What Smart Companies Do To Ensure The Transfer Of Sales Training

I'm almost stunned into silence to discover that after doing a Google search of the term "how to ensure transfer of training," the top 3 articles on the subject DO NOT even mention the word coaching. 

Now that I've shaken myself out of my "stunned" state, I'm going to be very blunt and say this: 

The organizations or individuals who wrote those articles on how to ensure the transfer of training should not be trying to appear as experts on such an important subject when they left out coaching as a key to implementing training.

Wise SFE and L&D directors and managers know that ensuring learning transfer from the sales training venue to the real workplace is directly related to sales managers regularly coaching their sales people on the skills learned in the workshop.

Yet, I don't know how many times L&D and Training Managers or SFE managers and directors have asked me "how can we be sure that the sales training we're planning to run is going to work?" 

The answer to that question is really quite simple, so let's address it now. 

How To Ensure Transfer Of Sales Training From The Workshop To The Workplace

Having your sales managers regularly coaching their salespeople for performance improvement is key to ensuring the transfer of sales training to your salespeople and, by extension, to your customers.

Why You Need A Robust Sales Coaching Program

How much influence does the sales trainer have on your sales force? 

 Although trainers provide learning opportunities and support, what managers do after training influences behavior far more than what trainers do in the classroom. (Dennis E. Coates)

Clearly, the sales trainer has a lot of influence during the workshop. But that influence is very limited or may even be nil once the training is completed. And that's where the sales manager comes into play. 

What Smart Companies Do To Ensure Sales Training Transfer

We have been working with two clients in implementing a global program designed to significantly improve the selling skills of their sales teams. 

Both clients are very large companies. I'll call them company A and B. Company A is an American firm, in the top 50 on the Fortune 100, and we have been working with one of their commercial teams in the medical devices sector. 

Company B is a very well-known German firm and we've been working with their commercial teams in the pharmaceutical sector. 

The Sales Force Effectiveness teams for both of these companies have done the following in order to ensure learning transfer.

1) Prior to putting all salespeople through sales training, both companies put all of their sales managers through a coaching workshop so they could learn and practice the methods employed by world-class coaches.

2) After the managers had been put through the coaching program, the sales training followed with all sales managers also present. This provided an opportunity for the sales managers and their teams to learn the new selling skills  and mindset together.

It also gave the managers an opportunity to use their new coaching skills during the selling skills workshop as they engaged in exercises and activities with their sales teams.

Additionally, the facilitators of the coaching and selling skills workshops were able to provide guidance, assistance, and feedback for both the managers and their teams during the selling skills workshops because they were all together.

3) During the sales workshop, each sales rep chooses one of her or his customers to develop a Model Sales Call around. 

As they reps go through the training, they record exactly how they will approach that customer based on each step of the selling model and the skills they learn and practice during the workshop.

They are then given time to practice each step of their Model Sales Call as those steps are covered by the facilitator. Finally, they practice the entire call on the afternoon of the final day of training. Because their managers are present also, the salespeople can receive coaching and feedback at that time. 

4) The sales reps are required to make their Model Sales Call with their sales managers within two to four weeks of completing the sales training.

Because the mangers were present during the training and are also present when the reps actually make the call they prepared during the workshop, there is a lot of enthusiasm for both of them to make that call and use the skills learned.

5) Company A also took advantage of our Carpe Diem coaching program where we provide four weeks of follow-up telephone coaching for their sales managers. In this case, we conduct two coaching calls each week, 20 minutes for each call, to work with the sales managers on the specific coaching skills they want to improve.

So, you're probably wondering what the result of all of this has been, right?

I can tell you that Company B's commercial team in Mexico saw an ROI of 1 million Euros within just 15 weeks of completing their coaching and selling workshops based on the format I've outlined above.

And this is not an anomaly. I can assure you that supporting your sales training with a robust, management-led coaching program, is what is needed and is what will ensure the transfer of your sales training from the workshop to the workplace.

It's what smart companies do to ensure the transfer of sales training!

If you'd like to know more about how we can assist and support your company with the design and implementation of both a robust sales coaching program and customized selling workshops for your teams, please feel free to contact me through my email: michael@otd.uk.com. I can also be reached on my mobile phone at +49 152 3851 9674