The importance of sales training for both new and experienced salespeople

Sales training are various from company to company, but there are similarities in the outcomes. To increase productivity, improve morale, lower turnover, improve customer relations and produce better management of time and territory (Johnston and Marshall, 2011). To increase productivity, sales training will provide necessary skills as the tools for the new salespersons to achieve their satisfaction level of productivity. To improve morale, prepare the salespersons to be ready to improve their productivity as fast as possible. By being prepared, lesser frustration happens in handling the customers.  Salesperson who did not understand the job requirements will tend to be dissatisfied.

Sales training will allow them to get specific skills and techniques to expand their ability. Improved morale and greater job satisfaction will results in low turnover. Unskilled, salespeople without training given will feel frightened and quit as result for unprepared for the job (Ingram et al., 2001). The customers might get affected too. Lower turnover will improve customer relations by building customer loyalty, because salespersons are able to get close and handle the customers. The end results, by sales training, the salesperson will improve the overall selling skills. That is why sales training is important to be given for both new and experienced salespersons.

For new salespersons, sales training is important to make them know and familiar what are they doing, create deep understanding of the company, products, competitors, customers and selling process. As soon as possible, they will be placed in the field for the practical training. Sales training will provide continual feedback so they can learn fast. Creating workshops every once a week will keep the salespersons on track. Sales training will prepared them to overcome rejection and failure of their productivity achievements or expectations, sales training will make the salespersons able to control their attitudes towards customers and also other salespersons regarding to competition. The salespersons will be trained to be able to handle their customers, for example, able to handle more educated customers (Jobber and Lancaster, 2009). It will avoid poor sales performance and prevent failure because of losing control in the sales process.

For the experienced salespersons, their knowledge and ability might be out dated. Their personal selling ways might be less effective as the customer demands keep changing through the time. The changes in company policies and procedures might not meet their current performance. Because of this, the experienced salesperson might need advanced training programs to keep up their performance. With this additional training, the experienced salesperson will get more benefits, such as, improve their motivation, increase their confidence and able to identify the strength and weaknesses from their current performance, which will result in greater performance (Jobber and Lancaster, 2009). Especially for the experienced salesperson that will be move to higher position or get promoted to be the sales manager. The sales training will be very important and also helpful to keep the salesperson able to adapt easily in changing responsibility. 

Sales Management Take Home Exam

Rebecca Licacristi Budianto

15359111

Curtin University

2011