I was hoping that my New Pharmaceutical Sales Modules being used as sales training programs for those companies that were looking for free and proven strategies for their sales force.
I personally guaranteed that I've adapted the modules from one of the most profitable pharma companies training modules.
The way that the company drives sales were legendary.
Any companies that rub shoulders with such successful strategies are bound to be infected by its glory.
Or at least, the "dust of glory"...
Or at least, the "dust of glory"...
FREE OR PAID SALES TRAINING PROGRAMS?
Why pay when you can get free, right?
Right and wrong!
It all depends on one critical factor.
That significant success factor got nothing to do with the cost of training materials.
There's no proven data that free materials produce lower results than the more expensive counterparts.
When it comes to training, I tend to follow a concept, introduced by a cognitive scientist by the name of Dr. Michael Hewitt Gleeson.
The reason I tend to follow Dr. Gleeson is that he brings forward simple, practical training concepts that are not found elsewhere, even after 5 pharma companies, in my case.
For example, the emphasis on training log, which seldom being discussed in regular sales training. What's ideal about training for medical salespeople is "module counting" - how many chapters from the training modules handbook they manage to cover.
It's a good thing that nowadays, most training materials are geared towards the pharma industry, not an adaptation of other sectors.
My experience also tells me that, generally, there are two types of trainers available: in-house and outsourced trainers.
The in-house trainers could have gained their skills and knowledge from the operating region headquarters (HQ). Trainers were sent to the regional level "train the trainer" program, and they, in turn, went back to train salespeople locally.
At the local level, qualified trainers could have trained a team of trainers, if the Pharma company has a training department, or they could have taught the managers.
The managers or trainers, then cascade the training down to team level and if possible, individual level.
Now, not all companies have their own training department. Some companies just have one executive trainer to train the whole company!
And that training is not limited to sales training alone...
If we were to measure the requirement for training to be effective, based on the "log training hours" concept as introduced by Dr. Gleeson, many programs were going to face epic flop!
Is there any wonder why many training programs are not showing expected results, even after years of training and retraining?
It's not a mystery when there's only a single soul to monitor them all...
...and this is not like the movie Lord of the Ring, where one ring rules them all :-)
So, this brings us back to the previous point: free or expensive the cost of a training program is, it's not a guarantee of its effectiveness.
The single critical factor of success in training is "log hours" - how many hours salespeople spent applying the knowledge against learning about it.
It is recorded that, ideally, an hour of learning is followed by at least 3 hours of repeat, practice, and rehearse...
And as for outsourced training, there were also different ways of approaching this.
One way is to send the company's in-house trainer to the designated sales training program companies which own the right to such programs.
And believe me, don't even talk about the cost at this point in time. Set eyes on the return. That will soften the impact, one way or the other...
Next, call the training companies people to do the in-house training: for the whole sales force or just the trainers. This is known as "bringing the training to you," which could cost less in many instances.
And the final approach is just to buy the right to the training.
When it comes to training, I tend to follow a concept, introduced by a cognitive scientist by the name of Dr. Michael Hewitt Gleeson.
The reason I tend to follow Dr. Gleeson is that he brings forward simple, practical training concepts that are not found elsewhere, even after 5 pharma companies, in my case.
For example, the emphasis on training log, which seldom being discussed in regular sales training. What's ideal about training for medical salespeople is "module counting" - how many chapters from the training modules handbook they manage to cover.
It's a good thing that nowadays, most training materials are geared towards the pharma industry, not an adaptation of other sectors.
My experience also tells me that, generally, there are two types of trainers available: in-house and outsourced trainers.
The in-house trainers could have gained their skills and knowledge from the operating region headquarters (HQ). Trainers were sent to the regional level "train the trainer" program, and they, in turn, went back to train salespeople locally.
At the local level, qualified trainers could have trained a team of trainers, if the Pharma company has a training department, or they could have taught the managers.
The managers or trainers, then cascade the training down to team level and if possible, individual level.
Now, not all companies have their own training department. Some companies just have one executive trainer to train the whole company!
And that training is not limited to sales training alone...
If we were to measure the requirement for training to be effective, based on the "log training hours" concept as introduced by Dr. Gleeson, many programs were going to face epic flop!
Is there any wonder why many training programs are not showing expected results, even after years of training and retraining?
It's not a mystery when there's only a single soul to monitor them all...
