READ TIME – 4 MINUTES
There are countless benefits of investing in your Sales Training, such as boosting revenue, productivity, and strengthening your organisation!
However, no matter how much money you spend on your training, there are many reasons why it can fail.
Don’t feel disheartened if it didn’t work for your organisation, once you know the reasons why you can make the changes of achieving successful Sales Training.
Here are just a few reasons why your sales training might not be working…
Lack of Reinforcement
Studies have shown time and time again that individuals need ongoing reinforcement to change their behaviours and habits. Many people conclude that the ability to learn is down to intelligence, while this couldn’t be further from the truth. Something as plain as drinking an extra glass of water a day can take two months to become an instinct. We, humans, are not a fan of change, how many times have you broken a new years resolution, said you were going to start eating healthier or quit a habit?
Next question… How many times did you stick to it the first time?
The bottom line is, changing our engraved behaviours and habits can be extremely challenging without measures being put in place.
Whilst company Sales training is a great way to break unhelpful behaviours and replace them with new ones, one of the main reasons it fails is the lack of reinforcement. 50% of learning content is not retained in the first 5 weeks and after 90 days, 84% of what individuals learned has been lost according to Training Industry’s white paper on ‘The Future of Sales Training.
How to Fix Sales Training Issues:
- Follow-ups – Either an instructor or yourself should remind the team what they have learned. This can be achieved by going through PowerPoints and setting clear boundaries of what you expect from your team.
- Assure the follow-ups are interactive, ask how your team has learned from the training and which behaviours they have added to their work routine. Creating a non-intimidating, interactive environment will allow people to speak up if they have forgotten information.
- You could also email out resources, making the information readily available for whenever your team is stuck!
The Sales Training Wasn't Memorable
Adults don’t want to feel as though they are sat in a classroom again, listening to a dull speech. Sales Training needs to be exciting and engaging.
“Companies with engaged employees outperform those without by up to 202%” – Dale Carnegie
For example, here at AvA-V we promote engagement through thought-provoking conversations and providing practical tools. We constantly overhear our sales director, David Farley laughing with teams. Did you know you’re more likely to remember a piece of information if you laughed close to when you heard or saw it? Humour creates a sense of community that is encouraging for individuals and will aspire them to learn.
Picking a sales trainer is essential, you need to evaluate who will relate and create a bond with your team. Forming this connection will establish trust, therefore individuals will be more engaged!
Not Enough High Positions Receiving Sales Training
You may be thinking, if you’re in a high position, why would you need Sales Training?
If you have achieved an authority position in the workplace, you have most likely been in the field longer than new employees and graduates. Sales Training is constantly evolving, and because it is most frequently provided to employees with less experience, your sales training is going to be quite different from your colleagues.
This causes confusion and uncertainty, something that should never be in the workplace.
When employees are given two different sets of advice it can be stressful for both authority positions and employees. Relating to previous points, how are you supposed to remind your employees what they should be doing if you don’t know what they’ve been taught? It’s a recipe for disaster.
Overall, there are many reasons why sales training might fail, but if you follow the correct measures, you will achieve a motivated, engaged and talented team with Sales Training!
Not Sure Where You Need to Improve? AvA-V Can Help
If you aren’t sure which areas you need to develop, we can help.
Join us for a no-obligation strategy session in which we can discuss where you’re at now, what you aim to achieve and how we can help you get there!
Or why not take a look at our new and interactive training brochures? Here you’ll be able to watch our Learning & Development Director directly share what our bespoke training solutions look like and how we can tailor them to your needs.