Getting your manager to understand the importance of sales training can be an uphill task. However, emphasizing how it can sharpen the reps’ skills and boost the company’s bottom line is a surefire way to win your manager over. Here are five tips from the top sales training companies to help you make a winning case.
Highlight Skills Gaps
Take a look at the company’s standard for desired skills and knowledge and compare them with the sales team’s current capabilities to unearth gaps. You can use this to prove how these loose ends could be leaving sales goals unmet. Presenting current sales metrics such as win rates, conversion rates, average deal size, or sales cycle length will likely make your request more actionable.
Engaging in open and honest discussions with fellow team members can also provide insights into perceptions of their own strengths and weaknesses. You can also encourage your manager to conduct performance reviews or skills assessment questionnaires to get a first-hand impression. Some additional materials you can present include:
- Customer sales proposals and RFP’s.
- Slide decks.
- Live chat transcripts with customers.
- Social media discussions.
- Customers’ testimonials.
- Follow-up email replies.
- Customer surveys.
Do Your Research
Once you’ve identified where your team needs additional training, research for available classes that can help bridge the skills gaps in your sales force. Then zero in on a training company with a curriculum that is aligned with what your business needs. You can do this by combing through course summaries and reviewing class outlines from sales training companies, then highlighting the merits of the specific topics covered. While doing this research, don’t forget to pay attention to cost and logistics, too.
It can also be helpful to collect testimonials, reviews, and case studies to support your bid. If possible, show how the program has empowered participating companies for better contribution to economic growth. Finally, put the spotlight on the course trainers’ qualifications to further solidify its credibility.
Know the Benefits
Be specific about the skills and knowledge you’ll likely gain and how they relate to the company’s goals. The skills that good sales courses can teach include:
- Persuasion and influencing
- Prospecting
- Collaboration
- Active listening
- Self-motivation
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Negotiation skills
- Closing skills
- Questioning and needs analysis
In addition, sales training is an excellent way of bringing a wealth of knowledge, experience, and proven insights into your company. This can help pinpoint blind spots and biases that might not be plain to your employees’ or manager’s eyes. Additionally, an up-to-date curriculum can help your team identify available opportunities, lurking challenges, and the best courses of action. These are all points you may want to be prepared to make when pitching a sales training to your manager.
Present a Plan
Using the information you’ve gathered, put together a detailed plan and request an audience with your manager. Once you’ve got their ear, it’s time to make a strong case for why attending the course is in the company’s best interest. It can be useful to include a strategy on how the costs will be kept to a minimum without compromising the quality of the curriculum. Some practical ways to minimize the cost of sales courses are:
- Opting for self-paced methods.
- Negotiating for group discounts.
- Recording and reusing expert sessions.
Your manager may still be hesitant due to the costs. If that’s the case, suggesting a trial package can let them witness the course’s impact. Better still, the company can go for a smaller-scale program with metered content or fewer participants. Above all, you can outline how applying what you learn will help trainees become more efficient and solidify the company’s bottom line.
Follow Up
Now that you’ve succeeded at getting your manager to throw their weight behind your idea and facilitate the program, it’s time to follow up. Taking some time after the course to prepare and present feedback can further prove the impact of the training. You can begin by reflecting on what you learned and how it has changed your sales approach. A list of specific examples or scenarios can help you clarify your points. Using data and metrics where possible can help you support your feedback.
When you speak with your manager, highlight the program’s successes and express gratitude for the chance to participate. In addition, share ideas on how your manager can support continued training to keep the team in sync with the latest sales trends. This can include suggesting follow-up classes, ongoing evaluation, and mentoring.
By following these steps, you can build a strong case for sales coaching and persuade your manager to invest in it. Remember to be clear, concise, and persuasive in your communication and focus on the outcomes that matter most to the company.
