Frequently asked questions about sales training
1. What kind of sales training
works best?
The best sales training is training which brings the
results we are all looking for: more stable, consistent
managers and sales-people; more sales, higher grosses, less
turnover, and less turmoil at work.
To achieve that result, training must work
from the inside out, the training must focus on genuine
growth and change. Personal development must accompany any
sales technique. Managers and salespeople must learn about
themselves, and then about the prospects.
Training must be founded on right
principles: honesty, character, integrity, and hard work.
Managers must learn and grow along with the
salespeople. The best training is that which brings
managers and salespeople in the same room, at the same
time, to learn the same things. The more we divide up our
people, the less our people learn to work together.
2. What is people skills training?
People skills training focuses on personal beliefs,
attitudes and actions. It focuses on customers,
salespeople and managers; how they process information,
what makes them tick, how they feel, how to listen to
them, how to understand them, how to make them
comfortable. Salespeople must learn to listen, to help,
to be sincere, to be honest, to have integrity, and to
make sure the buyer gets what they want, need and can
afford. The manager must do the same for the
salespeople.
3. Should managers have people skills
training?
Yes, because salespeople sell just like
managers manage.
Mean managers produce mean salespeople.
Kind managers produce kind salespeople.
The public no longer has to put up with
mean salespeople, or mean managers. Good managers, those
managers who actually get along with the salespeople will
sell more and gross more, and keep customers longer than
the old school, high pressure, high turnover, hard sell
managers.
4. What form should good training take?
A three day boot camp is the best place to start. In
those three days, everyone should be scheduled for
training. In that time, if the maximum amount of
employees attend, including managers, your staff can learn
enough together to sell more, earn more and do more, than
any short term benefit from sending two salespeople at a
time to any out of town spot anywhere in the country.
5. What will we learn in three days?
The 26 core competencies form the basis for the
training. When managers, salespeople and employees are
all on the same page, that foundation prepares everyone to
work together, accept responsibility, and focus on
customer wants, needs and budgets. Employees will learn
to get out of their own way and focus on the customer.
Focusing on the customer, if performed with every
customer, will accomplish more than any selling system or
new technology ever created.
6. Should I pay for individual
assessments?
You may, if you want, or you could just observe what
people do during the training. You can usually tell
after the first day who wants to learn and grow and
support the dealership. It does not take long to separate
your “A” players, from the “B” players, from the “C”
players.
7. Can you define A, B and C players?
Every dealership rises or falls based on the individual
talents of their people. “A” players grow, learn and
change. “B” players will grow, learn and change with
help and training. “C” players are absolutely un-trainable.
8. Tell me about the “C” players.
Okay, “C” players refuse to learn, grow or change.
Problem is, “C” players usually include most of the
veterans, and some of them are selling 20 or more cars a
month. But the real problem is, their refusal to learn,
grow and change filters to your other people, and the bad
attitudes spiral downward. The sad truth is that most
dealerships are held hostage by the 20 cars a month “C”
players. It is those “C” players who hold everyone else
back, who force the new salespeople out, and who keep the
dealership from continuing growth and profit.
9. What should I do with my “C” Players?
If you keep them, they will cost you a
fortune. If you let them go, you can work with the people
who want to learn, grow and change. The customer is
learning, growing and changing. If we let “C” players
keep us in the old school ‘60’s selling mode, if we let
them keep everyone else from growing, they own the
dealership and are directing the focus. If you
have the courage to let them go, you will sell
more, make more, and have more fun at work.
What happens is that your “A” players spend
all their time dealing the problems created by the “C”
players.
10. What if my managers are “C” players?
Well, a “C” manager will cause the “A” players to turn
over, will burn out the “B” players, and surround
himself/herself with “C” players. “C” players will simply
destroy your dealership.
11. Isn’t
it a little harsh to let the “C” players go?
No, they can’t change, and won’t change. That’s what
makes them “C” players. If they change, they are “B”
players.
It is not harsh to let them go. Losing
your “A” players is harsh. Losing customers is harsh.
Losing money month after month is harsh. Bankruptcy is
harsh. Getting rid of the people who are holding you
back is kind, it is good, it is beneficial.
12. What do I do after the three day boot
camp?
You hold your managers accountable for
helping the salespeople to help the customers, daily. You
decide if you need reinforcement training to keep your
people learning and growing.
13. What is reinforcement training?
Reinforcement training is weekly, monthly
or bi-monthly training. It is on-going, regular
training.
14. How do I pay for reinforcement
training?
The
easiest place is to take the money from the advertising
budget. Even advertising companies are now saying that
advertising is out and PR is in. Funny thing, if you
check, you’ll probably find that it was your “C” players
who were spending all the advertising money anyway.
15. When does the training stop?
Probably when you’re making too much money
and selling too many cars. You could ask the Boston Red
Sox, or the Steelers, or Jim Tressel, or Joe Paterno,
Bobby Bowden or Steve Spurrier. When does training stop
for them?
By the way, what do you think Bobby Bowden
or Joe Paterno would do if his managers came to him and
said, “Hey listen, we think our players don’t need anymore
training this year. With the money we save, we’re going
to buy new uniforms so we’ll look good for the Bowl games
on TV.”
Can you imagine? Those winning coaches
would have some new managers in a heartbeat. It is the “C”
players who think that they know enough to stop training
for the salespeople.
Those dealerships who have the best
training have the most
“A” players. They sell the most, and the
make the most money. They learn the most, they change
with the customer, and they keep growing.
Think about what college football would
look like if they just kept hiring new players, gave them
two days training in Chicago and expected them to block
and tackle and score?
Networks wouldn’t allow those teams on TV.
Why? Because the game would be horrible. No one would
watch.
Which teams get on TV regularly? The best
ones, THE ONES WHO TRAIN THE MOST.
If your
dealership was a college football team, would a
network put you on TV at 8:00 Saturday night?
Real training, real learning, real
growing, real changing never stops. When training
stops, everything good in the dealership stops.
The team that trains the most, plays
the best.
