Friday, September 12, 2008

Why Sales Training Is Necessary To Modern Companies

By Fredrick Simmons


New business development is the act of developing a person in the act of sales. Sales, which can be done individually or as part of a team, is where a person sells a goods or service to a buyer. It is usually thought that selling is the same as marketing but there is a distinct difference - marketing exists to endorse a product by making it attractive to a potential customer and, through this, may inactively produce a sale. On the other hand, a sales person actively speaks with a potential customer, demonstrating directly how their product or service can help the customer by providing them tailored information. The best sales agent is someone who works together with their customer and works to solve the customer's wants and goals with the item or service to be sold.

Sales is an important part of modern business models. Not only does the sales person sell a corporate item or service, they also work to produce new business opportunities and find clients for their business, thereby supporting and cultivating their company's client base and industry standing. Sales is often the public face of a business so it essential that correct sales training is provided to the sales person so that they can excel in their selling role but also know how to be the best promoter possible for the product and the company.

There is a plethora of methods a business can employ to connect with their client. Direct sales - where the business interacts directly with their client - is probably the most well-known. The most familiar direct selling methods are door-to-door selling and telemarketing; in both cases the business directly connects with the buyer at home or at their place of business to tell them about the product. Another way of direct selling is 'consultative selling' whereby the business interacts directly with the client but first begins by asking the client about what merchandise or services they require and creating answers in collaboration with the buyer. Corporations also often sell merchandise through retailers - so called 'middle men' - and through mail order, while the rise of the web has given companies a new way in which to connect with potential buyers. As can be seen, there is an incredible variety in the way companies contact, connect and potentially sell to a customer, which has increased the necessity of sales development.

Sales training focuses on the range of methods a sales agent can use when directly dealing with the client, so integral in these days of direct selling. Although there are a range of particular methods tailored for different methods of selling, the main psychology behind excellent sales practice is five-fold: analyze a customer's needs, offer solutions to the buyer, discuss the benefits of the item, overcome any questions the customer may have and close the sale. This philosophy can sometimes be condensed to a three-part methodology: find the customer, present to the customer and close the sale.

Sales training courses are widely available with many training academies and specialist companies offering courses that you can take in person or via correspondence or the internet. Many large businesses have also developed their own in-house new business development programs. There are also a plethora of books available on the subject.

Good Sales training will always highlight the need to ask buyers questions in order to better provide them solutions, will always highlight the necessity of knowing your product and will include motivational material, as selling is a high-pressure profession that not only involves a lot of self-motivation but also deals with a lot of rejection as well.

Incentive programs, what they're for and how to use them are also included in a lot of sales development. These 'sales incentive programs' or SIP's, are a tool used to encourage a sales teams and lists specific goals for attainment, which aims to focus selling activity.

Sales training will teach you self-motivation, direction and excellent interaction abilities and, as such, would stand any person in good stead for any leading role outside of sales, as well as within.

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