When is the Best Time to Train Your Sales Team?

We get this question a lot, so we figured we’d bring the answer right to your inbox. Here are the options:

1. In a good economy
2. In a bad economy
3. Both

While many tend to think it isn’t necessary to train your team while business is booming, the reality is that training is an ongoing process that needs to be included as a routine component of any salesperson’s career. So, the best answer is C — both. Here are the reasons why.

In a good economy

1. Business is good
2. Products are flying off the shelf
3. Don’t have enough people to do all the work or services
4. Salespeople are already managing pipelines too large
5. Internal support teams struggling to maintain quality and accuracy with high-volume

In a bad economy

1. People are tightening their budgets
2. People are cutting discretionary spending and limiting unnecessary costs
3. Being choosy from whom they buy or not buying at all
4. Inflation — items cost more forcing companies to make price increases
5. More competitive, buyers are more reluctant to take sales calls

Reasons why training is wise in a good economy 

We get it — you’re probably asking yourself: “If I can’t keep up with orders and products are flying off the shelf, why do I need to train my people?” Well, a trained sales force will improve the overall, long-term quality of your customer’s experience and ensures that when things take a turn for the worse, your team is prepared and ready to take on the challenges of a bad economic climate.

Employees provided with consistent training represent your brand well and are more capable than untrained counterparts at building lasting relationships founded on trust. They are effective at qualifying and disqualifying prospects, executing the sales process, and shortening the time from introduction to close.  Trained salespeople build memorable, lasting relationships that span across all types of economies, so when the economy turns (and we all know it does), customers are going to continue to buy from the people they have the strongest trust and relationship with.  

Trained salespeople provide a better end-to-end experience by learning customer expectations, ensuring accurate, on-time, and quality delivery, and always working towards meeting or exceeding customer expectations.  Basically, it’s good for your clients when you have trained salespeople on your staff. 

Reasons why training is also wise in a bad economy 

If you find less money in your budget during a down economy, should training your salespeople be considered a necessary investment or a discretionary expense?  A trained salesperson sells on value, not on price, helps their customers identify the real problem they are trying to solve, and differentiates themselves from other people who sell similar products or services. When people are being extra selective about how to spend their money, they are going to buy from the ones who take the time to understand their business and their true problems. So, as leads dry up and revenue goes down, it’s more critical than ever to ensure your sales force is equipped to weather the storm of a slow market.

Keep the training going year-round for best results

In all economies, a trained sales force is the best long-term differentiator over your competition. It’s a necessary investment that will separate your business from the rest of the pack by creating an industry-leading customer experience that results in customers for life.  

Don’t wait until it is too late to start

Developing a high-performing sales team takes time! Be proactive and don’t be caught off guard, and let us help along the way. Get in touch with the Topaz Sales Consulting team to learn more about our solutions for your year-round training needs, regardless of how our economy is holding up.