As sales training experts, we at the Selling Revolution understand the dynamism of consumer behavior and effective selling. Sales skills are like appliances — they need regular maintenance or else they break down.
Even sales basics evolve over time, and the team in training will be better prepared to make successful adjustments. As the primary driver of revenue, a well-trained sales professional will make the difference for your company’s growth potential.
As technology and trending shifts, there are new opportunities to refresh your team with sales and sales management training. There are numerous sales courses to pick from in 2021, and it is a great time to invest. Still, finding the right value for your budget, sales focus and goals can be difficult.
To simplify the search, we built this list of the top 21 sales training programs for 2021. Our list includes the best online sales training courses, sales certification programs, corporate sales training companies and training techniques. Whether it’s a sales training workshop or convenient online learning, these sales programs offer the best value and results.
What is a Sales Training Program?
Sales training programs are focused courses or workshops designed to improve relevant sales skills for salespeople and managers. These courses can be in-person or online, standalone or ongoing. Many courses even offer certifications to acknowledge the salesperson’s aptitude in a particular skill. Earning merits from the top sales training programs give sales reps a distinct advantage as they grow professionally.
What Are the Types of Sales Training?
Sales training falls into four basic categories: field sales, service sales, inside sales and sales management.
- Field sales reps go to their prospects, meeting them at their offices, trade shows or seminars.
- Service sales are focused on providing superior customer service. Reps seek to add value and create compelling arguments to both earn and retain customers for the long term.
- Inside sales reps work primarily in-house, unlike field reps. These salespeople engage customers online or by phone to prospect, consult and close deals.
- Sales management is a crucial training focus, as managers coach and build sales teams. With trained sales managers, sales teams have a unified focus and stronger behaviors.
Why Is Sales Training Important?
Why Is Sales Training Important?Sales training keeps managers and reps up to speed on the most effective techniques, sales strategies and technologies. Sales teams learn the best methods for communicating their value to prospects. With a stronger knowledge base and skill set, salespeople also enjoy shorter sales cycles and higher win rates.
Best Online Sales Training Programs
Online sales training is an excellent training starting point and supplemental training source for ongoing skills maintenance. These programs offer self-paced learning, convenience, scalability and low costs, making them practical for any organization.
1. Introduction to Sales
This low-cost introductory sales training program from GoSkills presents sales professionals with essential skills and perspectives to succeed. Through its series of 31 tutorials, beginners are coached on sales psychology and real-world selling techniques. Students can learn at their convenience with the mobile app and refresh their skills through on-demand testing.
2. 21st Century Sales Training for Elite Performance
For just shy of $1000, salespeople can take Brian Tracy’s three-month course that details seven essential components of selling:
- Prospecting
- Creating connections and trust
- Overcoming objections
- Value-based selling
- Closing
- Earning referrals
- Generating repeat business
The course is composed of 24 instructional videos, supported by additional role-plays, workbooks and training modules. Through this virtual program, salespeople are supplied with actionable principles for every stage of the sales process.
3. Sales Training and Strategy
Marc Wayshak’s sales training gives industry experts the boost they need to surpass the competition. His customized training programs resolve the unique challenges sales leaders face in growing revenue and capturing market share.
Organizations of all sizes and individual salespeople can take advantage of the sales development support this program offers. Upon completion, sales reps can expect exponential — and predictable — sales growth.
4. Smart Calling College
Inside sales reps can learn a lot over the course of a month in this phone sales training program. Salespeople gain an exhaustive understanding of engaging prospects throughout the sales cycle, from introduction to close.
The program also offers ongoing support and mentorship through its community. Reps have access to useful workbooks, personalized coaching sessions and online forums to continually receive value.
5. The Art of Sales: Mastering the Selling Process Specialization
5. The Art of Sales: Mastering the Selling Process SpecializationNew salespeople and entrepreneurs trying to find their footing in the sales world can benefit greatly from this course. Novice salespeople in any context learn the basics to succeed, such as prospecting, qualifying and creating presentations.
The course is free to take. It can be completed in just over a month, with only a few hours needed to keep pace each week. Prospective B2B and B2C sellers leave the course equipped with prospecting, conversation and closing skills needed to win deals.
6. B2B Phone Skills Improvement Program
This training program from SalesBuzz shows inside sales reps how to initiate phone conversations, qualify leads and communicate value. Each training session is punctuated with a graded test to ensure the salesperson’s comprehension.
This course is designed to guide inside sellers from cold calling to close. SalesBuzz argues that their training and resources, when used consistently, will give you an immediate boost in sales.
7. Iannarino Sales Accelerator
Offering monthly or annual subscriptions, Anthony Iannarino’s online course is more of a community for ongoing growth. Salespeople receive monthly instructional videos, each focused on a fundamental skill.
Classes are backed by webinars hosted by Iannarino himself. These give learners the opportunity to ask questions and gain real-world insight from the expert. Furthermore, reps enter a group of like-minded individuals. They are given access to a course forum, where they can share stories and strategies to help each other succeed.
8. ASLAN Sales Training
ASLAN has a diverse program offering to suit the needs of leaders and salespeople from all sales environments. Their three-month sales training courses prepare sales reps to meet organizational sales goals.
