Sales Training is Like Viagra?

I once observed a panel of sales executives who answered the question, “What are the characteristics of a good sales training program.” As the discussion warmed up, one of the panelists, a Senior Vice President for a large financial service company, said, “Sales training is like Viagra – it is over-prescribed and only lasts about two hours!”

He got a good laugh because there is a lot of truth to his statement. We could call this the “Viagra training syndrome.” Later in the discussion he made the point that there are external factors like competition, product design, and market place changes that should influence training for sales people. Then he made a point that is often overlooked: there are internal factors which include individual morale and skill. He concluded that point by saying, “Remember that everybody doesn’t make the cut.” My interpretation of that is that there are some things that training cannot cure.

That brings me to the question, “How do we avoid the Viagra training syndrome?” Here is what I think.
1. As our panelist pointed out, you can only know if training is successful if you define what success is before you start. For example:
a. Increased sales are not necessarily such a measure. I have a client whose manufacturing plant is maxed out. He wants better customers, who want value and with whom they can align as partners, not just people looking for the lowest price. That may mean smaller gross sales, but greater margins and happier customers.
b. More repeat business could be such a measure. It is significantly easier and more profitable to sell to a satisfied customer than to find a new customer.

2. Much of what is labeled as “sales training” is a one to three day motivational speech. Everybody has a good time, but 30 days later nothing in their behavior changes.

3. Sales training should not be just an event. It is a process that includes:
a. Values-based content that seeks to uncover customer needs, not manipulate people into buying.
b. A cordial learning environment that builds trust as people learn from each other as well as from the content of the program.
c. A sales system, so sales people understand where they are in the selling process. This helps them know whether they have a genuine prospect.
d. Accountability over a period of time such as six to eight weeks for application of the principles taught. This avoids the “two hour” part of the syndrome, and leads to lasting behavior change.

If you want sales training to result in long term sales person behavior change, and achieve specific business goals, consider these ideas to avoid the “Viagra training syndrome.”

Leading and Coaching a Selling Team

Recently I met with a young sales executive for the first time. He inherited a sales organization of about 15 people in a technical industry. They are in a rebuilding mode with new corporate initiatives. As we shared breakfast and talked, I asked him about his management style. He made several excellent points:

He recognizes that everyone is not a super star, but that each one has value.

• Regardless of his opinion of the person, he gives them all the same opportunity to succeed by providing the training and the infrastructure.
• He does not micro-manage. This attracts potential super stars.
• He looks at results and the activities that he knows will lead to those results to determine how a person is progressing.
• He teaches that their first job is to find out what the prospective customer needs, and then get their products specified, if possible.

I predict that this young man will soon lead a much larger organization, making more money and enjoying higher levels of personal gratification. Here is why:

• He is a “people builder.” Rather than “beating them up,” he encourages them.
• He is customer needs focused in his philosophy, his training, and his work in the field.
• He focuses on results first, not just activity. He knows that any sales person can look busy – can learn to “play the activity game.”
• He trusts people to go out and do their jobs. If they prove untrustworthy, he can decide whether training them can solve the problem, or whether they need to be doing something else.

After more than 40 years in sales, I have concluded that the most successful sales managers don’t just “manage.” They lead and coach! Think about a person in your past who was influential in your personal and professional growth. While the personalities will almost always be different, if we could all meet and compare notes we would see some common characteristics, such as:

• He saw more in me than I saw in myself.
• She helped me understand that I was growing to become the person I want to be.
• He would not let me goof off, but forced me to think through the situation and confront the client tactfully with the truth.
• He helped me understand how to set and achieve both personal and business goals.
• She patted me on the back when I did something right.
• He traveled with me and coached me after every call. I learned what to do right by doing it right.
  

“Leading” a sales team is more like coaching little league than it is like “managing” a department. Top sales people crave “coaching!” They resist “management!”