...and this is not like the movie Lord of the Ring, where one ring rules them all :-)
So, this brings us back to the previous point: free or expensive the cost of a training program is, it's not a guarantee of its effectiveness.
The single critical factor of success in training is "log hours" - how many hours salespeople spent applying the knowledge against learning about it.
It is recorded that, ideally, an hour of learning is followed by at least 3 hours of repeat, practice, and rehearse...
And as for outsourced training, there were also different ways of approaching this.
One way is to send the company's in-house trainer to the designated sales training program companies which own the right to such programs.
And believe me, don't even talk about the cost at this point in time. Set eyes on the return. That will soften the impact, one way or the other...
Next, call the training companies people to do the in-house training: for the whole sales force or just the trainers. This is known as "bringing the training to you," which could cost less in many instances.
And the final approach is just to buy the right to the training.
I seldom see Pharma companies go this way, but it's a viable option.
As you can see, no matter which approach companies choose in training their salespeople, the critical success factor doesn't change. It's up to the people and their own initiative to make it work.
"You can make the horses go to the river, but you can't make them drink from it!" - that's basically summarized the whole idea.
If that so, do check my free training materials. No need to pay me a single cent for it, and in fact, you got everything to gain...
...just make sure you log you are the salesforce "practice" hours. They need, at least, 250 hours to break the "comfortable barrier," or better known as an invincible barrier, in Dr. Gleeson's teaching.
As you can see, no matter which approach companies choose in training their salespeople, the critical success factor doesn't change. It's up to the people and their own initiative to make it work.
"You can make the horses go to the river, but you can't make them drink from it!" - that's basically summarized the whole idea.
If that so, do check my free training materials. No need to pay me a single cent for it, and in fact, you got everything to gain...
...just make sure you log you are the salesforce "practice" hours. They need, at least, 250 hours to break the "comfortable barrier," or better known as an invincible barrier, in Dr. Gleeson's teaching.
SALES TRAINING COURSES TO ENGAGE THE SALESPEOPLE IN
Here's a rough outline of what could be done about designing a career-long training course for sales reps:
First off, these people need a basic foundation course in science and specifically, that related to the specialty area they'll be focusing on.
But the basic MUST be there...
The company that I worked with before my VSS, did put us through such a basic course, and I find it to be helpful later, despite my background in Biomedical Sciences. I can imagine the positive effects it will have for non-science background sales reps.
Next, there must be basic sales training.
This training, like the one I offered on this blog for free (ahem!), serves as the foundation for the more, in-depth, customized training.
For example, discovering the needs of customers is taught in general inside the initial training.
Later, when the reps have a good grasp of how finding needs are done, a new training like SPIN Selling can be introduced.
This brings us to the final outline...
There must be room for in-depth and relevant complementary training to be included.
I can share my experience during my working tenure with a medical diagnostic company where after about a year of working, the company enrolls the reps into problem-solving training, with the trainer was called in from the regional office in Germany.
The reason to do this was that discussing problems and solutions in what sales reps frequently do with existing and potential customers.
This brings us to the final outline...
There must be room for in-depth and relevant complementary training to be included.
I can share my experience during my working tenure with a medical diagnostic company where after about a year of working, the company enrolls the reps into problem-solving training, with the trainer was called in from the regional office in Germany.
The reason to do this was that discussing problems and solutions in what sales reps frequently do with existing and potential customers.
With such training, sales reps can now approach the issues and work more effectively with the customers to deliver the solutions.
Productivity, in terms of sales volume, saw an increase albeit gradually, due to the training.
But of course, this is one way to approach training courses needed to address the needs of individual sales companies and industries.
Productivity, in terms of sales volume, saw an increase albeit gradually, due to the training.
But of course, this is one way to approach training courses needed to address the needs of individual sales companies and industries.
All I can say is, the players could be different but the game is all the same.
Customization is the best approach...
Here are some of the sales training courses that my previous companies used to enroll their salespeople:
1) Basic Foundation Courses
2) Initial Selling Skills
3) Selling to Social Styles Strategies
4) Negotiation to YES!
5) SPIN Selling
6) One Minute Salesperson
As you can see, some of these sales training are the proprietary rights of specific companies, so, what happened was, trainers were sent to these programs to get certified, after which, they come back and retrained others.
Not all companies can do this. The company I mentioned, had a department of sales with more than 12 trainers, at that time.
This might not be feasible for small or even medium companies...
Due to cost constraints, many companies leave training to chance.
Customization is the best approach...
