You rely on your salespeople to bring home the bacon day after day. Hitting your target marks keeps your business alive and thriving. The best way to get results out of your sales team is by sending them into the field fully equipped with the right techniques and knowledge. Prepare them for success by implementing a sales training program.
Utilizing a top-tier sales training program ensures that your sales team has everything they need to make the deals that keep your business rolling.
While your sales team might strive in one setting, it is likely they need some help in other areas. Sales training programs focus on the different steps of the seller’s journey. No matter what field or industry you are in, there are courses set up to suit your needs. Here are some of the best sales training programs that your sales team should be a part of.
Best Sales Training Programs
The best sales training program for one company might not be the right choice for another. Keeping in mind things like budget, location and focus, your business might find a match in one of these top sales training programs.
On-Site Sales Training Programs
Driving to Close
Created and sold by John Barrows, this program focuses on handling sales meetings and objections is a one day course. Intended to give your sales team a better meeting performance,
Barrows keeps the end result of closing a deal in mind throughout the course. Included in the program are samples and templates so your business can take the information and hit the ground running. The target audience for Driving to Close is B2B sales teams.
Richardson’s Consultative Selling Skills.
Richardson’s program is a bit of a hybrid. The on-site training usually takes one or two days but it is paired with Richardson’s Accelerate platform for continuous online learning. The program focuses on identifying clients’ needs and then demonstrating the value of their product or service as it relates to each client.
Keeping relationship selling in mind, this program teaches salespeople to walk through a sale by targeting the client’s pain points. Intended for all types of sales teams, the added online platform allows trainees to review the information long after the on-site program is complete.
Hoffman Training
Created by Jeff Hoffman, this training program is offered both on-site and online. Covering the whole sales cycle, this method coaches your salespeople on finding leads to closing deals and everything in between. It also offers sales management training, making it ideal not only for sales representatives but managers as well.
Sales Presentation Training
Offered by Sales Readiness Group, this program focuses specifically on presentations to ensure your sales team leaves all their prospective customers with a strong first impression. Designed for B2B sales, this course takes about two days to complete and can be taken online or on-site, although the on-site course is recommended.
Online Sales Training Programs
Inbound Sales
HubSpot Academy’s Inbound Sales program focuses on the lead-up to a presentation, covering prospecting and how to use knowledge about a potential customer to create a more impactful presentation. The course only takes about three hours to complete, making it easy to fit into any tight schedule. Anyone from salespeople to managers to inbound marketers should check out what this course has to offer.
21st Century Sales Training for Elite Performance
Brian Tracy’s sales training program covers the entire sales journey from prospecting to closing a deal. Suited for any salesperson, this in-depth program takes about three months to complete because of all the information and tactics it contains.
Sales Prospecting Advanced Techniques
Sales Prospecting Advanced Techniques from Sales Scripter is ideal for anyone who needs help with the prospecting process. After this 13-hour course is up, your salespeople will have all the tools they need to find the leads most likely to employ your business.
Bespoke Online Training
Bespoke Online Training from MTD Sales Training takes the cake when it comes to versatility. It is optimized to suit your team’s needs and roles so you can craft the program around your preferences. Everything about this program is adjustable, including session lengths. With smartphone, tablet and desktop options, you can fit this program into any schedule.
Sales Training in Various Formats
With more sales training being conducted virtually, it helps to find a versatile program. If you are looking for a program offered on-site or online with the same quality regardless of the format, these options are sure to impress.
Account Based Selling
Sales for Life created this program to help their trainers prospect, make deals and earn new accounts. Designed primarily for B2B sales teams, this program takes about 14 hours to complete and can be done online or on-site.
Insight Selling
The RAIN Group designed this program to teach its trainees how to stand out from the crowd. With a variety of formats, including mobile applications, virtual programs and on-site training, the Insight Selling course takes about two days to complete and is best suited for all B2B sales teams.
Sales Training for Managers
Developed by the Anthony Cole Training Group, this sales program is specifically designed for sales managers and engaging with potential sales leaders. With both on-site and virtual training available, feel confident creating a strong leadership base in your business through whatever means work best for you. The course takes between one and three days to complete, depending on the exact specifications you decide to incorporate.
