How to Translate Training into Results

Building a successful sales training program is a top priority for every organization. With the sales environment becoming more complex, sales skills of the past are no longer sufficient. To upskill reps on new skills, sales organizations need to find ways to make training “stick” in the field.

Typically, here is how most sales organizations describe the success of their training program:

“We put together superior training content.”

“We delivered the training with the most innovative techniques.”

“We got the best people to train our sales reps.”

BUT, when it comes to applying these skills on-the-job, this is what reps have to say:

“I tried applying the new skills, but gave up after repeated customer resistance.”

“I’d love to try these new skills, but it’s the end of the quarter, and I don’t want to risk it.”

“I didn’t get many immediate opportunities to apply the new skills.”

This is what your reps experience after a training session when they attempt to apply what they’ve just learned in the field. No matter how effective the training curriculum and delivery are, a number of obstacles in the real-world prevent reps from applying what they learned on-the-job.

So, how can you prevent this from happening and ensure reps apply what they learn in training?

You have to create opportunities for reps to practice new skills in a safe, yet real-world environment. Below are some strategies that some of the most progressive companies employ:

Rapid-fire, real-world practice with managers: Siemens Water Technologies engineers a series of pre-planned, rapid-fire experiential opportunities as part of manager/rep coaching trips. Several weeks in advance, managers and reps schedule two-day coaching trips in which the rep focuses on practicing pre-agreed upon behaviors. This allows reps to immerse themselves in the skill while receiving immediate feedback from managers, thus improving retention.
Realistic role-play sessions: St. Jude Medical employs an elaborate role-play in its training efforts—instead of using managers or coaches as role-play partners, they use customer proxies. This results in immediate and sustained increases in rep performance because the role-plays are much more realistic and closer to a real customer interaction.

CEB Sales members, if you’re interested in learning about the specifics behind this best practice, register for our upcoming webinar on Getting Sales Training to Stick. Also, review the full study, Boosting Sales Training Stickiness and visit the Sales Training topic center for more resources and best practices.