Here are some of the sales training courses that my previous companies used to enroll their salespeople:
1) Basic Foundation Courses
2) Initial Selling Skills
3) Selling to Social Styles Strategies
4) Negotiation to YES!
5) SPIN Selling
6) One Minute Salesperson
As you can see, some of these sales training are the proprietary rights of specific companies, so, what happened was, trainers were sent to these programs to get certified, after which, they come back and retrained others.
Not all companies can do this. The company I mentioned, had a department of sales with more than 12 trainers, at that time.
This might not be feasible for small or even medium companies...
SALES TRAINING IDEAS: FINAL NOTE
Sales training and its program are more like a journey rather than a destination. It must be looked at as signposts and mileages about sales reps' career development.
Due to cost constraints, many companies leave training to chance.
And chance effort gets "chance results."
How many companies are likely to succeed leaving results to chance?
Now, honestly...
When I engage with the concept brought forth by Dr. Gleeson in Newsell, little that I know, that such training concept applies to almost all training that companies put me through.
The trainers might not notice it, but I always integrate what is taught in Newsell into any new training program.
Before I end this post, do realize that the critical point for success with any training, is in the "actual" practice, not learning about it.
Salespeople need to go past the "invincible barrier" to show any real results. And they could not get past that by learning it alone...
...they really need to roll up their sleeves, so to speak.
And I didn't mention another critical factor, which reserved for those who read up until this line (that means YOU!): CONVICTION is essential to creating positive results from training.
During the learning part of any skill, how often did the trainer share stories of how the expertise benefits others who use it?
Did the trainer cite it from the company's own salesperson?
How's that affect your belief?
You see, when we talked about training, there's more than just Modules or Chapters to be covered...
...there are critical factors, like conviction and training hours, that heavily influence it.
Think about them for a second, then share with me your take on this issue.
I'm experiencing a downward sales trend right now, and I'm wondering whether sales training can help to reverse it. I'm writing this as I'm thinking about my best next course of action.
Oh! My mind is taking me to a speech given by somebody yesterday, and I watched it on YouTube.
How many companies are likely to succeed leaving results to chance?
Now, honestly...
When I engage with the concept brought forth by Dr. Gleeson in Newsell, little that I know, that such training concept applies to almost all training that companies put me through.
The trainers might not notice it, but I always integrate what is taught in Newsell into any new training program.
Before I end this post, do realize that the critical point for success with any training, is in the "actual" practice, not learning about it.
Salespeople need to go past the "invincible barrier" to show any real results. And they could not get past that by learning it alone...
...they really need to roll up their sleeves, so to speak.
And I didn't mention another critical factor, which reserved for those who read up until this line (that means YOU!): CONVICTION is essential to creating positive results from training.
During the learning part of any skill, how often did the trainer share stories of how the expertise benefits others who use it?
Did the trainer cite it from the company's own salesperson?
How's that affect your belief?
You see, when we talked about training, there's more than just Modules or Chapters to be covered...
...there are critical factors, like conviction and training hours, that heavily influence it.
Think about them for a second, then share with me your take on this issue.
Can Sales Training Help Reverse Downward Sales Trend?
The subject is "vulnerability"...
I can't believe the arrays of the subject some experts come up with.
I can't believe the arrays of the subject some experts come up with.
I find it to be very fascinating, so much so that I've made it a ritual to view a few of them every morning.
And this lady said the vulnerability is part of us.
And this lady said the vulnerability is part of us.
Many people "numb" vulnerability thus, in turn, numbing the following sequence of it.
Things like happiness, relief, security, and wholehearted, just to name a few.
I'm feeling vulnerable right now, and I'm going to embrace it...
This feeling is rooted in my inability to make the sales plan.
I'm feeling vulnerable right now, and I'm going to embrace it...
This feeling is rooted in my inability to make the sales plan.
My current performance is less than 50% and the quarter will end in three weeks.
I feel pressured, and my Boss feels it too...
...and he passes it down to me.
Yeah!
I feel pressured, and my Boss feels it too...
...and he passes it down to me.
Yeah!
Thanks, Boss, but no thanks!
I'm cracking my head to find strategies to meet the plan.
But when I look at the total picture, YES, I'm at x% from the entire target.
I'm cracking my head to find strategies to meet the plan.
But when I look at the total picture, YES, I'm at x% from the entire target.
Compared to last year, I'm actually at xxx% growth!
To put it directly in my words:
I was "over-budgeted."
