The need to train sales specialists. Sales Manager Training Plan

Trade organizations are forced to constantly attract new employees to sales departments due to high staff turnover. In such conditions, it is necessary to put the process of training workers on stream and make it continuous. For this purpose, our company has created its own training system. On what principles is it built?

Alexey Kubrak,

Head of Training and Personnel Development, Arsenaltrading

Well-established sales training allowed us to train new employees in a short time and at low cost. Good team training improves the level of corporate culture, which has a beneficial effect on staff motivation and, consequently, reduces staff turnover. In addition, the employee training system has become a competitive advantage in the fight for worthy candidates in the labor market. Many employees admit that the decisive factor when choosing our company was the introductory five-day training; in other places they were required to start work on day one without acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills.

In our organization, the training process in the sales department is managed by one full-time specialist, who also serves as the main business coach. The second coach is a visiting one, he works part-time. We have allocated and equipped a separate room for training events. The concept of the training system was developed in a few days, but filling it with content - preparing training materials and a test system - took much more time, this was the most labor-intensive part of the work. It took about a year to create the completed system.

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We determine the parameters of an effective training system in the sales department

Two characteristics are important that will influence performance: the learning process must be systematic and periodic. Often, a new employee is given introductory instructions at the stage of entering the position, then he is sent to some training, and he gets to the next training event only six months or a year later. Training structured in this way is ineffective: knowledge is forgotten and skills are not formed.

We have introduced an internal rule according to which sales managers attend training events at least twice a month: in our opinion, this is the optimal interval. By training events we mean not only trainings, but also role-playing games, testing, seminars of partner companies, as well as writing essays. In order not to disrupt the work schedule, we set aside weekends for training, most often Saturdays, which are paid as regular working days.

The organization of employee training covers the entire period of a specialist’s work in our company, starting from the first day. To prevent such a policy from leading to an increase in the budget, we pay great attention to independent studies, which occupy an important place in the system of acquiring knowledge. The trainer only launches and controls them, and the employee autonomously performs training actions.

We create an effective employee training system

Training is conducted in three areas. The choice is logical for a trading company: the results of a sales manager directly depend on knowledge of the product, communication skills with clients and the correct execution of transactions. Thus, we cover the entire range of knowledge and skills necessary for a successful sales department.

Training system concept: product line study

The purpose is to provide information about the products we sell. This is the basic knowledge that every sales employee should have. The bulk of training occurs during the introductory period, and experienced workers undergo it as new brands or product groups are added to the assortment.

Introductory training in the sales department

A new employee begins work by studying the assortment. Initial training takes five working days, during which the newcomer must complete the program we have developed. At this time, he independently works on educational materials, and the trainer only controls the learning process.

First, the trainee masters the training manual, which provides general theoretical information about our products. At this stage, he should form an idea about the category of the product and its properties: for example, what paints are, what they are, what they consist of. The educational material was developed in our company. After the new employee has mastered the manual, he begins to study the price list - this block provides knowledge about exactly what products he will sell. To facilitate product familiarization, the trainee can use the showroom, which displays our product line.

Supportive training in the sales department

To ensure that employees always have up-to-date knowledge about the product range, the study of the product line is not limited to the introductory stage, it continues during the current work. We also involve partners in this type of training.

Many of our suppliers have their own training programs, and they offer to organize training on a particular product. They often do this during high sales seasons. On the other hand, we ourselves ask our partners to tell our employees about the product they supply to us. This usually happens when a new product is introduced into the market or when we understand that a particular brand will become our priority in the near future.

When working with partners, it is important that they do not just present their product; we ask them to include information useful to us in the content of the training. Effective trainings are built according to a specific scheme, which allows us to obtain a set of knowledge about the product that best meets our goal of providing quality customer service.

