Educate Yourself And Dominate Your Quarterly Goals

I was awed the other day when a coworker came up to me and started complaining about how he had to attend a seminar on the role of social media in sales prospecting. I told him to consider himself lucky, as most companies don’t go out of their way to keep their sales reps up to date.

 In addition, many managers take the approach that it is better to spend the money on incentives for sales reps and to cut out those that aren’t performing well. While these tactics can sometimes be effective, without any training the majority of sales reps are likely to fall behind. Gerhard Gschwandtner of Selling Power analogizes this to a football coach who cancels practice when the team is winning, and gives would be training dollars out to the best players instead of paying for more practice equipment. Do you think that would make a good coach? I think not.

 While it would be great if most sales managers took it upon themselves to find appropriate training sessions, whitepapers, and even books to promote better selling, it will usually be left to the rep to find opportunities to educate themselves.

 If you’re a sales manager, consider the fact that a well educated and learned sales team will perform better, and in turn make you look better, than a team who is only driven by extra incentives and the fear of getting the axe. If you’re a sales rep, be proactive. Don’t assume that your manager or your company will consistently find seminars for you to attend. Find them yourself and ask your company to pay for it. In addition, learn from your mistakes and from your customers. Every sale and every customer is different, so keep notes on what worked for you and what didn’t so you don’t make the same mistakes with your next prospect. Write down what you learned from each training session as well; as I mentioned before the training will only stay top of mind for so long, so it is crucial to write down the takeaway messages.

 Sales training will only resonate for a few hours and then will fade from memory quickly, and likewise the enthusiasm generated from a training class will dissipate in a few days. While some may use the skills they have learned from a particular training for a few weeks or even a month, people will usually fall back into their old habits without regular training. Find and attend regular sessions to keep yourself fresh; read articles, whitepapers, and books. Write down what you have learned and apply it; you should find yourself exceeding your quarterly goals in no time.