But there's little I can do other than to try and hit the sales quota. It has been set, and it's a measure of worthiness (which leads to feeling vulnerable!).
So, I was wondering if training can help me reverse the trend?
What does this mean?
I was "over-budgeted."
But there's little I can do other than to try and hit the sales quota. It has been set, and it's a measure of worthiness (which leads to feeling vulnerable!).
So, I was wondering if training can help me reverse the trend?
I think I'll note down the pros and cons of the idea...
Personally, I pin the lack of performance on my market: I have a handful of prescribers, and the demographics were less than spectacular.
If I use the country's ratio of physicians to citizens, then my market size falls on the lower spectrum.
But this is marketing talks...
Sales talks will zoom in on the sales process that needs to be improved to increase sales volume.
And I wonder which process that might be?
Is it opening?
Is it qualifying?
Is it presenting?
Is it closing?
Perhaps, the lacking is caused by the not-so-obvious factor, like rapport.
The company I represent was only recently got reintroduced to the General Practitioner (GP) market.
It was absent from the GPs for more than a year!
Could that be the deciding factor?
So far, I managed to win a few significant accounts, not on the capacity of the brand the company's carrying. The overall branding of the company sucks!
If there's the training I badly need, it's positioning practice...
...and that's marketing once again.
Neil Rackham of SPIN Selling talked about the marriage between sales and marketing.
What, kind of intriguing, during his talk, was when he mentioned the general difference between a marketer and a salesperson.
Things like introvert-extrovert, cerebral-action, general-detail, and a few others were frequently mentioned.
In my case, in particular, I'm a salesperson who needs training in marketing, which I believe can make things more accessible and bring about improvement.
Since asking the company to reduce my target is out of the question, I must focus on the area of which is under my control.
Why I need more marketing training and not specific sales training?
I can safely say that the market research done was not targeted enough.
Heck! I don't even know if there was research done...
If the company claims that it has done so, is it willing to share the results of that research with the employee?
Well, maybe this sounds like an over-optimistic request, but I don't see why not.
After all, market research is done before a product is launched and it's also done to evaluate if the product can be made better.
Speaking of which...
I don't see that any current marketing of this company is being measured.
Seriously...
When sales reps were given specific sales tools, they were supposed to measure the effectiveness of the machines. Marketing will set metrics to see whether the tools achieved their objectives or else.
Things to be measured...
...which key message of the brochure resonates well with customers vs. which one did not...
...which gimmick help with branding vs. which one did not...
...which event gives a more positive response vs. which one did not...
...and so many other things that work towards improving product revenue.
To put it plainly:
Marketing holds the measuring stick and salespeople go out to take the measurement.
And after that, the measurements will be taken back to marketing to be interpreted.
It's that simple.
I've set out earlier to write pro and con of sales training needed to reverse the downward trend of sales but ended with discovering what kind of training required that could possibly deliver the same outcome.
And I used "possibly" because I don't know for sure.
It may, or it may not deliver.
I don't know that yet...
You see, there's this product that we're promoting, that seems to yield a pretty impressive return in a certain part of the country.
I've seen a similar pattern to another product previously, and it prompted me to ask my teammate, who covers that area, to share her success story.
I didn't get the answer from her but my sales manager, at that time, answered on her behalf...
...and I don't see what she did is totally different from mine.
The only difference I could outline was timing:
She had covered the place longer than I do!
But my question is:
"Why the result is not duplicatable?"
In that environment (Government Hospital setting), promotional efforts were easily duplicate.
With everything being precisely the same, it was fair to expect similarly, or at least, close to the outcome between two hospitals even in different areas...
...but that did not happen!
Why?
A marketing metric in place can quickly provide insight into such a question.
Let me illustrate with another example...
I got an ex-schoolmate who studies medicine and now open to her private practice here.
Whenever I talked to other medical sales reps from other pharma companies, they mentioned that her practice was doing good, but she refused to see any of them...
...YES!
All of them were having the same problem.
But I didn't :-)
She sees me every time I pay her a visit.
And of course, my situation here is not duplicatable.
Those reps don't have the kind of privilege I have.
Will marketing metric be able to point things like this out, and offer a practical solution?
Mayhaps...
...but we wouldn't know, would we?
Not until we test.
I can recite more stories about why I feel the need to be trained with marketing knowledge, despite being a salesperson.
