The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Right Sales Training Company

Finding the right sales training company starts with understanding what type of training your business needs. Many sales training programs provide a specific methodology, like a relationship or consultative selling, while others offer a development platform with more general sales training.

You want a sales training provider with experience in methods or skills that align with your priorities, plus the online tools you might need for product training and skill reinforcement.

Experience

A sales training company should clearly explain how they will work with you and your team. Their answer should include a description of a learning experience that will lead to sales growth and revenue goals.

The right provider will also be able to articulate how their approach will change behavior and increase performance. The right training will shift the attitudes of your team and create a common language to discuss the sales process. This will also allow for better collaboration between the sales and other groups, including marketing, product, customer success, and support.

When evaluating proposals, look for creative solutions and signs of enthusiasm. A provider eager to make a difference for your team and business will be more likely to succeed in the long term. Don’t dismiss expensive or less enthusiastic proposals too quickly; they may fit your needs and provide valuable information about the trainer’s approach. Ultimately, you’ll want to choose a provider that can provide online and in-person learning, whichever is best for your team.

Certifications

Whether you want your sales team to be certified in selling skills or improve their performance, it is essential to find out how the company you are considering offers this. The best way to do this is to ask them for a copy of their training curriculum. This will allow you to see what they intend to cover and ensure their training aligns with your sales goals.

Ideally, the program should assess your current sales team and their strengths and weaknesses. It should also offer a pre-training consultation and a post-training evaluation. Lastly, it should provide ongoing reinforcement and support.

It is also essential that the program can be implemented across multiple departments and functions – not just sales. For example, marketing, customer success, product, and executive teams should be encouraged to participate. This will enable all parties to work together more effectively and avoid creating a wedge between departments. Also, look for programs that use bite-sized lessons, different modalities of learning and practice, and coaching to maximize effectiveness.

Pricing

When you’re evaluating proposals from sales training providers, be sure to pay attention to price. You want to ensure your budget can handle the proposed cost and future expenses. Look for the best sales training companies with a clear structure and pricing model to help you make an informed decision.

Additionally, consider whether they offer different pricing options based on e-learning or virtual instructor-led training (VILT), as this can significantly impact your overall costs. It would help if you also kept in mind that some of the lowest-cost providers may be able to provide you with more comprehensive services or solutions than their higher-priced counterparts.

Reputation

Reputation may seem like an abstract concept, but it’s a vital one in the business world. Most business-minded people agree that the endgame for a company is to maximize profit, and reputation plays a crucial role in this goal.

The reputations of companies and individuals influence customers. A good reputation can help a business to grow, while a bad reputation can hold it back. Ultimately, reputation affects everything a company does, from hiring to selling to funding.

A company’s reputation is made up of perceptions, not reality. For example, if you’re an ax murderer, hiding your misdeeds and displaying extravagant philanthropy won’t change what you are—you remain an ax murderer. But what it will do is change how people perceive you.

So, when shopping for a sales training company, it’s essential to consider the reputation of each potential partner. Start with general research (online or through word of mouth) to learn about the companies you’re considering, and then look for specifics such as their content (white papers, webinar recordings, reports). Look for 80% alignment between the company’s curriculum and your training needs.

Flexibility

If your company needs a high degree of customization, look for sales training companies that are experienced in this. They will understand your business and industry, be able to work with you on intake interviews, speak your language during training sessions, use real examples from your industry, and include role plays. They will also have excellent consultants, instructional designers, and facilitators.

During the screening process, pay attention to how eager and interested the trainers are. Their website, emails, and phone contact should demonstrate their enthusiasm.

It’s also essential to have clear goals for your sales training project. This includes identifying the skills gaps your team is experiencing, what you want to achieve from the training, and how you will measure success.

Defining these goals will help you evaluate proposals and choose the right sales training company for your organization. For example, the most common sales training goal is improving the number of qualified prospects and closing more deals. However, determining the best way to achieve this will depend on your specific sales process, the type of product you sell, and who you are selling to.