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Sales training initiatives are squarely in the spotlight as organizations continue to build competitive advantage directly through the sales channel. Data from the Sales Executive Council (SEC) shows that three fundamental shifts in sales are creating increased pressure for organizations to change the way they train sales professionals in the near future.
- Customer buying behavior has changed.
53% of a customer’s purchase decision is now driven by the quality of the sales interaction itself. In the post-recession environment, selling teams that help customers understand how to compete more effectively are more likely to succeed than teams that rely on brand, price or value.
- The sales environment is increasingly complex.
To meet customer needs, selling teams are building an organization of Challengers – or sales professionals that have the distinct ability to Teach the customer an unknown issue, Tailor the message for resonance, and Take Control of the sales process. Challenger Reps are proven to be four times more likely to be high performers in complex selling environments and outperform sales quotas by 18%.
- Sales Training budgets are increasing, but retention of learning remains low.
76% of companies are increasing their training focus and more than half increased their training budgets in 2011. SEC research also found that in 2010, reps only retained 13% of what they learned 30 days after a traditional training event. Training departments will need to meet higher expectations in 2011 and 2012 as sales line leaders look for greater retention of classroom learning.
Watch this video in which sales and sales training leaders from the Fortune 500 discuss what it means to drive value in today’s selling environment, how to build a training program that develops Challengers, and how to sustain learning to build competitive advantage.
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