a film, you then divide the group into two sub-groups and get each to discuss problem situations and agree solutions.
Ensure you provide different approaches to help the delegates find solutions. Psychological and practical help during a training session could include using experience gained from practice sessions; presenting precedents and reviewing known similar situations.
Whichever training methods you use to keep your delegates engaged during your sales training courses, ensure that you monitor their effectiveness by collecting post training feedback.
Richard Stone is a Company director of Spearhead Training Group Limited, a business that runs a full range of management and sales training courses designed for bettering business and individual overall performance. You can view more information at http://www.spearhead-training.co.uk
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