• Personnel certification: stages, types and ready-made scenarios

As part of supportive training, we also use abstracts: each employee writes a paper on a particular topic. Once or twice a year, trademarks are distributed among the sales department employees, about the range of which it is necessary to prepare abstracts. The work should reveal the history of the brand, present popular models of the manufacturer, and show its advantages over competitors. During the preparation of the abstract, the employee gains knowledge about the product, skills in working with information and creating training materials. In addition, we use abstracts to quickly prepare training programs for new products. It happens that we enter into a contract with a new supplier, but neither he nor we have time to prepare the training material. Then we assign one of the employees to write the abstract, and he makes a report at the general meeting. Finished works are stored on the corporate portal in electronic form, and every employee can familiarize themselves with them. Preparing abstracts allows you to build the company’s knowledge base, but this is an additional goal.

Assessment of the level of knowledge of the product line. Typically, each employee is tested the day after class. The goal is to check how well the information about the assortment has been absorbed. The test system covers all product categories present in our price list. There are about 25 tests in total.

With the help of testing, we monitor whether the manager has a minimum level of knowledge necessary and sufficient for effective work. Depending on the number of points scored in the test, the employee receives a grade from 2 to 5. Those who received twos and threes must retake the test. We give three attempts, retake - the next day.

Sales skills training system for employees

The goal is to develop the skills of effective communication with clients among sales department employees. Not only the theoretical part is important, but also the practical part, so the main method of teaching is training. We have emphasized internal training; We introduce external ones when there is a need for specific knowledge that we cannot provide on our own, or when some kind of training is urgently needed, but its development on our own will take too long. For example, when we needed training on working with accounts receivable, we ordered it through external providers.

Individual introductory training in the sales department

Usually the trading team is replenished with a small number of newcomers - one or two. Full training for a small audience is impractical, so at the initial stage of work we provide individual training to employees. As part of personal training, the basics of working in sales are taught, with an emphasis on sales technology and standards of communication with clients. One working day is allocated for these purposes. Trainees then attend regular training sessions along with the entire team.

As a rule, training is carried out more intensively in the autumn-winter period, when sales decline. In the summer, there are fewer face-to-face training events due to the high workload.

Assessment of skills training. We use two tools. We check theoretical knowledge on the covered topic using tests that are developed for each training. The approach here is the same as when assessing knowledge about a product line: for example, an employee is asked to select existing types of objections or indicate how many steps the algorithm for working with objections includes. We evaluate practical skills based on how well the employee applies them in a real situation. A business coach observes the work of a team member and evaluates his behavior using a checklist. We monitor the quality of training of sales representatives through paired visits to retail outlets, and we check sales managers at their workplaces in the office.

The checklist is formed from blocks of requirements corresponding to the stages of the sales process. Each block includes a list of specific actions that can be assessed objectively: done or not done. In the evaluation sheets of other authors, there are criteria such as “endeared the client” or “established psychological contact” - for us they are too subjective. We have included behavioral indicators in the checklist that are easy to evaluate. For example, our employee should greet the client and ask questions using the SPIN 1 technology - these are examples of objective indicators that are easy to identify during observation.

1 SPIN (eng. SPIN) - a technique for conducting meetings for large sales. It is based on the formulation of the right questions, which are situational, problematic, extractive and guiding. Designed by Neil Rackham. - Ed.

Organizing employee training on processes

The goal is to teach the employee to perform the administrative part of the job. This type of training is carried out by immediate supervisors. Their task is to bring the newcomer up to speed, familiarize him with the instructions, rules, work regulations and show him in practice the stages of the sales process. Account managers need to be taught how to navigate our information system: create and post implementation documents in the program, generate reports on clients or business regions, and so on. Sales representatives must know how to fill out a waybill, how to conclude an agreement with a client, and what package of documents is required for this. New employees learn the basics of work in one or two weeks, but it takes a month to fully train a sales representative in all processes, and two months for a sales manager. Only after this they gain sufficient experience and can work independently.

Some of these processes are regulated. Employees independently study the instructions and pass an exam to the manager. Managers convey other necessary information in the process of work through mentoring. More experienced colleagues can also be mentors. For the first two to three weeks, the sales manager works under the supervision and support of a senior manager. Sales representatives work for the first week in a neighboring territory with an experienced agent, and then on their own site with a supervisor: he shows the territory that the newcomer will serve and introduces him to the peculiarities of working in the company.

