The Importance of Sales Training
Posted on Mon, Jan 02, 2012
It was a great way to end 2011. It was a beautiful 78 degree day, not a cloud in the sky on the South Florida golf course, Saturday December 31, 2011. I was playing in the Saturday golf game with 3 of the best golfers in our group of 20. My first 9 was not satisfactory to my standards and it was time to have a little talk with myself. First I reflected on the golf lesson
from the day before and the one key concept the instructor pointed out and we practiced. Her parting words were that was the only thing I needed to concentrate on for all of my shots. Then I breathed and the next conversation with myself was on belief – belief in my abilities, my skills and myself. Well, the next 9 now goes in the history book with a hole-in-one on #3 and ending the round with a 40. Okay, I didn’t want to state my first 9, but I will – it was a pathetic 51.
Why does this story remind me of the importance of sales training for all businesses? Because to be good at golf, tennis, soccer, piano, guitar, singing, dancing people take private lessons or participate in group practices with a coach. All lawyers, doctors, accountants and other professions are required to take additional yearly training and report their CEU credits.
Yet sales people do not have a certification or a requirement to refresh or upgrade their sales skills. The US BLS.gov website, reports there are approximately 5 million non-retail salespeople in the US alone. Most sales people’s earnings include commissions. Something doesn’t quite make sense here. There’s no requirement for training for sales people, yet their income and the company’s success is paramount to a sales person’s end results!
My message to you no matter what month of the year you are reading this - sign up for some sales lessons! Businesses of all sizes can make plan easier, reduce turn over and out-sell, out-think and out-serve the competition with a better trained sales team. And if the company doesn’t offer sales training – register for courses on your own. It’s even easier today to find the right resource with the addition of virtual live training resources.
Every sales person wants their hole-in-one! While it is widely known that is really a luck shot, playing well is based on practice and regularly lessons do help! Good luck getting your equivalent of a hole-in-one!