The #1 Reason Why Sales Training Programs are Failing Salespeople!
The ambiguous act of sales training is responsible for the high failure rate of salespeople everywhere, in every industry. Quit kidding yourself by engaging in activities to achieve a result that you have not yet defined.
For instance, most people refuse to acknowledge that success is an illusion chased by those that fail to identify what it is that they seek. They have never taken the time to clarify what it is that they define as success, yet they keep stating that they want to be successful by chasing a mirage like a dog chasing its tail. Think about it, if you have not taken the time to define what success means to you, how will you know when you have actually arrived?
Sales training is no different. Most people are unaware that you cannot teach someone how to sell, because the sale consists of a series of activities that are combined to produce an effect, the effect being the sale. Sounds confusing? Stay with me for a minute.
The art of selling consist of convincing someone to exchange money or something valuable for a good or service. During this exercise called the sales process, a whole series of skills are being called upon at different points during the interaction. We are asking questions, listening, relating, conveying emotion, empathizing and sometimes sympathizing and so on, all in the hopes of getting the prospect to see our point of view. Depending on what you are selling, there are tools of the trade that you will need to learn how to use and frameworks, also known as systems and processes that you will need to follow in order to achieve predictable, repeatable and track-able results.
So you see, what most people call sales training is only a partial process consisting of activities to achieve a particular result. For example: the road to the sale only deals with in-person client interaction or phones skills is just one skill in a whole gamut of skills the professional needs to learn and so on. So in essence, the current definition of sales training when looked at from the perspective of what the selling professional needs in order to succeed is incomplete and ambiguous at best.
What am I saying? I am saying that if you are a selling professional, there is no way that you can be taught all of what you need to know in one day, one week, and in most cases one month. If you do not believe me, look at the extremely high failure rate of salespeople today. More importantly, how are you doing?
What is sales training? Can you define what it is to receive sales training? Can you tell me what it is that you were taught to do and is it enough to do your jobs now? Do you know what you are missing? Do you know what a knowledge gap is? In other words, do you know what you need to do in order to get there from here? Do you know why you are struggling? Do you know why you are still looking for another job? Do you know what it is to be a selling professional? Or do you still think it is just ‘show and tell’ in order to take an order? Do you know what it is to build, maintain and manage a book of business?
These are not trick questions, but ones that deserves reflection, because if you are serious about your craft and are depending on the training that you receive to pay your bills, these questions are your starting point when you arrive at the ‘do not kid yourself day’.
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Comment
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Comment by Kurtis Smith on July 13, 2012 at 7:49pm
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Joe thank you for your thoughts regarding this article.
Kurtis
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Ashley,
It's good to see you active again. Thanks for your insight and kind words.
Kurtis
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Comment by Joe Clementi on July 13, 2012 at 6:54pm
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Kurtis, great article and spot on. Selling is a combination of processes and procedures. Selling isn't as simple as following a map or "road to the sale". Measuring the actions required to produce results are just as essential to the sale as the demonstration drive.
Salespeople wait around and expect things to happen - that never do. Then at month end, they wonder "what just happened?" "If you want to keep getting what it is you are getting...then keep giving what you are currently giving" - author unknown. Great share!
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Comment by Ashley Poag on July 13, 2012 at 11:50am
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This is a great article. Any sales training should be an ongoing process that evolves and develops as the industry changes and you learn new best practices. And any success comes from clearly defined objectives and effective actions.
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Marsh I believe that I have found another kindred spirit! I too have read Gladwells work regarding the 10,000hrs and have been shareing its sgnificance to young people for awhile now. I guess the question that I have for you is how do we get them to realize that success as a selling professional is not the company's responsibility alone, it is theirs as well. Thank you sir for your comments.
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Comment by Marsh Buice on July 11, 2012 at 9:12pm
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Kurtis, great topic my friend and so true. So many want to be the "ace closer" but the dynamics of selling are like separating the grains of sand by color--too diverse to be taught in a classroom. Studies have shown it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become world class. Great share brother.
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Bobby,
You are too kind. I wrestled with putting out this post because it calls us all into accountability to include myself. The challenge is that there are too many selling professionals entering and leaving our industry because they lacked a good start which includes the knowledge they need to build, maintain and manage their book of business daily, not just to sell a car today.
In friendship,
Kurtis
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Stan,
Thank you for your kind words. I'm enjoying watching you make a difference as well.
In friendship,
Kurtis
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Comment by Stan Sher on July 11, 2012 at 12:16pm
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Very cool read. I am enjoying your posts.
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