A successful sales training is as rare and precious as a golden treasure saved from a hidden cave by Indiana Jones. The problem is, once it happens — how do you make it stick? Especially with the huge rolling stone boulder called Natural Human Forgetfulness chasing after you?
First, you have to remember why some sales trainings don’t stick in the first place:
- Most sales trainings are focusing on the wrong things
- Most sales trainings are being rejected by salespeople
- Most sales trainings do not transfer effectively
Next, you have to figure out how to avoid these issues that cause what we like to call a “relapse.” How? By learning how to reinforce sales training with your team.
What’s a sales training relapse?
While many sales training programs provide useful information, most fail to produce long-lasting results. Salespeople may experience an immediate boost in performance after a training session, but old habits soon resurface. This is what we refer to as relapse.
The problem of relapse often goes unnoticed for longer than necessary. It’s only after looking back several months or even a year later that one realizes that the sales training had limited impact on the salesperson’s behavior.
So, how do we address this challenge? The solution to the relapse problem lies in understanding the root cause and taking steps to ensure that the training has a lasting impact. We already know the main causes — we listed them in the introduction — but what can we do to avoid them and how do we reinforce the sales training we’ve invested in to make it worth our while?
How do I successfully reinforce sales training for my team?
Make sure they’re using what they learned right away. The second training is complete, your team should be practicing what they learned. This means practicing the techniques, strategies and skills in real-world scenarios. Hands-on experience reinforces your memory and helps teams to internalize the concepts they covered, which in turn reinforces how and what they were taught during the sales training.
One note: this is only going to work if the sales training fits their needs — don’t waste your time reinforcing lessons that aren’t custom-to-you, well-documented and focused on the most important critical selling skills.
Keep your team better engaged during the training. Make sure they’re active participants. Invest in sales programs that involve interactive elements that invite them to take part in the best practices they’re learning about. Make sure your team is taking notes, asking questions and sharing their thoughts and concerns during training. Engaging in active discussion while learning helps solidify understanding and reinforce what’s being learned.
Your salespeople won’t regret training that they feel is actually making a difference. They’re more likely to finish training with a positive outlook if they feel like their participation actually mattered.
Measure knowledge and application using a certification process. When we were in school, we tested how well we remembered what we were taught in class with quizzes and tests. The same thing applies to things we learn as adults. Ineffective transfer of training can be circumvented by making sure your training doesn’t end the second you finish the session.
Unlike Indiana Jones’ discoveries, the things you learn in your sales training don’t deserve to be stuck in a museum — they need to be out in the world, boosting your revenue!
Interested in simplifying how you’ll reinforce sales training for your team by partnering with a company that knows exactly what to teach and how to make it stick?
Contact our team about the skills you need the most help developing and someone will get back to you within 48 hours. If you prefer, you can also give us a call at 800.232.3485.