Sales Training Modules for 7 stages of Sales Cycle

A sale is a 7 step process irrespective of product or service categories. These 7 stages are sacrosanct across industries and geographies. All marketing and sales professional have agreed on the complexities involved on each of these 7 stages.

Organisations need to plan out an adequate sales training methodology to support its sales force on each step of this 7 stages cycle for its own success.

The selling skills required for each of these 7 steps vary from one another and requires a deep understanding of the salesman’s ability and consumer behaviour.

The Sales Training catalogue also needs to be designed on the 7 stages requirement format. Mechanisms need to be implemented to mend the gap areas of the sales persons’ skills at each level.

Stage 1:

 Prospecting – It’s basically the hunting stage of ‘Sales Cycle’. It requires customer interaction and meetings. The salesperson needs to hunt profiles that are looking out for a solution for their ‘pain’.

Skills Required: Product Knowledge, Industry knowledge, Market insights.

Recommended Training Program: The art of cold calling, Cold calling Techniques, Telephone etiquettes etc.

Stage 2:

Lead Generation - In this stage, the salesperson needs to identify prospects are willing to share their information and details to fix their need or ‘pain’.

Skills Required: Customer Interaction, Techniques of Need Analysis.

Recommended Training Program: Methods of Need Analysis, Art of Lead Generation.

Stage 3:

Prospect Qualification- In this stage a salesperson needs to assess the prospect against parameters like intent, interest, ability to pay etc.

Skills Required: Listening skills, Assessment Skills, Solution Mapping skills.

Recommended Training Program: Methods of Sales Qualification

Stage 4:

Sales Presentation: In this stage the salesperson needs to communicate his proposals and solutions to the prospect.

Skills Required: Product Knowledge, Competition knowledge, Communication Skills.

Recommended Training Program: Professional Selling Skills Program.

Stage 5:

Objection Handling: Every salesperson needs to go through this unavoidable stage. Queries and objections should be taken positively and to be addressed professionally.

Skills Required: Communication skills, product Knowledge, Evidence sharing skills.

Recommended Training Program: Major Account Penetration Program

Stage 6:

Closing the deal: It is the most important decision making stage. With elimination at every stage, few deals come up to this level.

Skills Required: Negotiation Skills, Communication Skills, Relationship Skills, Product knowledge

Recommended Training Program: Major Account Selling Skills program.

Stage 7

Reference Generation: An effective salesperson should not leave the ‘sales cycle’ at stage 6. He should always try for generating reference from his customers. A reference from existing customer is always appreciated.

Skills Required: Relationship Management Skills, after sales servicing skills.

Recommended Training Program: The techniques of Relationship Management, Up-selling techniques.

In few of the stages ‘Off the Job’ may fit in but in most of the 7 stages, ‘On the Job’ training should bring an ideal outcome. The sales trainer needs to play the role of a ‘mentor’ than a ‘teacher’.

The sales trainer should run the program on the job and need to conduct refresher programs for the weak candidates. The training modules also require several role plays and group activities (part of Off the Job training) before going on for live testing.

Corporate Training and its different methodologies

Employee skill enhancement is a continuous procedure.  Employers put a serious thought in enhancing performances of the employees by focussing on professional development. Corporate trainings are gaining strategic importance in the decision making process. The mode of corporate training is also a key factor for meeting the key development objectives.

Corporate trainings can be broadly classified into On the Job and Off the Job.

Off the Job training is training conducted away from workplace. It’s generally a sort of classroom training which involves lectures, role-plays, case studies, simulation and several group activities. It has its own advantages and disadvantages. 

Advantages

1. It breaks the monotony of the daily work schedule of the employees and helps them to learn with a fresh reflex.
2. Off the Job training is suitable for building concepts and ideas.
3. Away from workplace also builds flexibility within trainees to unlearn their age old methodologies.
4. The trainees’ doubts and questions get clarified in a simulated environment thus minimising the risk of committing mistakes in real workplace.

Disadvantages

1. Off Job Training doesn’t always provide the opportunity to have practical implementations of the learning in real life work environment.
2.  Lack of practice may foil the entire training exercise.
3. Off Job Training cost implications are higher and complex. It requires several intra and
4. Inter- department coordination. 

On the Job Training is conducted in real life work situation. The trainer works as a mentor and guides the trainees with the real life tools, equipments, documents etc. On the Job Training needs a trainer who has practical experience of implementation. Learning is live and mistakes are rectified while going through the task.

Advantages

1. On the Job training uses real life situations. So it helps the trainees to get associated with changes more quickly.
2. Practical testing of the new learning acquired through On the Job makes it more transparent and measurable.
3. Action oriented changes or introduction of new processes can be implemented through On the Job training.

Disadvantages

1. On the Job training takes a longer downloading time.  The trainer can attend few trainees at a time.
2. On the Job training addresses the action but may fail to build ideas and concepts.

Currently the Online training developers are trying to bridge the gap between On the Job and off the job training methods. They are bringing the classroom to the workplace with a simple motto ‘anytime, anywhere’. The trainees are getting trained without losing their productivity and the employers are also glad in saving time and money. Moreover online training with a proper Learning 

Management System can easily integrate with the existing CRM or PMS thus empowering the employers to measure the training impact.  E-training is the new fast growing trend of 21^st century corporate.