Turnover is one of the biggest ways sales companies lose money. Some formulas estimate it can cost over 200% of an employee's annual salary to replace them.
Keeping your team happy will help retention, but eventually, sales employees will move on, and you'll have to replace them. To help mitigate the extra cost, it's essential to have a sales skills training program in place for new employees.
It's easy to get caught up in your daily routine as a manager and forget you have to train your new employee. Ahead, we'll give you some reasons why you shouldn't skip this critical part of the onboarding process.
You Play the Way You Practice
"Practice makes perfect" is a timeless quote for a reason. Practice is the only way anyone gets good at something. The same is true for sales, and if you want a new employee to succeed you need to do more than throw them into the fire.
Employees can practice with real-life clients, but if you employ this method, you run the risk of decimating someone's confidence. Put them in a simulation first, and help them work out the wrinkles. This will give them a safety net if they fail, and will help them develop their pitch to perfection.
Teaching Techniques
If you let a recruit get on the phone and start calling, they probably won't have the tools to close the sale. Even if their pitch is adequate, they probably have some element that needs work.
Sales skills training allows you to impart your techniques on the prospect. If you've experienced success with a particular strategy, let them know about it. From there, they can introduce your advice into their technique, and develop a personal plan from there.
Company Systems
Many companies have an efficient sales system they like to teach to their employees. Personalizing the script is often the key to breaking a sale, but teaching a recruit the system is invaluable.
Give the prospect a rundown of the system, then quiz them on what to do when a customer asks a certain question. This is especially important with those who are new to sales, as it gives them a framework with which to start.
Furthermore, tell your recruits why each part of the process is important. Down the line, they may decide to skip a step if they don't think it's necessary, so keep them in the loop.
Sales Skills Training Boosts Performance
Sales skills training can increase an employee's performance by 20%. IF you aren't training your staff, you're leaving money on the table and opening the door for more turnover. If a new employee isn't succeeding, they'll likely become discouraged and look for another job, starting the cycle all over again.
The sales force is the backbone of company profits, so make sure they're properly trained before hitting the phones.
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