We develop and use tests correctly

Testing will be an effective assessment tool if a number of principles are taken into account. Information in tests should be as specific and unambiguous as possible. Questions should assess basic knowledge, do not delve into subtleties: detailed tests take a lot of time. To prevent the test from being too simple, you need to provide as many answer options as possible - we settled on six. To increase complexity, some questions require multiple correct answers.

We also use tests in the process of acquiring knowledge - this increases the effectiveness of learning. Each employee receives printed tests and searches for the correct answers using all available study materials. In our experience, this method is more effective than simply familiarizing yourself with educational materials. So, a trainee can simply read the price list, but it is difficult to master a large amount of monotonous information, and working on the test, searching for the correct answers in the price list allows you to remember its structure, assortment groups, brands and specific positions.

To ensure that the information is remembered for a long time, testing is carried out the next day after training. When testing knowledge, a computer program is used that changes the order of questions and answer options.

Have you risen to become the head of a department, or has your business grown and the question of training your sales department employees has arisen?

Let's figure out how to do this. First, answer the question: have they already given people who will work as sales managers in your department, or do you need to find them? If they handed you people, then everything is bad. Well, not as bad as you thought. But it’s better when you recruit managers yourself. I’ll explain how this relates to department training.

1. Which is better - the old or the new department?

At the market, sellers are taught at random and whatever. Only a small proportion of salespeople achieve real skills after training. Therefore, if you want your managers to really sell, you need to teach them from scratch, oblivious to the scraps of knowledge they have. The ideal situation is when you can recruit managers yourself without work experience or training experience, because into an empty head you will put exactly the knowledge that is needed for sales.

If you get existing managers, you can enhance the effect of the training by saying that only those who successfully complete the course will remain employed. During the learning process, take a closer look at people and decide whether they will be of any use. You, of course, can test managers’ existing knowledge, break it down into levels, and conduct training in areas that are important for a specific group of employees. But this is difficult and ineffective, because a holistic system of knowledge about sales is not created.

2. Who should train the sales team?

Looking for a new coach? Use the services of an internal trainer for training, or send a person to study in one of those hundreds of courses that the Internet is replete with?

Answer a few questions:

• Do you want to train sales managers to sell in principle, or teach them to sell a specific product or service?
• Do you want managers from the department to increase sales after training, or to know the theory of sales?
• Do you want them to have knowledge of hundreds of techniques in different markets, or do you want them to automatically develop specific skills that they will use?

Do these questions seem stupid to you? To be honest, me too. Then explain why 90% of corporate sales training is conducted as if people do not know the right answers to these questions?

3. What is most sales training?

A specialist arrives for 1-3 days. He explains the theory of sales and says: “Well, how you use my knowledge depends on you.” You might as well buy your employees a sales book. There might have been more sense, because after the book you wouldn’t expect an explosive increase in sales. You can find effective sales trainings that are aimed at obtaining and practically consolidating sales skills.

4. What is the main task of training a sales manager?

Tell me the classic theory of sales?
Tell us how super-effective salespeople sell?
Show a super motivating clip from the sales films “Boiler Room” or “Wall Street”?
Play one role-play with a product that has nothing to do with your product?
This is all great, but none of these elements will help a sales manager learn how to sell a specific product.
Sales will only be helped by specific skills developed for a specific manager, on a specific product, with a specific type of customer.

5. To organize effective training for your sales department, you need:

• test managers and identify their individual characteristics;
• study the product in terms of sales;
• study the portrait of clients with whom managers will have to work;
• talk about the skills that may be needed in sales;
• create an individual sales style for each manager;
• develop skills that correspond to your individual style to the point of automaticity;
• monitor the use of skills in sales;
• make adjustments during this process.

You must understand that training a sales department is not a one-time job, but an ongoing process. Firstly, sales managers are the most fluid contingent. You have to come to terms with this if you don’t plan to create the best conditions on the market for them. Therefore, you will have to constantly train someone. Secondly, any information is forgotten without use, even the most interesting and important. How can you control whether the manager uses this information? That's right: you need to go to a meeting with each manager at least once every two weeks. Analyze his weak points and in the next stage teach him what he cannot do.

