Sales Progress Blog

Throughout most of our blogs, we have discussed the importance of learning reinforcement. It important to know as much information about your product as you can, and it is equally as important to learn new techniques that are arising in the sales world. We have always stressed that you should constantly be learning, and it has become apparent that this old adage is necessary as more and more younger generations come into the workplace.

We all know by now that there are four generations working side by side in most businesses, but what does that mean from a learning standpoint?

Generational Learning Requirements

As a society, we have slowly progressed into an era where technology is starting to become the forefront of most industries, and as this transition is happening, generation X and generation Y are being taught how to successfully harness the tool. Veterans and baby boomers should be given online training because technology is second nature to the younger generations, as professional speaker Garrison Wynn puts it,

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From infamous to famous, as most sports writers put it, Ron Artest has certainly made quite the comeback. It has been a long road for Artest ever since that brawl in Detroit, but it was one that he traveled well. There were many steps that the new NBA champion had to take to restore his superstar status, and many of these steps can be applied in the sales industry.

When it comes to coaching, there are many methods that you can take, but one of the most effective, is the peer-to-peer coaching. Before he went to the Lakers, Artest was a fantastic defensive player, but he tried to play every role and that was not always possible. When he paired up with Kobe Bryant, Artest immediately settled back into his defensive game, since he now had a partner that would create balance. By having employees sit down with one another, they can open the lines of communication and target areas of development. It will also foster team development and build performance levels.

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admin Sales Training business coaching, effective coaching, Employee Coaching, Enhance Performance, linkedin, management leadership training, management training, sales skills, sustained learning, training and development, training reinforcement, training techniques

The economy is picking up, and Sales Progress wants to help you hit the ground running.  Get a jump start now by taking advantage of all of Sales Progress’s FREE resources and special promotions.  During the entire month of April Sales Progress will be offering multiple opportunities for FREE sales training, employee coaching advice, strategy tips, presentations, and more.

• Starting today get free employee training information, coaching tips, or advice by becoming a fan of Sales Progress on Facebook . After becoming a fan, post your question on the Sales Progress Fan wall or send an inmail message to receive free advice, tips, and strategies from sales and adult education expert, Tim Hagen.  Responses will give you real world advice and speak to your specific issues.
• Facebook not your thing?  Check out our blog, and website for offers all month long including FREE presentations, FREE whitepapers, FREE Sales Competency quizzes and more.

Check out our Free Resources already available:

Free Online Presentations

Free Articles and Whitepapers

Progression of a Sales Leader- The Sales Progress Blog: With new entries weekly.

Looking for more information on a specific topic?  Send us an email telling us what you want us to blog about!  We write this blog to help you improve your skills, so let us know how we can help! Send your thought to: Info@salesprogress.com.

Tim Hagen Sales Training business coaching, business opportunities, employee training solutions, Enhance Performance, free employee coaching, free sales training, sales skills, Skills, tailored sales training, Training, training and development, training techniques

What has the down economy taught us about training our employees? Quite frankly, A LOT!  It’s more important than ever to have effective training with a positive ROI. training reinforcement, tailored sales training, learning styles

Below are the top 5 things the down economy has taught us about training our employees.

1. We have less time to attend traditional training events, so we must look outside  the box to find effective solutions.
2. We need better performance right away, there is no time for ineffective processes, course, or programs.  We need to take another look at the types of training provided and align them with adult learning styles.  Once we get better performance, training reinforcement programs must be put in place to keep the skills sustained.
3. We have less people who need to do more, skills like time management are more important than ever.
4. We need to validate with metrics, we can no longer train our employees and hope they learned something we must have a way to measure success.
5. We need to re-assess and re-evaluate our current team.  With less people to do more work, we have to make sure the people on our team are as capable and motivated as possible.

For a look at how Sales Progress solves these issues, check out this free presentation .

admin Sales Training coaching, employee training, Enhance Performance, learning strategies, learning styles, Sales Training, Skills, tailored sales training, training and development, training reinforcement, training techniques

1. An inability to teach.

Being able to sell ice to an Eskimo is great, but once your in that management role those skills can render useless unless you are able to pass them on to your team.  Managers are often promoted because of their superior skill, but are rarely trained how to effectively train their staff and pass on their skills.

How can I combat this? If your company doesn’t offer training for mangers, you should take it upon yourself to find some. Read books on coaching or managing effectively, take a vacation day and attend a workshop (even if it’s at your own expense),  or take online courses over your lunch break.  Your investment will be worth it when your team excels, as this will reflect positively on you and your ability to lead and develop your team.

2. They lose touch with reality

Becoming a manager doesn’t mean your done spending time in the field.  It’s true that with management status comes more responsibilities that have less to do with everyday selling, but you can’t lose touch of your selling reality.  As a manager your biggest asset to your team is to know what’s going on in the field, on a day to day basis.

How can I combat this? Ride along with your staff as often as is possible, continue to call on customers even if it is just to check in, and spend time with your staff discussing obstacles or difficult customers and coaching reps to overcome them.

3. They want to be everyone’s friend.

We all want to be liked, it’s human nature. HOWEVER along with your increase in pay and responsibility came the expectation that you are no longer just one of the group.  It is often difficult to step into that leadership role, especially when a manager is promoted from with-in.

How can I combat this? It is still important to build rapport with your team, but relationships should shift into one of coach and team member.  Set clear expectations and roles for your team, and stick to them.  When responsibilities and roles are clearly defined there is no room for confusion; this will make portraying your role as leader easy. By sticking to these expectations,there will be no blurring the lines of your authority.

Did we miss anything?  Tell us what you think the top reasons sales managers fail are.

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Training business coaching, coaching, effective coaching, employee training, Enhance Performance, goals, management leadership training, Manager, Results, sales, Sales Coaching Methodology, Sales Manager, Sales Staff, Skills, training and development, training reinforcement

According to independent consultant Joe DiDonato , in his article “The Future Workforce” published in the December/ January edition of E-Learning magazine, training is leaving the classroom in favor of more interactive and successful training methods.  He looks to the emerging overload of new information and proposes the best new model for training to be

20% Classroom
30% Non- Classroom
50% Performance Support

It’s important to note that 80% is to occur outside of the classroom! Keep this in mind as you consider your new training efforts.  If the proposed program includes almost exclusively classroom training, then you should reconsider it.  Successful training now requires more than one-day workshops. Training reinforcement activities, management coaching, and real world problem solving are all now imperative to successful employee training and retention.

Research by Sales Performance International supports this shift, according to them participants of typical sales training methods forget half of what is taught within 5 weeks.  Protect your investment in your employees by choosing a program that supports retention of skills and changes in behavior.

For more information on picking a successful training program, download our free whitepaper : Four Steps to Sales Training Success.

Shannon Gburzynski Sales Management, Sales Training business coaching, coaching, effective coaching, employee training, Enhance Performance, free whitepaper, Learning, learning strategies, managment training, sales coaching, training and development, training reinforcement, training techniques, workplace training