I personally believe that fantastic opening, excellent advantage-benefits presentation, and impeccable closing tactics are sufficient to bring back the sales trend up because there's more to selling than just a few lines.
I believe sales training with marketing orientation can reverse the trend, every time.
Oh! It reminds me of that talk on how to succeed as an "introvert"...
Who're The Best Sales Trainers Out There?
If you can nominate, who's the best sales trainers you've ever met, who are that persons or perhaps, companies that the award will go to?
In fact, I'm so convinced that my answer is going to pin down all the other answers.
Why?
I'll get to that in a moment...
A typical sales training as we've discussed earlier is run either by a sales trainer - in-house or outsourced, and sales training companies.
The training will be based on what the company has set out or planned before that, based on sales syllabus and budget.
Budget is always the determining factor...
While the company set out to implement its plan regarding salespeople development, most of the time, the effort is not based on the dynamic of the market. If it does, the company will have to sit down again and re-budget for training.
I had been called in for retraining, mostly on products, a couple of times, and every time it happens, the trainers and materials stay the same.
I guess that's the reason it's called retraining.
It's very much like deja vu...
And the equation of insanity, as we know it, tells us that we can do the same thing and expect different results.
That's precisely what happened to many sales training which makes it - INSANE!
It never occurs to these people, to get different results, we must take different actions.
I have a different action. I'd like to recommend how training is to be decided, and it will definitely produce a different outcome.
Here goes...
When a company decided to run a training program to improve sales results, rather than looking at the sales reports churned by salespeople, which by the way, are full of fluff at best, all the company needs to do is to go straight to the target audience - the customers.
Customers aren't likely to give different feedback...
Customers will tell you what excites them, what steers them away, what they hope for, and, if you're persuasive enough, what they're not getting from competitors.
A company can solicit all this info easily from customers.
But the info themselves are meaningless without follow-ups - what can be done based on them.
That's the gem...
This is somewhat similar to market research.
Some companies thought market research is done before product launches.
Marketers know that market research ideally be done before, during, and after product launches.
There are more than can be improved for products or services, and research can point that out.
And this applies to more than products or services:
...How to best sell to customers...
...how to best approach them...
...how to present solution effectively...
...all these and other info can be gained from research.
Once this info is gathered, training programs and relevant tools can be devised to address them.
The best thing about this approach is: nothing wasted.
All efforts are intensely focused efforts.
How can the company go wrong when it approaches this issue from the customer's point of view.
And that qualifies customers as the best sales trainers out there.
No other trainers can come close to them in terms of improving sales performance - no in-house nor outsource can match them.
Learn from the customers.
They're the persons that put money in the company's pocket;. Thus it makes total sense to tune in to them and work sales training around them.
Sales training seminars are great learning channels for salespeople, like me, who can't imagine going back to school to be educated.
Short, sharp learning fits just nicely into the schedule.
Most of the materials are skimmed down to the most essential elements.
But for the salesperson who represents a company, what sales seminars I need to attend to have already been set.
When the time comes, I just have to make myself available.
At the end of each seminar, I got the chance to evaluate the quality of the workshop, but not before that.
And that's the funny thing...
When the quality of seminars, especially those related to selling, why companies get to make a choice?
I heard some of your answers:
"Because they pay for it. That's why."
...and my question to that question is:
"Does the quality of seminars correlate to their price tags?"
Does it always the case that expensive, more costly seminar produces better results than the cheaper one?
No one and no company can be sure of this simply because different everyone's expectation is different.
I've shared the experience of SPIN Selling experience where the effect seems to stop after a large company's restructuring. It was not a cheap sales training, in my account, based on certification and materials.
I compare that to another company's in-house Patient Focus Sales (PFS) training where the trainers, materials, and even the training place were in-house.
And the sales results were so much better.
In my humble (and correct) opinion, there's no way the latter cost more than the former.
Let the results speak...
So, the question now, how to choose the right sales training seminars for salespeople?
Here's what I'm thinking:
1) The company has only one right to sales training, and that's the right to pay for it.
I have a different action. I'd like to recommend how training is to be decided, and it will definitely produce a different outcome.
Here goes...
When a company decided to run a training program to improve sales results, rather than looking at the sales reports churned by salespeople, which by the way, are full of fluff at best, all the company needs to do is to go straight to the target audience - the customers.
Customers aren't likely to give different feedback...
Customers will tell you what excites them, what steers them away, what they hope for, and, if you're persuasive enough, what they're not getting from competitors.
A company can solicit all this info easily from customers.