Can this be done in 1, 2 or 3 days? Never. If you don’t need training for your sales department just for show, you need to develop a unique training system that will contain theory, practical application of this theory and skill development, taking into account the individual characteristics of the manager. I will tell you how to create a system or program for training a sales department in the process of work in the article “

“Sales manager” sounds very proud, especially in the context of modern business development. This profession requires organization, professionalism, and a creative approach. Many people are interested in how to become a sales manager and think that they need an economics education, but even graduates of economics or business faculties often ask the same question.

Sales manager tasks

First of all, let’s look at what is included in the job description of this specialist.

From the name it is clear that the task of a sales manager is to sell. This process occurs differently in different companies. In one company, sales managers advise customers who call by phone; in another, they call them themselves and offer their products.

Also, the scope of activity of many employees includes processing incoming applications when customers have left a request for a product, service or consultation, or simply ask any question about the product range. The manager's task is to help the client find answers to questions.

Many are afraid to take on this work, because either sales are perceived as a banal imposition, or the person is embarrassed by his inexperience. In fact, if the first reason is just a myth, then the second is stupidity. Because it is quite possible to become a sales manager without experience, provided that the applicant has at least the minimum set of required qualities. Let's take a closer look at them.

Required qualities

First of all, it is important to understand that there are no uniform criteria for quality work for all sales managers, since depending on the scope of action, you need to be able to adapt to the environment. But the most basic and necessary thing is the ability to sell a product or service legally.

So you can become a sales manager only if you have a certain set of qualities, let’s look at them in more detail:

• Understanding of business and marketing principles.
• Communication skills, ability to negotiate and interact with clients.
• Non-conflict and stress resistance.
• Good manners.
• Neatness, presentable appearance (if we are talking about offline work).

Since becoming a sales manager is both easy and difficult, you need to understand that the professional portrait of a specialist in this field consists of many characteristics and conditions. One of the criteria is specialized education. It is an advantage rather than a requirement.

Professional education

Many online courses for young professionals talk about how to become a sales manager, but not a single educational institution offers such a specialty. But there are more extensive and multifaceted ones: management, management, business and entrepreneurship, psychology, economic psychology, economics and the like. Graduates of each of the listed faculties may well be sales managers. Moreover, it is much easier for them to learn their responsibilities since they already have an understanding of how the business works. Graduates of the specialty "Entrepreneurship Psychology" and others like it have a particular advantage, since they know how to communicate with clients.

Since it is quite possible to become a sales manager from scratch, specialized education is not at all necessary, although it is valued in many companies. Practice has shown that sales department managers value the practical skills of a specialist more than having a list of documents about studying at the university, advanced training, participation in conferences, and so on.

Criteria for the success of a specialist

It’s not enough to know how to become a successful sales manager; you need to put it into practice.

Detailed success criteria are built based on what tasks the sales manager faces. The main criteria are:

• Sales level of services or goods.
• Communication skills.
• Literacy in oral and written communication.
• Knowledge of the range of products or services, the ability to correctly and clearly answer customer questions about the range.

And based on your successes, you can discuss how to become a better sales manager.

First steps to the profession

Let's move on to the question of what it takes to become a sales manager. First of all, you need to make sure that you really want to develop in this area, since doing something you don’t like will ultimately lead to the so-called burnout syndrome; you will not be satisfied with yourself either as a person in general or as a specialist.

If for some reason you are forced to get a job as a sales manager, although you are not at all interested in it, either look for other options, or try to find the advantages in this job. The service industry requires constant contact with people, and many people quite clearly sense the specialist’s mood, and the impression from communicating with him directly affects the level of sales. And how to become a sales manager if you don’t like communicating with people?

Prepare yourself psychologically for the upcoming work.

Be sure to learn the basics of marketing if they are not familiar to you. This is necessary so that you understand the principles of operation of any business and trading activity in general.

Understand which business niches are most and least successful in your region. This will help when choosing a company to work for, especially if they offer a percentage of sales as a salary.

