'It ain't what you sell, it's the way that you sell it' Training & Coaching Today Sept 2008Guy Sheppard asks do the tried and tested methods of sales training still work, or is a completely new approach needed for the 21st century?
Nick Washington-Jones, TACK’s MD, shares his views on how important it is for salespeople to have the ability to understand the bigger picture of the customers’ marketplace and the customer’s customer, rather than just turn up and try and sell a product.
This is also a view expanded on by the US based Sales Executive Council and the CEO of Kiss the Fish. The emphasis is now on salespeople having the same agenda as the buyer and understanding their problems. It’s about respect and maintaining relationships so the client knows where to come when they want something, and knowing they will be given honest feedback about what is most appropriate for their needs.
Others argue that the core aspects of sales training haven’t changed and that the most persuasive thing a salesman can do is tell a customer how you can do what the customer has told you they want doing.
What motivates salespeople has changed. When jobs are not for life self-development is more of a motivator and helps to keep people mentally focussed within their company.
Time available for training is shrinking and Nick Washington-Jones says ‘People’s time is being compromised and t he style of training is changing as well. There’s more doing and interaction rather than just lecturing people.” TACK is responding to the challenge of time and will shortly be launching a new two day version of their training programme PRO-PAYBACK Selling™ with an e-learning element for trainees to complete in their own time.
Other solutions from the industry are cited including year long programmes to ensure behavioural change, new ways of dealing with age old issues by looking at them in a different way by learning from other industries, and online and telephone mentoring support.
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