Sales + Marketing = Superior Sales Training

By Beth Gallob

Sales training. It’s the best way to involve, educate, and motivate your sales force. And using your marketing team to develop the training agenda and materials will help ensure its success and go a long way in integrating the activities of the two groups. In short, you can’t have one without the other. Here are the areas you should cover in your sales training.

Company Strategic Direction/Vision/Mission

Your sales people—and all your employees for that matter—should understand the BIG PICTURE. Your company vision, mission, and strategic direction constitute the rallying point for all marketing and sales activities. While it’s important to discuss corporate financial objectives and individual sales quotas, explaining corporate philosophy and purpose with passion and enthusiasm can inspire loyalty and commitment.

Industry Overview/Target Markets

What are the industry trends that support your company and product? Who is your target market, and what is their pain? What problems do your products or services solve? These are all questions that must be answered. Be crystal clear about how your sales team can take advantage of market opportunities.

Product/Service Overview

Of course, your sales force must understand the ins and outs of all your products and services. But why the customer should care—benefits—is more important than features and functions. Provide an overview of your products, services, and methodology. Drill down to specifics about each.

Competitive Analysis/Advantage

At some point, your sales people will have to answer questions about the competition. While bad-mouthing the competition is not kosher, your sales team should be prepared to compare and contrast, emphasizing how your products and services are the superior solution.

Current Marketing Programs

Although, the whole is always greater than the sum of its parts, sales and marketing are still disconnected in many companies. Here’s the opportunity for your marketing team to market themselves, describing marketing activities and schedules. Sales people should understand that there’s method to the madness of marketing.

Customer Profile/Prospecting Criteria

Who is your customer? What type of company do they work for? What are their job titles? How will your product or services help them better do their jobs? Once your sales people understand this, you can work with them to target their message in phone calls, letters, emails, and other means of communication. Be specific. Identify qualifying questions, responses to objections, and alternative approaches.

Sales Strategy/Cycle/Tools

This section is critical. By understanding the sales strategy and cycle, marketing can provide the specific tools needed as each step of the process, facilitating success. Review marketing materials and your Web site, set up the trade show booth, demo the product demos. Make it clear that your sales force can count on the support of your marketing team. For more information, see my two-part article, “Marketing + Sales = Tools for Success in the May 30 and June 25 issues of The Corporate Connection.

Practice Makes Perfect

At some point during the training, individual sales people should practice telephoning, making sales calls, and demonstrating the product. If your training is more than two days, they can study and practice overnight before presenting to the group the next day. The dreaded role-playing activity can help prepare your sales force to handle questions and objections. You could even have teams of marketing and sales individuals work together on this.

Conclusion

Your marketing team can gather information, prepare presentations, and package the training materials. The results will be an organized, informative, and professional session that will make the most of your time with your sales force.

© 2002, Gallob Communication

Beth Gallob is the principal of Gallob Communications, providing marketing communication and consulting to technology companies. From marketing plans, marketing materials, and advertising copy to Web site content, articles, and technical white papers, she helps companies tell their story. Contact Beth at or visit www.gallobcomm.com.

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