The role of a manager in car sales

The auto business is one of the most profitable in many countries. A car has long ceased to be a luxury; it is perceived as a necessary thing. This is why working for corporations that sell cars is truly profitable. At the same time, this is a very responsible job.

Let's take a closer look at how to become a car sales manager.

As in any area of ​​business, a sales manager must have an ideal knowledge of the product range and the portrait of the target audience. Understand the technical characteristics of all cars, find out the desires and preferences of potential customers (you can simply read motorist forums), and do not be lazy to find out on the same forums the car owners’ impressions of their cars.

Many showrooms offer a so-called test drive: an opportunity for the client to try out a car before buying. Don't neglect this service if the salon you work at offers it.

Real estate: tasks of a sales manager

In the real estate industry, we are talking about quite a lot of money, and this involves hiring responsible and professional specialists. How to become a real estate sales manager? This is more difficult than, for example, being a sales manager in a mid-level gadget store; you must have some experience, if not in real estate, then at least in a similar price segment and level of responsibility.

The scope of activities of a real estate sales manager may include providing assistance in the following services:

• Rent of premises for private use or business.
• Sale of premises.
• Construction.

In any of these areas, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for the client and help him choose the room that suits him.

A good specialist usually studies all the pitfalls of the profession at any stage of work. Basic tips on how to become a sales manager can only be useful to complete beginners, but to those who are ready to develop further.

1. You must have a perfect understanding of the range of products and services that you offer. In this case, you will not have any difficulties if a potential buyer asks a question about the technical characteristics of the item being purchased or the features of the service provided.
2. Banal politeness and business ethics are the most important laws of a sales manager. Even if the client is rude, gets personal, behaves rudely and inappropriately, you cannot answer him in the same way. It’s elementary that you shouldn’t stoop to the level of rudeness, not only as a specialist, but also as an adequate person.
3. Practice your communication skills during non-work hours. Listen from the outside as you conduct a conversation, for example, by asking friends in advance to pretend to be buyers and recording the conversation on a voice recorder or video camera. You can also ask your friends for their opinion.
4. Learn sales formulas and marketing fundamentals. Don’t try to manipulate the client, people don’t like that and are unlikely to want to buy something from you. Even if they buy, they are unlikely to want to recommend your store to their friends or contact you again.
5. You can't lie to a client. If, after purchasing a product or service provided to him, he is justifiably disappointed, negative reviews and loss of a client are guaranteed.
6. Constantly improve. Read literature, forums on the topic, follow business news, especially in your niche. Don't get caught up in the idea that your job is to sell and nothing else. If you stand still in terms of professional development and self-education, you will not be able to grow as a professional.
7. Negotiate the terms of cooperation with your superiors in advance. This can be a salary (a specific monthly salary amount), a percentage of sales, or a salary and a percentage of sales combined.

Conclusion

The question of how to become a sales manager can be asked to yourself and others repeatedly, but actions are much more important and more effective. A job that seems simple at first glance requires attention, stress resistance, marketing skills and communication skills.

In fact, there are several ways to conduct training. First, you must decide: who will train your employees? Maybe a full-time coach? Invited trainer to conduct corporate training in sales technologies? Either this “trainer” will be your head of the sales department - or you yourself. Now let's think about what kind of return do you want to get after training your employees? Many companies rely on better understanding of business specialization, i.e. an in-depth study of a product, or material, or service that a company represents on the market. And they forget about the most important thing - sales technology.

Conduct an audit

I remember a case when two meetings were held with managers, who are also the owners of companies. We came to a meeting at company N. The company is medium in size. The director has not been involved in sales for more than 10 years, and his deputy is in charge of the sales department. Previously, managers were constantly trained. I taught myself, invited trainers to the company and went to trainings in Moscow. But over the past two years, they have stopped providing training, which is now negatively affecting the company’s sales turnover. My colleague asked a banal question to the director: “Can you sell snow in winter to the Chukchi?” the answer came in a second, and I note with minimal costs and tangible profits.

