The very best sales training isn’t a once-a-year event, it’s ongoing, perpetual, and it’s about mastery and evolution.
Achieving mastery in any profession requires awareness and understanding about self and the elements required to be effective in that profession – knowledge, skills, mindset, processes, tools. It also requires that we continue to measure and develop ourselves to these standards.
That is why some professions, like law, accounting, financial planning, engineering, nursing, medicine, etc. require people to keep up their CPD education -Continuing Professional Development- or risk losing their licence to practice. They collect points over the year for all the CPD sessions they attend and must pass a minimum number to stay registered/licenced. It makes sense. There are fundamental standards as well as new information, new knowledge, procedures, etc. that these professions need to have and must keep on top of. Without CPD they would fall behind and who, in their right mind, wants to go to a doctor, accountant, or lawyer, who isn’t fully up to date with the latest standards?
However, the Sales Profession has no CPD standards. Nothing to hold us to account as to what is the minimum standard of sales excellence or best practice.
Sales development is still a haphazard affair and personality driven, often presented as the 1 or 2 day event. Whilst potentially entertaining and fun, these events will change nothing if your goal is to develop and improve the capabilities of your sales teams.
How to set up your own Sales CPD environment
While we don’t have an official CPD system for the sales profession, you can set up your own version in house. Here is are a few things to consider:
- Define your Selling-Buying Process: this gives clarity, reduces friction caused by any gaps, and gives everyone a common language around sales.
- Education: choose a blended learning program that allows for on-the-job learning, supported by 1-on-1 coaching or group sessions and includes a small proportion of classroom/virtual classroom settings with the assistance of a strong online curriculum.
Transparency of this whole process is key to a modern training and education system. Let everyone know that they will be participating in the program beforehand.
This system not only brings salespeople and client-facing teams up to speed with defined minimum standards of sales excellence, but it is also how you help your sales teams sell better, faster.
Remember, everybody lives by selling something.
A bit about Barrett’s Learning and Development Services.
Established in 1995, Barrett is a business consulting and education firm specialising in ethical, human-centred Sales Systems, Strategies, Processes and Practices. We are your Selling Better Strategists, Advisors Innovators, Trainers, Coaches and Change Agents helping you, your teams and business purposefully transform to sell and service better, sustainably now and into the future. We offer a full range of in-person, online, and remote learning options.
Design and customise your Sales and Service Development Programmes for “How we sell and service around here”
Barrett designs and customises individual workshops and conferences through to 12+ month blended learning sales training and coaching programmes that encompass your sales strategy, sales messaging, value proposition, market segments, sales-service-buying process maps, sales and service standards, skills, tools, and resources under the title “How we sell and service around here”. The main aim is to ensure that all tools and materials are purpose built for your organisation and this includes case studies, process maps, templates, tools, sales coaching resources, online modules, etc.
Design and customise your own Sales Education Program Formats
Program formats are designed using 70:20:10 learning methodology and include 1, 2 or 3+ day workshop formats and/or remote learning versions that are delivered over time to embed best practice standards and create a Perpetual Learning Environment (PLE).
Our in-person and remote workshops plus online modules are designed using the latest inquiry-based learning methodologies and are interactive, practical, and highly engaging. Workshops are underpinned by online learning content, regular remote-coaching and infield coaching support to ensure application and development of the fundamental sales and service principles and tools studied. Barrett’s L&D consultants are experienced, qualified instructional designers, facilitators, trainers, and coaches who know how to prepare an effective learning plan and environment for your organisation that delivers real and sustainable outcomes.
please contact us or phone 03 9533 0000.
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