This training program takes a meta-perspective on coaching, giving support to sales instructors both in-person and virtually. Sales coaches are given unique tools and methods for optimizing their sales processes and tracking results.
9. Corporate Visions Training and Consulting
Corporate Visions focuses on value in their modernized sales training program. Salespeople gain an in-depth understanding of “value” from the customer’s perspective. With this, they learn the psychology behind buying decisions and techniques to effectively communicate value. Reps are trained to forge stronger connections with customers by creating a better experience and greater benefits.
10. Bespoke Online Training
The name speaks for itself with this customizable online sales training program. The program’s operator, MTD Sales Training, works with its clients to design unique programs that fit their goals and capabilities.
Sessions can be 5-15 minutes long, involving videos, illustrations, exercises and assessments. This makes it easy to align the program with the sales team’s schedule. The mobile learning option adds yet another layer to the training program’s flexibility.
Best Onsite Sales Training Programs
Onsite sales training is usually more of an investment than online training. However, the interactive experience and face-to-face access to skilled trainers give onsite programs clear advantages. The following are some of the best onsite sales training programs in the nation.
11. Driving to Close
Sales savant John Barrows teaches B2B salespeople techniques to tackle opportunities and challenges throughout the sales cycle. In his one-day workshops, reps gain critical thinking skills to communicate effectively with prospects and capitalize on opportunities.
The course promotes individual sales styles, giving reps a way to implement tried-and-true techniques with confidence. Barrows goes a step further by equipping salespeople with custom manuals and templates to guide their conversations with customers.
12. SPIN® Selling
B2B salespeople learn how to develop and disseminate value in the research-based SPIN® Selling program. Sales reps learn the behaviors that translate to more closes and bigger deals.
The program takes place over two to three days. Courses are designed to address particular business objectives, covering the extent of relevant skills needed to succeed.
13. Strategic Social Selling
Salespeople need to sell themselves as much as their products. That is the focus of Strategic Social Selling, a program focused on enhancing personal brands and value. The course teaches reps valuable skills like building their network and leveraging social media to engage consumers.
This two-day course empowers B2B salespeople to generate their own book of business. Rather than rely on marketing, reps learn to fill and manage their own pipeline, gaining control over their sales.
14. Convert More Leads for Less Money
Ad dollars are less impactful than real value when it comes to converting customers. For B2B salespeople, supplying rich content and taking customer-centric approaches to sell will win more deals.
This means engaging customers on social media to learn their pain points and the type of content they desire. It means working with marketing to prioritize sales enablement. Salespeople need the resources to push value at every step of the sales cycle. That starts with a value-based approach, seeking to solve problems rather than sell products.
Onsite sales training gives you the tools and grounding to convert more for less. These programs carry a high ROI, as experts give salespeople the contextual insight to close deals.
15. Delight More Customers
Onsite sales training offers the most relevant feedback to fine-tune the customer experience. Delighting customers should be a goal for any salesperson, as it directly relates to repeat business and referrals. As sales shift to the value-based model, interactive workshops help reps shape their communications, keeping customers engaged and satisfied.
Sales Training Programs in Multiple Formats
A blended approach to training often gives businesses the flexibility and attention they need to positively affect sales. The following sales training programs are available in multiple formats, facilitating learning for reps with a variety of needs.
16. Sales Presentation Training
Sales Readiness Group is a leading custom training provider for B2B sales teams and managers. Their Sales Presentation Training program focuses specifically on presentations. In their 1-2 day course, SRG provides relevant, tailored training on effective presentation strategies.
17. Richardson’s Consultative Selling Skills
Another leader in sales training, Richardson offers in-person training with ongoing virtual support. Their Consultative Selling program reveals methods for identifying needs and challenges to better articulate benefits. Reps learn how to engage customers on sales calls and in presentations, connecting challenges to solutions and goal-attainment.
18. Insight Selling
RAIN Group presents its Insight Selling program in several formats, including online, virtual and on-site. This program focuses heavily on value-based principles, subscribing to the idea that quality information closes deals. Salespeople in this program learn perspectives on differentiating their brands and helping prospects raise their standards.
19. Engage Selling
Colleen Francis, like SRG, performs pre-training consultations with clients to formulate the focus in her Engage Selling program. The personalized training specifically caters to resolving immediate business challenges and offering opportunities to grow. Colleen’s expertise covers both salesperson and management training, enhancing organizational structures and processes to increase wins.
20. Sales Leaders Coaching Program
Score More Sales, headed by sales specialist Lori Richardson, gives sales leaders methods to generate predictable results. Richardson creates comprehensive sales plans, outlining the effective processes to meet and exceed business goals. Methodologies are expanded upon in immersive 90-minute training sessions, building positive, efficient behaviors.
21. Value-Based Sales Training
ValueSelling Associates take a unique approach for every company that uses their sales training program. They have no limit to the length of training time, providing ongoing, on-demand support to address changing business needs. As businesses scale and confront new sales challenges, the Value-Based Sales Training program adjusts to provide practical guidance.
The best sales trainers consistently demonstrate a high ROI, as the techniques they teach lead to measurable results. The Selling Revolution is a collection of sales and marketing experts committed to your success.
We carefully curate strategies based on our clients’ needs, resources and vision for success. Through our experience, we build winning sales processes that reshape organizations and their growth potential. To learn how we can help your team win more sales, book a call today.