Our meeting ended on a positive note for both sides. Then we visited the NN company, almost identical in size to N, and found out that the director himself was in charge of sales. That (recorded in his words) the head of the sales department knows little, and doesn’t even want to talk about managers. Sales are falling, customers are leaving for competitors. A colleague asked the same question: “Can he sell snow in winter to the Chukchi?” He replied: “I think I can!” And she is so meticulous and asks again: “So what do you think? or can you?”, after a short silence, he said: “To be honest, now I think I can’t!” We are interested in what he is doing to increase sales. And he conscientiously listed all the discounts offered and promotions carried out. Which, in his opinion, should increase the influx of new clients, and as a result, increase turnover. But when it comes to improving the professionalism of sales staff, there is silence. To the question: “Who will win in negotiations - a trained employee or just a self-taught employee?”, he answered that he was naturally trained. But, nevertheless, he is not going to spend personal money on their education.

If we compare these two companies, one thread can be traced - training is mandatory, the question is who will do it?

Life has already set its priorities, since progress does not stand still, but runs forward by leaps and bounds. And therefore, many believe that it is better to pay a specialist in this field of knowledge than to do it yourself. We, as sales training specialists who constantly conduct training for employees of our companies, believe that only a combination of different approaches can be truly effective. Maximum knowledge about the specifics of the product, the ability to negotiate with exactly those clients with whom your business works - all this is available to the directors and sales managers of your company. How can you give up this experience, the ability to sell in this specific area, and not conduct training on your own? But those effective sales technologies that can be obtained in trainings conducted by professional business trainers cannot be ignored. As well as new experience and a fresh, “uncluttered” look at problems - all this can also be obtained at professional business trainings.

Based on our experience, we can say with complete confidence where the weak link is for a manager or sales representative when starting to work with a potential client. This is a complete lack of ability to conduct the first telephone conversations and conduct the first meeting competently. It's no secret that an impression of a person is formed in the first few seconds of communication with him. Therefore, you need to know what sales techniques to use in this dialogue. A sales technology savvy manager or sales representative knows how to build a trusting relationship with a potential client. Which ultimately leads to the transition from “potential” to “regular” client status.

Recently, on one project, there was an incident when a young “fighter” asked a specialist for help in holding a meeting with a potential client of the “Sovdepov’s starter”. He could not start a dialogue with her; she met any of his initiatives with hostility. Having previously asked him how he tried to build a trusting relationship with her, we came to the conclusion (the most interesting thing is that the speech modules were pre-written, but it turned out it didn’t work) that the notorious human factor came to the fore. And in this case, an extraordinary approach to the client was needed. An experienced businessman who had practical and life experience advised how to build a dialogue. Those. you need to say hello with a smile, inquire about your health, and if it’s not very good, sympathize. And then just start talking about work. No one actually foresaw what happened. We arrived at the client, she was just in the sales area. And instead of doing as had already been discussed according to the script, the young “fighter” began a conversation (an official mentoring tone without a hint of a smile): “Hello! How are you doing?". She stood in the “sugar bowl” pose (in common parlance “hands on hips”) and asked: “What’s your business?”, he became embarrassed, blushed, apologized and walked away from her. Of course, in the end, after the specialist made adjustments, the dialogue still took place, and the second meeting was successful. But this could have been avoided by acting strictly according to the script.

So what is the best way to conduct training? Here are some options:

• Hire a trainer;
• Invite an outside trainer (conducting corporate training);
• Conduct training yourself or entrust it to the head of the sales department.

Now let's look at the pros and cons of such training.

Hiring a coach on staff - in this case, the advantage is that such a coach becomes “pocket”, i.e. it can be used at any time. The training can be conducted at any time: before the start of the working day, during lunch, or after taking some working time in the evening. The downside is that he will only transfer his knowledge (which you will not be able to test and evaluate, since this will take a lot of time). Or the theoretical knowledge of other teachers, which will also be in doubt. And where is the guarantee that what they will teach is new and effective, and not old and outdated.

Conduct an express audit of the sales department yourself using 23 criteria and identify points of sales growth!

