Sales Management Training Example
Client issue #1: Our sales managers don't understand what we want them to do with their time.
Our client's VP of Sales sent an email to 10 sales managers asking each to reply with his/her understanding of the sales managers' duties, and what sales managers thought the company expected them to do with their time. The VP of Sales received 10 different responses, none of which matched what the VP wanted them to be doing.
Client issue #2: Our company's "Sales Manager Job Description" doesn't accurately describe the sales managers' job.
TopLine's Solution:
TopLine president Kevin Davis facilitated a one-day "job analysis brainstorm session" where a carefully selected small group brainstormed best practices of sales managers and then repackaged these best practices into a new job description. TopLine's "Sales Management Leadership" training program was then customized to teach the company's sales managers the knowledge and skills they needed to perform their jobs. The training also became the forum for senior management to communicate their new expectations to sales managers.
Sales Training Example
Client issue: No consistent sales model or process for solution selling.
Our client had recently gone through a merger, and two disparate sales forces were brought together. Therefore, there was no common understanding of how to sell going forward. Because the new company recognized the importance of selling complete solutions (instead of product-pushing), and more effectively differentiating those solutions from competitors, a search for a new consultative sales model was initiated. Eight months later they selected TopLine's "Getting Into Your Customer's Head", and have since trained over 15,000 salespeople with the Customer's Head sales model.
TopLine's Solution:
We delivered a pilot program, and then customized our training materials, including our Instructor's Guide. We then delivered a "Train-the-Trainer," whereupon their trainers began delivering sales training sessions in the field. Results: new hires are ramping up to expected revenue levels 30% faster, on average, and in many cases 50-60% faster is not uncommon. Existing Account Managers who attended the training also benefitted. Specifically, our client found that over half of experienced salespeople who completed the training produced a "personal record sales month" within six months after completing the training.
Sales Management Training Example
Client issue: Sales managers were not coaching salespeople, or as one of our clients calls it - the "call me when you need me" sales manager.
Our client surveyed their sales force, asking salespeople to rate their sales managers' effectiveness. Interestingly, sales managers were rated very high on "my manager cares about my success", but were rated dead-last, lower than low, on "provides the proactive coaching I need to be successful." This lack of proactive, developmental coaching was a drag on sales productivity, and resulted in increased sales turnover.
TopLine's Solution:
We customized our Sales Management Leadership workshop. Following the delivery of a two-day "turbo" session to the company's top 10 Sales VPs the following program was delivered by TopLine consultants to 350 sales managers and sales directors, in groups of 24 managers per session:
- Pre-work
- Initial two-day workshop. Each sales manager completed a 90-day "Action Plan" for implementation of program material back on the job.
- 30-days after Session # 1: TopLine leads webinar reinforcement meeting # 1 (12 managers per meeting)
- 60 days after Session # 1: TopLine leads webinar reinforcement meeting # 2
- 120 days after session # 1: Participants reconvene for Session # 2 delivered by TopLine, a one-day session. Another 90-day Action Implementation Plan is created by each sales manager and discussed with his/her manager.
- 30-day after Session # 2: TopLine facilitates final webinar.
Results: the following results were measured by our client:
- 99% of sales managers reported that they now "recognize people development as their # 1 priority."
- Sales rep turnover decreased significantly, and sales productivity per rep went up 20% over the previous year.
- 95% of participants reported that they now "work from a clear understanding of (Company) specific sale management expectations and standards."
Sales Training Example – sales training w/ TopLine's customizable web tool
Client issue # 1: Salespeople were selling too fast, which leads to price wars and lower close ratios.
Salespeople were "pitching" their products instead of "pulling" through solutions. Sales proposals contained little, if any, description of customer needs. No quantification of value to the customer, and no differentiation from competitors in a meaningful, persuasive way.
Client issue # 2: Salespeople were calling on decision-makers that they felt comfortable calling on, not pursuing higher-level decision-makers outside their comfort-zone.
The result was that salespeople were effective at selling some products to some decision-makers, but lacked confidence to sell to other decision-makers with whom they were less familiar. The result was a low average dollar amount per sale.
TopLine's Solution:
We delivered "Getting Into Your Customer's Head" to the top 35 salespeople in the company, sellers with a proven track record for selling comprehensive solutions for a higher dollar amount. Classroom exercises were focused on how to sell comprehensive solutions to unfamiliar decision-makers. Content created by program participants was collected and uploaded to TopLine's "Funnel Velocity" web application tool. Our client's salespeople can now sort best practices by "decision-maker" type and "solution provided", effectively accessing a library of sales best practices corresponding to each step of our client's sales cycle.
Sales Management Training Example
Client issue: Our client's VP of Sales had the following set of goals for improving his sales managers' productivity:
- Get sales managers to take a step back, and re-think how they have been approaching their leadership responsibilities.
- Help sales managers to become more proactive, less of a "fire-fighter"
- Spend more time coaching sales reps so they are better at their jobs.
- Diagnose obstacles to a rep's performance and put a plan in place to remove the obstacles.
- When poor sales performance persists, make faster de-hire decisions.
- Recognize and reward sales reps for their accomplishments to improve sales morale
- Decide where to spend time so as to have the greatest impact on team sales results.
- Improve sales managers' performance management skills.
- Provide tools that enable a more consistent sales interviewing & selection process.
- Learn a disciplined method for pre-call and post-call coaching.
- Coach the sales process for more consistent results
- Create a personal leadership development plan so that each sales manager knows what actions he/she needs to take to show quick improvement as a leader.
TopLine's Solution:
No customization of our program was required because our client's goals were identical to the content of our program. We have discovered that this "match" between our client's goals and our Sales Management Leadership program happens quite frequently.
Client issue: We've got a sales meeting coming up. We've done sales training before. Now I'd like to take it to the next step – with a sales training program that is focused on understanding buyer motivation.
TopLine's Solution:
Getting Into Your Customer's Head. Click here for a quick description.
Client issue: We need a program that would provide our sellers with a more disciplined and repeatable method of selling. Also, the program needs to appeal to a wide spectrum of salespeople, because some of our sellers are experienced veterans while others are fairly new and experienced.
TopLine's Solution:
Experienced salespeople find "Getting Into Your Customer's Head" new and different because of its focus on understanding buying behavior. Less experienced salespeople like our program simply because it's simple to understand. Our unique sales "roles" provide a visual metaphor for more effective solution selling.