SPIN Selling
The SPIN Selling program from Huthwaite International was created based upon a massive research study on business to business selling. The course takes on many aspects of the selling experience while focusing on creating value in the eyes of customers. Available online and through on-site training, the SPIN Selling program is one of the best programs on our list.
Types of Sales Training Programs
Whatever business you are in, there is a program for you. Here are a few top sales industries and what to look for in a training program.
Retail Sales Training Program
When planning to implement a retail sales training program, it is vital to remember that your own specific store is unique. Try to look for a program specific to your own industry, as it will keep you from having to revise and adapt the program unnecessarily.
You want a program that you can reuse as you hire additional staff, so oftentimes a one-time training program is not enough. Look for an online course you can either buy outright or pay for a subscription.
Remember that you can also work in all aspects specific to your business wherever you see fit. The main goal of retail sales is to turn browsing shoppers into buying customers. Customer service is a huge aspect of any retail business, as it keeps current customers happy and their referrals will help draw in new ones. Look for a program that incorporates customer service and has virtual options.
Corporate Sales Training Program
There is no shortage of corporate sales training programs out there, so finding the right one presents a bit of a challenge. When looking for any sales training program, including corporate, look for one that aligns with your current needs and priorities.
A corporate-level training program will often be presented to lots of employees simultaneously, so before selecting any program you must analyze the aspects of your business that need improvement. For example, if your business is having trouble finding new customers to sell to, it is a good idea to find a program that focuses on prospecting.
Remember that your employees often learn best through hands-on practice. A program primarily focused on lectures might lack the engagement your employees need to truly take something away from the seminar. It might be more expensive, but a hands-on program will be much more effective.
For larger businesses, online or virtual programs might be more realistic and timely, but make sure that you are not sacrificing value for expediency.
B2B Sales Training Program
Business to Business sales is one of the largest portions of the selling market, and it is a sector the majority of our listed top sales training programs focus on. B2B selling usually involves the largest deals in monetary terms, so look for a program that incorporates the same sized deals your business will focus on.
As mentioned above regarding corporate sales programs, look for a program that includes hands-on training and practice for your sales team. In fact, consider using a program with more of a coaching spin on it to really get the most out of your sales team.
Business to Business sales training programs focus on any or all of the steps in the sales process, so figure out where your business needs the most improvement before landing on a program. If your sales team has fallen into a slump, get a program that aggressively breaks those bad habits so your business continues to grow and thrive.
Real Estate Sales Training Program
There are tons of real estate sales training programs out there. They range from seminars to schools to books, and everything in between. Real estate sales is similar to other industries because a real estate agent finds a client’s priorities and provides a property that meets their needs. Clients always offer objections and negotiate, so a real estate course must include training in these areas.
Depending on the size and scope of your real estate business, you will need different components in a training course. There are courses that are designed for beginners. There are also programs that help with the specifics like presenting a house, handling open houses and reaching a deal. Experienced real estate agents and businesses should look for a program that either focuses on their own particular shortcomings or presents updated sales techniques.
Executive Sales Training Program
An executive sales training program is designed to help your business create a strong leadership core by focusing on training sales managers and sales leaders. Sales managers are responsible for ongoing training, motivation and discipline for their respective sales teams.
A group of competent sales managers ensures your salespeople are operating at peak efficiency. It goes without saying that a solid executive sales training program will help improve all aspects of your sales organization.
Look for an executive sales training program that suits your specific needs, whether it be creating initial sales managers or working on their shortcomings. Programs may either help you figure out where you need improvement in the case of a dedicated sales training coach, or you may have to figure out what your business lacks before selecting a program. Either way, since sales managers often deal with directly training sales associates it is best to find an in-person training program so your managers can more accurately emanate what they learned in the program.
Wrapping Up
Overall, finding a sales training program seems like a daunting task. There are so many variables to each program and your own business that just finding out where you need help is too much of a challenge to take up without sacrificing other areas of your business. That is where Selling Revolution comes in.
We specialize in helping businesses reach their sales goals and exceed their apparent limitations. Whether you need a sales consultant who develops a unique sales process or just look at where your current sales tactics fall short, we are here to help. If your business needs any kind of sales help, schedule a meeting with us today. We will work with you to find the exact solution you need. Get the help you need, and we get the results you want.