Conduct an audit

Invite an outside trainer, in other words, invite them to conduct corporate training in your company. Or go yourself, for example, to Moscow for an open training in the same area. We get a plus in any case, since we already have information about the coach himself, and we also get knowledge based on practical experience first-hand. And at open trainings we also get acquainted with the experience of other participants in this process. As a rule, such trainings are conducted during non-working hours and in terms of timing do not affect the work process, but the knowledge that is obtained from them is, as practice has shown, very effective. The only downside is the cost of training and travel.

If you conduct training yourself. The advantage is that you convey your personal experience of participating in negotiations. Your own turns of phrase, your own “baubles”, your own manner of behavior with the client. This is great, especially since no one knows the specifics of your business better than you. But the downside in this case is, no, not your wasted time, but your communication with your own kind, which is unique to you. You act in the role of what we call the “Extender”. Those. finalizing negotiations when concluding a deal or signing a contract. And in this case we are talking about the weaknesses of managers and sales representatives in working with clients.

If we consider the issue of involving the head of the sales department in training, then all his practical and life skills will also be a plus. The downside is his workload and the “blurred view” of his managers or sales representatives on some aspects of negotiations. It should also be taken into account that he may be good at selling himself. But he cannot teach this to others due to certain reasons. Unfortunately, not all experienced negotiators and sales managers are both able and willing to conduct business training for their employees.

For example, in one company the sales manager was sure that only his negotiation style was the most effective. Using the technology of conducting “hard” negotiations, he concluded deals literally at the second or third meeting with the client. Therefore, when transferring experience to his employees, he persistently forced them to memorize speech modules, almost word for word. The managers tried to do everything as he ordered. As a result, when summing up the work for the week, it turned out that out of 8 supposed contracts, only two were signed. Three were under consideration, although the likelihood of their signing was slim to none. And the rest refused altogether. When they began to find out the reason, it turned out that the speech patterns of a 45-year-old man were very different from the speech patterns of a 25-year-old girl. The behavior of a 45-year-old man is different from the behavior of a 29-year-old guy. And in general, what is allowed to “Jupiter” is not allowed to “bull”. It’s good that the director of the company realized this in time and took appropriate measures. And now in their company everyone does only their job. I would like to remind you: “The smart one is not the one who doesn’t make mistakes, but the one who can correct these mistakes in time!”

From the above examples it is clear what the head of the company can ultimately receive. At what time to conduct training is also up to him. The most important thing, in our opinion, is to decide who will do it. At the same time, do not forget the popular wisdom: “The miser pays twice.” And in your case, three times, since you will lose the most valuable thing - time.

© Konstantin Baksht, General Director of Baksht Consulting Group.

The best way to quickly master and implement the technology of building a sales department is to attend K. Baksht’s training on sales management “Sales System”.

Ideal salespeople are not born, and even one who, without preparation, is able to induce a random passerby to make a spontaneous purchase is just a diamond in the rough that has yet to be processed taking into account the specifics of the industry, the characteristics of the product and the established rules of the company. Organizations often approach staff training like learning to swim, throwing the newcomer off a boat into the water. Some swim somehow, the rest drown. The best way to avoid this is to create a sales manager training plan.

And the reason for this is clear: the quality of the sales manager’s training mainly determines the client’s satisfaction, and therefore the efficiency of work and the profit of the organization. A well-trained employee is able to show independence, knows what management expects of him, and therefore does not perceive his superiors’ comments as nagging. This increases the level of his loyalty to the company and brings the team closer together. Sales training in stages allows you to eliminate stress and achieve the necessary qualifications.

Stages of training a sales manager

Getting to know the company

At the first stage, the employee is introduced to the history of the company, mission, long-term and short-term goals, and traditions. The HR employee talks about working conditions, work and rest schedules, and the remuneration system. A beginner needs:

• Show the main office premises and workplace.
• Introduce him to the technical means at his disposal and the software products used.
• Bring to his attention the main tasks and job responsibilities.
• Introduce other team members and their functions.
• Conduct introductory training on fire safety and labor protection.

For familiarization, the employee is provided with internal documents: regulations, standards, rules, job descriptions. Consistent implementation of all actions with sufficient time and attention will allow the newcomer to feel confident from the first minutes that his appearance was expected, and to quickly get involved in the work.

