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Sales Skills Training
Even in recession, the needs of industry are constant. Unchanging. Businesses need to make a return on investment. Profit, in other words. To make profit, they have to create turnover. To create turnover they have to find people or companies who want what they have to offer – and sell it to them. The need for focussed, ethical, relationship-based salesmanship goes up, rather than down, in a recession.
Even in a downturn, if your sales staff are energetic, optimistic and good listeners, who genuinely like people, they can be successful in sales.
But because it’s not all about them, you should first of all look at your customer. Or potential customer.
Because that’s where all selling starts. Not with you. Or with your product or service. But with the customer.
That’s where The Communications Clinic’s sales training begins. Getting to know your customers’ issues, concerns and needs will depend on not just how you listen, but also on the questions you ask – and how you ask them. We can’t over-emphasise the importance of the impression the salesperson makes at this first meeting. It’s what lays the foundation for success.
Training takes place over two days, with a break of a week or so between them. We can take up to six participants per programme. Very small numbers – up to three participants – can be covered (just about) in a day. Two half-days would be better, giving participants time to carry out remedial work on their research, approach and questions.
The second session sees participants apply the learning from the first day, with the objective of moving to the next steps in the sales process productively. The training is based on the principles outlined in Understanding the Customer – the Art of Selling, Hilary Kenny’s latest book, published in 2010.
The change participants see in their own performance, is phenomenal. Maintaining high standards is supported by The Communications Clinic’s individual participant mentoring and coaching, over the next few months. Because all training diminishes in effectiveness if not put into practice and practically supported until it’s embedded.