If you have ever led a sales team, you’ll understand just how challenging it can be to introduce new sales representatives to an organization – or even to upskill people who are already in your team.
Sales work is often very flexible and unpredictable. Employee turnover tends to be high, while training needs are extensive. Depending on the industry and the sales cycle, the ramp up time for new sales reps can be months.
Any sales director worth their salt should be constantly on the lookout for better, faster, and smarter ways to up-skill their sales reps. Offering smart and flexible training is often a must in modern organizations. Sales can be a tough department to manage – and it needs tools that adapt to unpredictable situations.
Managing and offering sales training online can be a valuable tool to increase quality and reduce ramp-up time for new employees. In this article we explain how. .
1. A clear process improves quality and saves resources
Many organizations start training new sales representatives with a standardized introduction. Employees are brought into the team and trained on their specific task. They learn about the organization, the products, and potential clients on a general level.
A standardized process for basic training helps to keep the quality consistent and reduces human error. Standardized training is easy to provide at scale, particularly in industries where turnover is relatively high.
Online sales training and new employee on-boarding scales particularly well. Once a training program is created, it makes little difference how many employees take it.
An online course for basic training guarantees that all the employees are provided with the same basic information. It is also easy to make learning transparent and make sure everyone has sufficient understanding of the product. At the same time, sales management does not need to waste time with the basics, but can concentrate on providing feedback.
2. Flexible sales training adapts to the work
Sales is work that requires particular flexibility. Sales representatives may spend little time in the office or work irregular hours. Field work, intense schedule, and variation in workload are very common.
Online training is highly flexible, which is why it is a valuable tool for sales. Representatives can take training where and where ever – at the office, at home, or even between meetings. When training is provided with the right tools, training can be provided just when and how needed – even on mobile devices or in small chunks during down time.
Seasonal variation in demand is also a factor in sales. There are periods when sales representatives have more downtime. These moments can be exploited to provide continued training, spar seasoned sales reps, and improve sales results.
Online learning environment makes continued learning flexible and provides tools for better feedback and dialogue between representatives and sales managers.
3. Improved tools for continued learning
Sales is not a skill that can be definitely mastered. Rather, it is an art that can be honed through experience, mentoring, and training. This is why companies should never stop training their employees, but offer them tools for continuously improving their technique.
This is why many companies provide continuous sales training. For instance HubSpot sales training begins with a standardized training program and continues as guided learning-by-doing. Sales representatives are monitored and receive feedback and training as needed.
When sales training takes place online, the learning environment can facilitate mentoring, sparring, and guiding employees. Sales reps can document their work and share their experiences between peers. Management can monitor their performance and adapt their feedback to individual needs.
Mentoring is based on richer information and is more meaningful than simple occasional performance reviews.
4. Training materials facilitate daily work
People can learn only so much through formal training situations. No one is able to memorize all the technical details they saw on a course. If technical features of a product are periodically changed through updates, learning them by heart is even more difficult.
Online learning makes it possible to provide sales reps a portable resource bank. Training materials, technical documents, and manuals can be stored centrally in the learning environment. This way they can be accessed easily when ever needed.
Sales reps can review features and updates when needed, or search for product pictures and blueprints. If needed, the materials can be accessible even during challenging meetings with clients.
How can I make sales training more effective in my own company?
Workseed is a versatile LMS that is highly suitable for creating and managing cost effective and high quality sales training programs. Workseed makes sure the materials are always at hand for sales representatives.
Workseed has tools for content creation, online learning, monitoring learner progress, and above all providing actionable feedback. Many organizations use it already to improve HR processes and product training.
Want to know more about how our other clients have used Workseed?
Merivaara Inc, currently a part of the Lojer Corporation, uses Workseed to train distributors and external partners. You can read the Merivaara customer story in our blog.
If you want to learn more about Workseed features, you can also book a demo with our sales team. Our experts will help you chart possibilities to improve sales and product training specifically in your organization.
