21st-century sales training: are you making the most of it?
By Tim Royds (August 2004 Issue)
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Let’s start with the good news: there are more options to support the ongoing development of those in sales than ever before. The downside of this good news, though, is that deciding which of the options is most appropriate requires careful consideration of both the need and circumstances, as well as an understanding of the pros and cons of the solutions available. The days of the ‘just book a course’ solution are over.
Being realistic for a moment, it’s not possible to develop a high quality sales team unless the people in the team have the potential to develop that quality in the first place – very much a case of not being able to make a Stradivarius out of a piece of old chipboard! Therefore, ensuring that your recruitment and selection process really does provide you with such quality material should be an initial consideration.
Ask yourself honestly and realistically: ‘On a scale of 1 to 10, how successful are we at attracting and recruiting such quality people?’ If you have a low score to this question, then address this issue first as a priority. If not addressed, investment in training and development will (at best) accrue limited returns.
I’d also recommend that it’s the sales manager rather than HR who drives this process. HR are indeed the experts on the management of the process, but it should be the sales expert who informs this process. His/her input should provide the key ...
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