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Showing posts with label Sales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sales. Show all posts

Sunday, August 4, 2013

How to Train Your Sales Reps to be Superior Subject Matter Experts

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AppId is over the quota

by Caron_Beesley, Community Moderator

Created: January 17, 2013, 7:35 amUpdated: January 18, 2013, 8:39 am

Do all your sales reps sing off the same hymn sheet? Are they all equally knowledgeable about your products and services?

If you’ve ever worked in retail sales, you’ll know how difficult it is to remember your training and apply it in critical moments. After all, products are constantly evolving and inventory is always shifting. This is why it’s critical that small business owners ensure their sales teams are well trained and knowledgeable. It can make the difference between winning and losing a sale.

Thanks to the Internet and the proliferation of online reviews from experts and consumers alike, the average customer is more informed than ever—and your sales reps should be one step ahead of them. Here are some tips for ensuring your sales teams are armed with the knowledge they need to support your sales goals.

Give training the time and depth it deserves

Training is worth the investment; the nicest sales rep in the world is useless without product knowledge. This means not just knowing your products, but your competitors too.

A single training session is rarely enough, as people learn through practice and from their mistakes. If you don’t have time to handle the training yourself, pair each new rep with a mentor. This should be someone on your team who’s already knowledgeable, and willing to spend several weeks training, shadowing and observing your trainee—before that person ever gets in front of a customer. In addition to teaching, be sure to test, quiz and role play to challenge your trainee’s know-how. And don’t just emphasize product knowledge; for example, if your products are complex or technical, role play situations where a rep’s knowledge may be insufficient and it’s time to bring in the business owner or someone from your technical team. No one expects a sales rep to know everything, but they do expect them to know where to find the right answers, rather than fudge their way through a sale.

Include competitor training

If your product line or similar products are sold by a competitor, be sure to train and test your trainee reps on these. Educate reps on the competing product lines, their strengths and their weaknesses. Have them do their own research and present comparisons of your products versus those available elsewhere. Help them identify differentiators and encourage them to role play a sales pitch that involves a competitive sell.

Monitor, check in and refresh

Knowledge retention and true learning is a fine art, especially in today’s information-driven world where data is quickly consumed and just as quickly forgotten. This is why it’s important to stay on top of your sales reps performance once they are out selling on behalf of your company. Ask your customers for feedback, use customer surveys to gauge satisfaction levels and listen in on sales pitches. Commit to holding regular training sessions with your entire sales team to ensure they are up to speed on new developments, new product lines and new marketing campaigns. (Sales and marketing should always be aligned.)

Encourage continuous learning and sharing

A good rep will always look for further learning opportunities, whether through external classes, industry publications, or trade shows. Encourage this behavior, budget permitting. A low-cost alternative would be to hold monthly “lunch ‘n’ learn” training sessions where you encourage a rep to make an informal 10-15 minute learning moment presentation. This could be about a new industry development that might impact your business; sharing best practices from an external training course (a train-the-trainer concept); or providing insights on a deal or transaction that went well (or otherwise).

For more tips read 8 Tips for Training your Small Business Employees on a Budget.

What training practices have worked for your sales teams? Leave a comment below!

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Caron_Beesley's Profile PictureCaron Beesley is a small business owner, a writer, and marketing communications consultant. Caron works with the SBA.gov team to promote essential government resources that help entrepreneurs and small business owners start-up, grow and succeed. Follow Caron on Twitter: @caronbeesleyTags: Community Blogs, Small Business Matters, Managing, Marketing, Mentoring and Training

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Thursday, August 1, 2013

July Webinar Series- How to Increase Sales During the Travel Season

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AppId is over the quota

According to the Office of Travel & Tourism Industries’ 2013 Spring Travel Forecast, international travel to the United States is expected to increase through 2018. And a recently released report by the U.S. Travel Association indicated that in 2012 spending by international travelers to and within the U.S. increased 10.5 percent.

With the travel and tourism season underway, the SBA will be hosting a series of webinars throughout the month of July. This series will help small businesses capitalize on increased traffic throughout the remainder of the season. It will also provide participants in the tourism and travel industries with advice on how to sustain their businesses in the off-season.

Participants will hear from experts like Alex “Papu” Rincon, SBA’s 2011 Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Fed Lona, Senior Director for Supplier Diversity at Hilton Worldwide, and others. Topics will include the hospitality industry, adventure firms, corporate contracts, and convention preparation.

The SBA counsels an estimated 10,000 travel- and tourism-related small businesses annually.  In 2011, travel and tourism related businesses constituted almost 12 percent of SBA’s business loan guarantee program. In addition, small businesses in travel and tourism-related industries were awarded $1.5 billion in federal contracts in 2011.

The series supports the Task Force on Travel and Competitiveness’s National Travel and Tourism Strategy. The goal of the Strategy is to increase travel throughout the United States and draw 100 million international visitors to by 2021. This influx of visitors is expected to generate $250 billion annually.

Here’s a list of the upcoming webinars:

Tuesday, July 9th – 3pm EDT

Topic: Hospitality Industry Insider Tips Steve Densham, Hospitality Specialist Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC)

Wednesday, July 10th – 3pm EDT

Topic:  Accessing Corporate Hospitality Contract Opportunities Fred Lona, Senior Director for Supplier Diversity Hilton Worldwide

Thursday, July 11th – 3pm EDT

Topic: Maximizing Your Small Business Success During Large Events Ron Williams, Co-Founder FunkJazzKafe Music and Arts Festival

Thursday, July 11th – 5pm EDT

Topic:  Creating Lifestyle Culture for Adventure Firms Alex “Papu” Rincon, Owner Four O Six

Prior to the webinars, participants are invited to submit questions via Twitter, to be answered during the webinar. Tweet your questions to @SBAgov.

These webinars are free, but registration is required. 

Hi, my name is Natale and I'm serving as a Moderator for the SBA Community. Our goal is to continually improve this site to meet your needs, so we appreciate your feedback and participation.Tags: Official SBA News and Views, Open For Business, SBA News and Views

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