Written by: Ken Stewart; Senior Consultant, Photizo Group

A recent study by ES Research Group showed that nine out of 10 sales trainings fail; that’s a 90 percent failure rate! At those odds, I’d have a better shot at winning a six line in Roulette.

Inside and outside of our industry, executives and selling professionals continue to buy into workshops, seminars, boot camps, retreats or whatever training du jour strikes their fancy. Photizo Group’s 2010 Partner Selection Study found most providers offering MPS generally participated in at least one week of sales and/or business training. But less than 15 percent are even realizing the success they had expected.

We just aren’t attending enough training; we must need more training, right?

Research by Aberdeen Group found that best-in-class companies provide 6.5 sales training days per salesperson per year versus less than four days per person per year for all others. So, the more better, right?

Not so fast. I know you are action-oriented professional, and being in action feels right. But have you asked if you are doing the correct actions?

The RAIN Group, a sales training and consulting firm, cites seven common reasons sales training fails:

  1. Failure to define business and learning needs
  2. Failure to build fluent sales knowledge
  3. Failure to assess and improve attributes
  4. Failure to define, support and drive action
  5. Failure to deliver engaging training
  6. Failure to make training stick and transfer
  7. Failure to effectively evaluate, hold accountable and drive continuous improvement

According to a CSO Insights survey, 75.6 percent of companies invest greater than $500 per salesperson per year and 43.3 percent spend $1,501 to greater than $5,000 per person. Does that even consider the travel-related expenses and lost time away from the field — actually selling?

Be honest. You’ve either given or received the stink-eye; we all know that unsaid statement hanging in the air, “You’d better be worth the money I’m spending on you (or else)!”

But outside of the implied objective of “more training = more sales,” do you really know how you are going to sell more? Do you have a plan to sell more?

Forget Training. Learn Success.

At this point, you might be asking, “Wait, Ken, isn’t that why we are going to the training – to learn how to sell more?”

My simple answer is, “No, you are going to learn what it takes, not how to apply it.” David Sandler, founder of the Sandler Sales Institute, said it all in his book, You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar.

Training alone isn’t working. It may feel good to have more training more often simply because you are doing something. Naturally, you feel productive. On top of that, you get really excited about what you’ve learned and of course want to immediately apply it in the real world; you want to get on that bike you just bought and ride it!

Research Associates Corporation, a coaching firm, found that only two percent of traditional trainings are retained. However, over 62 percent retention was observed when training was coupled with methods to internalize and apply the learning. Further validating this research, a 2003 Thompson Job study found that when training was coupled to coaching and mentoring models, on-the-job accuracy increased by 159 percent and speed increased by 41 percent.

Simply put, you have to apply the head-knowledge through action or you’ll lose it. Success is rooted in know-how, but realized through action!

Be Persistent and Consistent

Now, I can be one of the world’s most persistent (or stubborn) people. I blame my Scotch-Irish roots. But when it comes to being consistent, I’ve found that I rely on constant reinforcement to provide structure, keep me motivated and help me stay focused. In other words, I’m always asking myself, “Am I doing what will bring value to me and my customer right now?”

To be successful, you must trust a selling system that compliments your own unique style – not some cookie-cutter model to which you can’t relate. You must also realize benefit from your ability to readily apply that system in your own daily life. But it doesn’t just stop there. After years of working with selling professionals, I’ve learned a few common questions I encourage sales management to ask prior to spending more on training:

  • What is my team member retention in sales? (If greater than 10%, take a hard look in the mirror on what you can do before any more sales training)
  • Is sales management reviewing each proposal with their sales teams?
  • Is sales management conducting spot-checks with prospects/customers to ensure sales process is followed and that the sales professional is representing the company’s values?
  • Do you believe each of your sales professionals has an effective process for identifying customer needs and can effectively communicate the exchange of value your company offers (not simply same/lower monthly payments)?
  • Does your sales team have ready access to tools, proposals and price lists with easy-to-understand pricing?
  • What’s worked in the past and/or working now that you’d like to continue?

If you’ve answered “no” on many of these questions, I’d recommend you repurpose your money on a consultant to help you bring your sales practices in line with your perceived purpose. If you feel like you scored fairly well in this category, I encourage you to ensure you have a coaching and follow-up action plan everyone is on-board with — ahead of beginning your educational journey.

You wouldn’t walk into a customer’s office without knowing why you’re there would you? Don’t make the same mistake with your sales training programs.

Ken Stewart is the founder of industry blog ChangeForge.com. He works as a senior consultant at Photizo Group and acts as a leading advocate of managed print services research and consulting. A decorated former Marine, Ken has successfully navigated the technology and business landscape for over a decade, advising businesses on using technology process and people to overcome challenges.