Individual or group sales training is a question specific to each organization.
If yours is a small company with only a few sales reps then group training may be ideal. Especially if they are all local.
However if you have a larger team, or one that is spread out across the country or world, individual training may be best.
And at times, both may be appropriate for your current situation.
How you decide to go about sales training should be determined by your organization’s needs and your sales reps needs.
Individual Sales Training
Individual sales training might consist of a sales trainer who spends one-on-one time with each sales rep in order to better hone their skills on an individual basis. This allows for feed back more specific to the sales reps needs.
And if a separate sales trainer is not in the cards, the sales manager may be responsible for individual sales training. In fact this is sometimes a better option then a sales trainer because a sales manager can spend some time with each sales rep to see how they are doing, what challenges they are facing in the field, and how to overcome them.
Group Sales Training
Group sales training can consist of in-house or outside sales training sessions.
I’ve been in situations where an entire sales force is gathered together for a day or week to develop new skills to use. This is often at a home office or regional office depending on the size of the organization.
A sales trainer or specialist in that sales methodology is brought in and works with the sales reps to teach and hone their respective skills. More often then not this is done in a team environment, where 1-4 reps are grouped together to work on those skills.
But there are definitely times when gathering the troops is not an option. Perhaps you have a small group of new hires who need a little more indepth instruction. Sending them to conferences or seminars to learn a new sales process is a great way to get them up to speed with the rest of your sales team.
How To Get The Most Out Of Sales Training
As a sales rep yourself you will get the most out of group or individual sales training sessions by coming prepared. You can do this by knowing in advance what will be covered in the training sessions.
If it’s prospecting come prepared with challenges your having in that area, or what you are seeing in the field.
If it’s about objection handing, be prepared with the objections you are getting and having a hard time answering.
Remember that your job during sales training is to do your best to absorb the new skills that your company is paying a lot of money to teach you.
Do your part to get as much as possible out of it and you’ll soon be the sales pro you want to be.
What do you think? Individual or group sales training? What do you like best? What do you think works the best? Let me know in the comments below.
~ Johnny Bravo
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Get Sales Tips & Tricks + Free Stuff
Why The SPB Newsletter?
- Free Stuff! You'll get instant access to resources exclusive to this newsletter including my popular guide, Top 9 Tips For Using LinkedIn Like A Sales Pro.
- Relevant, Valuable, & Actionable Info! You'll get only the type of content you want, and if your interests ever change, I'll change with you.
- Early Access!When you join the SPB Newsletter you'll be in the VIP section for all of my upcoming products and courses. Discounts, bonuses, and more!