Getting to know the product

As a rule, the range of products offered by the company is quite wide. The employee must be given access to all information materials. However, by sending him on an independent voyage through endless lists and catalogs, you can make a serious mistake.

First of all, you should highlight the most popular products that occupy the largest share of sales. In order to better assimilate the material, it is advisable to divide the product into categories and use visual material: presentations and videos containing images of the products, their characteristics and purpose. The audio will improve the perception. Products in stock can be demonstrated in person.

To better assimilate the material, it is advisable to divide the product into categories and use visual material: presentations and videos.

In addition, it is necessary to familiarize the manager with the price list and pricing policy (discounts, bonuses, promotions), as well as with the service and additional services (delivery conditions and terms, warranty and service, installment payment, loyalty program).

As the product is presented, it is important to give the newcomer the opportunity to ask clarifying questions and answer them in detail, giving examples from practice. To do this, during the entire training process, next to the new employee there must be an experienced and competent employee selected as a supervisor.

At the end of this stage, it is advisable for the manager to conduct a review to determine how well the basic information has been absorbed and to identify gaps. This could be an oral survey, a test, or a list of open-ended situational questions. At this stage, it is not important to have a thorough knowledge of the assortment, but to understand the key points.

Education

At the third stage, the supervisor gives the new employee general knowledge of sales techniques, shares skills in selling individual products, and also explains a number of organizational and technical issues relating to the following positions:

• Specifics of working with internal databases and software products.
• Preparation of documents (applications, contracts, reports) and document flow.
• Mechanisms and forms of interaction with other employees and departments at each stage of the transaction.

The employee needs to be shown where to get information about clients, explain the methodology for working with different groups of clients, the principles of division into these groups and how clients are distributed among employees. It is also important to provide templates and proven algorithms and teach how to use them.

The employee needs to be shown where to get information about clients, explain the methodology for working with different groups of clients, the principles of division into these groups and how clients are distributed among employees.

The result of training at this stage should be the manager’s assimilation of the sales logic, in accordance with which most transactions are concluded. During this time, the employee develops a clear idea of ​​what the step-by-step work algorithm is and what the final result should be.

Beginning of work

At the final stage, preceding independent work, the manager begins to interact with clients. For the first 2-3 contacts, the new employee plays the role of a passive observer of the work of the curator. Before starting to communicate with the client, the senior comrade tells the newcomer what he is going to do and what goal he plans to achieve. After completing the contact, answers his questions.

After the first phase, the newcomer is given the opportunity to conduct the dialogue himself, while the curator is nearby, “on hand” and controls the process. If a new employee has difficulties or makes a mistake, an experienced employee comes to his aid.

After 3-5 such contacts, the position of passive observation is taken by the curator, and the manager is given freedom of action. After communicating with the client, the observer asks how the employee himself evaluates his actions, works on mistakes, and gives recommendations to the newcomer.

Drawing up an employee adaptation plan

In order to streamline actions within each stage, reduce costs and optimally distribute time and responsibility, it is recommended to carefully organize the process by developing an onboarding plan for a new employee. When drawing up a plan, activities for training a manager are arranged in a certain order, it is specified in what form they will be carried out, deadlines and performers are assigned.

Sample

We present to your attention a sample sales training plan.

When setting deadlines for completing certain activities, it is important to take into account the amount of information to be assimilated, but you should not delay the process of transition from theory to practice too much. Feedback should also be provided: the employee has the opportunity to ask questions, express his wishes and assessments.

Eventually

Training a new employee is about adapting his needs, abilities and values ​​to the requirements of the organization. However, we should not forget that this process is not limited to providing him with the knowledge and skills necessary for work. In many ways, a manager’s adaptation is facilitated by the corporate culture and psychological climate in the team. In order to maximize the convergence of the goals of the employee and the organization, form his commitment to the company, improve mutual understanding and trust, it is recommended to periodically conduct trainings with a team-building effect, training seminars, social, cultural and holiday events, and establish a system of bonuses and incentives. This is the only way to get a friendly team aimed at achieving maximum results.