3 Ways to Improve Sales Certification

In most sales organizations, successful completion of training results in certification. That said, few reps demonstrate newly acquired skills consistently for it to translate to improved sales results. A key reason for this – most sales organizations approach certification as a one-time activity.

SLC research finds that most sales organizations certify reps based on short-term demonstrated behaviors through assessments or tests. But, short-term certification fails to ensure full adoption of new behaviors.

On the other hand, leading organizations implement long-term certification programs based on sustained behavior change. They do this in three ways:

Assess routine workflow for new skill demonstration: Certify reps if they demonstrate continuous use of newly learnt skills in their regular workflow, rather than at the end of the training. This ensures a robust understanding of new skills and its applications. For example, Electrolux certifies reps on both acquired and demonstrated skills, observed over a year.
Support proficiency-based skill achievement over time: Accommodate differential levels of learning by creating a proficiency-based certification system. This approach recognizes varied skill levels as well as pushes reps towards continuous improvement.  For example, Britannia uses a Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiering system to assess manager skills and improvement areas over time. Interestingly, by regularly tracking skills and allowing for down-tiering from gold to silver or silver to bronze, Britannia ensures that newly learned skills and behaviors are consistently used by reps over a long period of time.


Seek customer sign-off on sustained impact:  Evaluate the “true” value-added by reps by enrolling customers as “impact verifiers”. This helps quantify new skills application that drive customer impact. For example, Kennametal requires customers to sign-off on the level of savings a rep helps them realize—the higher the savings, the greater the incentive for rep.

Does your sales certification program include the training and validation of new or improved sales skills based on consistent application? Are you using any other methods to drive long-term certification?

SLC members, to learn more, visit our topic centers on Training and Coaching. Also, listen to the event replay on Challenger Skills Adoption: Driving Long-Term Behavior Change.