If you have reached here searching for this material online, it’s either because:
1. You haven’t taken any training or course yet, and you want to know if it’ll be worth the high $ amount these typically sell for, (or)
2. You have taken a course already, in which case you kinda know the answer, but want some validation.
You haven’t taken any training or course yet, and you want to know if it’ll be high $ amount these typically sell for:
Go on the internet and you’ll get an answer either way. Both the conclusions have pretty good reasons to back them up. so let’s look at this from your point of view.
If you are new to the sales profession and you haven’t taken any training yet, I’d strongly recommend going through one. I don’t have any recommendations of the courses yet, but I do have a framework that you can follow (mentioned later on in the blog). A crash course will do just fine. Just make sure that the training program consists of the basics of sales and has good reviews to back it up.
The other method is to DIY (Do It Yourself) by going through the grind yourself or reading books and blogs (like the ones on this website). This method will be virtually free but will cost you more time.
The only flip side to avoiding a training program altogether is if you’ve been in this industry for quite a few years and are already doing pretty well. But even in this scenario, remember the learning never stops, hence a constant upgradation of skills through reading and practice is a must.
You have taken a course already, in which case you kinda know the answer but want some validation:
I remember taking my first course quite a while back. It was a corporate mandated event for all sales people in the company. The institution providing the training was a reputed one and came up with binders for everyone. There was much to learn especially in B2B (Business 2 Business) sales. We were divided in teams and had a lot of case studies & exercises to do together. There was software and spreadsheets within the course and obviously a step-up training program that was offered at the end of the session. But all in all, it was a good learning experience.
It was good thus far. But, the training was repeated again next year. This time it was another company (reputed no doubt) who came back with their own binders and it was deja vu. Learnings were few and far in between. I think the only thing I took away from the course is, how not to crib about it to the management. No one wants to spend thousands of dollars just to hear that the whole exercise has been a wasted effort.
This brings us to the question, how to make sure that a sales training course is right for you?
1. Feel good factor: Taking a cue from the time I used to be subjected to ‘corporate’ sales trainings, the feel good factor is an important part of the course. While results achieved after the program are great, but if you have an antagonized sales team, it’s not going to do you much good over the long run. The same holds true if you are planning to take a course yourself. While you do want to learn stuff and that’s a good thing. Don’t get into a herculean course which you know you’ll quit before you even begin.
2. Measurable parameters: Some of the sales training programs have this aspect built into the program where they measure you before and after on the skills they are training you on. Even if THEY don’t, YOU can do it yourself. Let’s take for example a course that deals with customer reach outs. A measure of success will be if your conversion rate goes up after the course.
3. Cost Benefit Analysis: This term along with ROI (Return On Investment) gets thrown around a lot but its to good measure. While it’s important to know what parameters you are improving upon, it should be considerable compared to the amount you are investing. Let’s be honest, there aren’t too many free courses out there. In fact there are quite a few that have a frivolous fee structure, sometimes charging as much as universities for a course of a few days. It’s essential that you do not overspend on any course. In fact if you do make the effort, almost all the information is available for free. These blog posts are an effort towards that goal.
4. Reviews: Like you go through the innumerable reviews before you purchase a product, do go through the reviews before you purschase a sales training or course. Be sure to check independent evaluators or regular consumers’ review. If possible get in touch with them (this is quite easy in the virtual world we are in) to understand what they felt was beneficial and how you should approach the course. A wealth of information can be obtained from a consumer directly compared to the data you’ll find online.
CONCLUSION
The short answer to the question posed in the blog topic is: It depends! Depends on various parameters. The most important being how far ahead you are in the journey and how you are faring in your profession. If you have just started or aren’t doing as well as you’d like, you should definitely pursue a training course to up your skills. But if you are among those who have spent a considerable amount of time in sales and have been successful at it, you have a little more liberty to choose. The course can be geared at the specific skills you want to pursue, some of which have been listed in my previous blog.
At the cost of repeating myself, please ensure that your learning process is continuous. Be it through books, blogs, seminars, practice, observance etc. The moment you stop learning, especially in the tech sales industry, you become obsolete, hence keep that momentum going for you!