But the info themselves are meaningless without follow-ups - what can be done based on them.
That's the gem...
This is somewhat similar to market research.
Some companies thought market research is done before product launches.
Marketers know that market research ideally be done before, during, and after product launches.
There are more than can be improved for products or services, and research can point that out.
And this applies to more than products or services:
...How to best sell to customers...
...how to best approach them...
...how to present solution effectively...
...all these and other info can be gained from research.
Once this info is gathered, training programs and relevant tools can be devised to address them.
The best thing about this approach is: nothing wasted.
All efforts are intensely focused efforts.
How can the company go wrong when it approaches this issue from the customer's point of view.
And that qualifies customers as the best sales trainers out there.
No other trainers can come close to them in terms of improving sales performance - no in-house nor outsource can match them.
Learn from the customers.
They're the persons that put money in the company's pocket;. Thus it makes total sense to tune in to them and work sales training around them.
Sales Training Seminars: How To Choose The Right One
Short, sharp learning fits just nicely into the schedule.
Most of the materials are skimmed down to the most essential elements.
But for the salesperson who represents a company, what sales seminars I need to attend to have already been set.
When the time comes, I just have to make myself available.
At the end of each seminar, I got the chance to evaluate the quality of the workshop, but not before that.
And that's the funny thing...
When the quality of seminars, especially those related to selling, why companies get to make a choice?
I heard some of your answers:
"Because they pay for it. That's why."
...and my question to that question is:
"Does the quality of seminars correlate to their price tags?"
Does it always the case that expensive, more costly seminar produces better results than the cheaper one?
No one and no company can be sure of this simply because different everyone's expectation is different.
I've shared the experience of SPIN Selling experience where the effect seems to stop after a large company's restructuring. It was not a cheap sales training, in my account, based on certification and materials.
I compare that to another company's in-house Patient Focus Sales (PFS) training where the trainers, materials, and even the training place were in-house.
And the sales results were so much better.
In my humble (and correct) opinion, there's no way the latter cost more than the former.
Let the results speak...
So, the question now, how to choose the right sales training seminars for salespeople?
Here's what I'm thinking:
1) The company has only one right to sales training, and that's the right to pay for it.
When it comes to choosing the kind of training, at least, have the courtesy to survey salespeople, anonymously if possible, on what skills they need to improve the most.
Or survey the customers and get their feedback on what salespeople are doing right and not so right. Plan training based on these findings.
2) Don't let price tags of sales seminars fool us on their actual value. Companies probably have a leftover allocation that if left unused, will reveal to the upper management the level of incompetence. And the risk of not getting that amount is increased, dramatically.
Or survey the customers and get their feedback on what salespeople are doing right and not so right. Plan training based on these findings.
2) Don't let price tags of sales seminars fool us on their actual value. Companies probably have a leftover allocation that if left unused, will reveal to the upper management the level of incompetence. And the risk of not getting that amount is increased, dramatically.
There's probably the risk of getting penalized as well :-)
In this situation, the tendency is to simply spend the allocation without due diligence.
In this situation, the tendency is to simply spend the allocation without due diligence.
This is decision-based on desperation, not evaluation. Companies often got upset by the result by going this way.
3) History and track records are essential. But, what's more, important is to do cross-reference with whom the sales consultants claimed they've worked with.
4) I've discussed in the previous post, that consultants' relevant experience in the related field, is crucial. Remember my experience of having a sales trainer from the car industry talked about medical sales.
3) History and track records are essential. But, what's more, important is to do cross-reference with whom the sales consultants claimed they've worked with.
4) I've discussed in the previous post, that consultants' relevant experience in the related field, is crucial. Remember my experience of having a sales trainer from the car industry talked about medical sales.
It's a total mismatch.
5) Have a look at their seminar's content. Make sure it has a great combination of learning and experiencing, preferably, with more of the experiencing portion.
5) Have a look at their seminar's content. Make sure it has a great combination of learning and experiencing, preferably, with more of the experiencing portion.
My personal ratio is 1-hour education, 3 hours practice.
6) Continuation and follow up are the ideal feature of a seminar. If the company that runs the workshop could provide these features, it's really worth the investment.
6) Continuation and follow up are the ideal feature of a seminar. If the company that runs the workshop could provide these features, it's really worth the investment.
Now, after evaluating these six guidelines on how to choose sales seminars, which one do you see has been implemented in your company?
Which one has not?
