Core Sales Skills



As a company, you need to offer a range and depth of sales training. Many companies forget the depth component and continue to put the same sales people through "Sales 101" year after year. We recommend a tiered approach to sales training, where an individual's competencies in certain areas are measured prior to training, to ensure the training they attend is appropriate to their skill levels and the role they undertake.

Having said that there are a number of core modules that can be used as the basis of a sales training program. These modules would possibly include the following:

* Basic selling skills

o Planning at the territory, account and call level

o Introduction or opening, building customer rapport

o Questioning and listening - in our eyes absolutely key skills for any sales person

o Presentation or proposal

o Overcoming objections and negotiating

o Closing, a natural consequence of the work already done

o Implementation and follow up

* Sales process implementation

o Facilitates the customer's progression through the buying process

o Applies appropriate tactics to guide the process towards a favorable decision.

* Account management

o Develops objective-driven, actionable plans with the customer

o Call/Account strategies support business growth at the customer and align with overall customer plan

o Constructs strong profit, margin, ROI, and cost/benefit analyses to track progress

o Distils data and information sources into actionable conclusions

* Opportunity planning

o Develops objective-driven, actionable plans with the customer

o Call/Account strategies support business growth at the customer and align with overall customer plan

o Constructs strong profit, margin, ROI, and cost/benefit analyses to track progress

o Distils data and information sources into actionable conclusions

* Value based selling

o Able to develop a broad offering for the customer (or channel partner)

o Creates solutions for the customer drawing from the entire company solution (technology, products and processes)

Business Acumen Skills

These skills are often the ones that are forgotten when the sales training plans are developed These are the skills that provide the link between the customer's real business drivers and the actual technology implemented. Too often sales people try to win business by fulfilling the technological needs rather than understanding the real business issues and building the value proposition from there.

* Industry & market knowledge

o Understands the dynamics, trends, and pressures of customers' industries

o Understands competitors and positions our solutions appropriately

o Applies industry information, regulations, strategies, and developments to personal sales strategy

* Customer knowledge

o Understands the customer's business (strategic priorities, mission statement, organization, brand promise, processes, systems, and business operations), loyalty and satisfaction drivers, and the customer's customer

* Product & technical knowledge

o Demonstrates a knowledge of competitor products

o Aligns our products and services to applications to add value that clearly differentiates us from the competition

o Knows product applications and technical capabilities (strengths, limitations, etc.) of our products and customer's applications, procedures and processes

* Finance for sales people

o Demonstrates a knowledge of basic accounts, balance sheet, P&L and cash flow

o Understands profit, margin, ROI, TCO, and cost/benefit analyses

* Talking an executive's language

o Able to understand the differences in language and topics at executive level

o Constructs sound business cases based value to the customer's business

o Understands the real business needs driving technology implementation and positions our solution accordingly

Individual Effectiveness

Business process re-engineering has reduced layers of management and created the need for flexible working. This means that individuals have to come together in virtual teams for the life of a project and then disband to join other teams. So the abilities listed below have become key competencies for sales people:

* Resource management/i>

o Translates our business strategy into measurable operational plans that are focused on the customer

o Considers the strategic "big picture" and the short and long term impact of actions

o Determines priorities and allocates resources accordingly based on knowledge of business priorities

o Understands how to get things done within the company

o Approaches assigned responsibilities from a business perspective

o Organizes for optimal coverage and impact

o Prioritizes activities and follows up to maximize effectiveness and efficiency to achieve results

o Adopts computer and relevant software and integrates them into day-to-day activities

* Problem solving

o Anticipates and handles complex problems and issues, gaining input from appropriate resources and generating possible options before coming to a resolution

o Formulates clear decision criteria and evaluates solutions by considering implications and consequences

o Decides and acts consistent with available facts, constraints, and probable consequences

o Develops contingency plans

o Takes personal responsibility for resolving customer problems/issues

o Follows through on commitments to customer

o Manages questions, conflicts, and problems well

* Communication

o Employs and leverages listening, questioning, oral and written abilities to convey messages and express ideas and points of view effectively in a variety of settings

o Uses the computer to improve presentation and communication ability

Sales Induction

Most companies have general induction and orientation programs. Such programs normally include the following:

* Company orientation

o Understands the company history, philosophy, culture and vision

o Understands the company organization and how it relates to their roles

* Policies & procedures

o Can articulate the company's policy on mandatory and legal items

o Fully understands health and safety policies

o Understands their responsibilities to the company, co-workers and customers

* Core sales skills

o See the information under Core Sales Skills

* IT tools & systems

o Can describe the key sales systems and processes used within the company

o Uses the computer applications efficiently and appropriately both internally and in customer facing situations

For more information about sales training please visit http://www.sales-training-consultants.co.uk