How's the outcome from achieving it and lack thereof?
Here's my dilemma that prompts me to write about the certified sales training program:
I'm not writing this to seek an answer.
I'm writing this down to organize my thought around this issue, and perhaps, someone will be kind enough to volunteer with the answer.
But that's not important...
In my previous company, I was trained with a few selling programs.
The thing is:
I know that my trainers were qualified by the program provider but what about us, the participants?
I have not been furnished with any certifications or anything, but the company has the record of who's being trained and who's not.
The record does not help much even in a resume...
How could the potential new employer know what I've gone through when I had nothing to show them during the interview?
I can vow as much as I want but does that carry any weight?
Do my words alone mean anything?
This is a dilemma...
It appears that the certified program means something if the endorsement can be transferred to us, the participants. It means a lot to the trainers since they can use it to add value to their resume and demand higher pay elsewhere.
And here's another dilemma...
Most training programs I've participated in were run by the companies I worked with.
What if I choose to leave and work somewhere else, will the new company endorse my training?
Will it require something else before the certification is accepted?
Would this be something like an international driving license?
In the international driving license case, all I need is a specific endorsement, and I can drive happily in the new country, outside my country of origin without having to go to driving classes or sitting in the particular test or what have you.
The endorsement is readily accepted, and almost instantly, I'll be treated like a local driver, without any dilly-dally.
I don't think such a practice is possible with sales training...
That brings me to another dilemma:
If that's the case, having accredited sales training or being trained by certified trainers, only become meaningful in that particular company.
So, actually, it means a little whether you've been trained or not.
Sounds like a waste to me...
All the money spent to train salespeople all this while is in vain.
Companies might reap the benefits of increased sales performance and increased revenue due to that, but to the salespeople, it's almost meaningless.
Certified Sales Training Program: My Recent Dilemma
I'm not writing this to seek an answer.
I'm writing this down to organize my thought around this issue, and perhaps, someone will be kind enough to volunteer with the answer.
But that's not important...
In my previous company, I was trained with a few selling programs.
The thing is:
I know that my trainers were qualified by the program provider but what about us, the participants?
I have not been furnished with any certifications or anything, but the company has the record of who's being trained and who's not.
The record does not help much even in a resume...
How could the potential new employer know what I've gone through when I had nothing to show them during the interview?
I can vow as much as I want but does that carry any weight?
Do my words alone mean anything?
This is a dilemma...
It appears that the certified program means something if the endorsement can be transferred to us, the participants. It means a lot to the trainers since they can use it to add value to their resume and demand higher pay elsewhere.
And here's another dilemma...
Most training programs I've participated in were run by the companies I worked with.
What if I choose to leave and work somewhere else, will the new company endorse my training?
Will it require something else before the certification is accepted?
Would this be something like an international driving license?
In the international driving license case, all I need is a specific endorsement, and I can drive happily in the new country, outside my country of origin without having to go to driving classes or sitting in the particular test or what have you.
The endorsement is readily accepted, and almost instantly, I'll be treated like a local driver, without any dilly-dally.
I don't think such a practice is possible with sales training...
That brings me to another dilemma:
If that's the case, having accredited sales training or being trained by certified trainers, only become meaningful in that particular company.
So, actually, it means a little whether you've been trained or not.
Sounds like a waste to me...
All the money spent to train salespeople all this while is in vain.
Companies might reap the benefits of increased sales performance and increased revenue due to that, but to the salespeople, it's almost meaningless.
Only the current company value such training, and there's no guarantee that the same value applies when they move.
Well, a good thing for newcomers since they can be at par with experienced sales reps regardless of the training the experience reps had been exposed to.
Remember that when sitting in for your next interview...
Up to this point, I've touched on the reps' dilemma.
But companies do face an even bigger dilemma.
I've written an article about this and submit it to Ezine Articles, the largest, most established article directory in town.
The dilemma was: what if you trained salespeople and they leave?
What if you don't train them and they stay?
Which is the more significant dilemma?
I've argued my choice for that in the article...
I did not set out to answer the question about the certified sales training program.
As I mentioned earlier, I intend to organize my thought around it.
Well, a good thing for newcomers since they can be at par with experienced sales reps regardless of the training the experience reps had been exposed to.
Remember that when sitting in for your next interview...
Up to this point, I've touched on the reps' dilemma.
But companies do face an even bigger dilemma.
I've written an article about this and submit it to Ezine Articles, the largest, most established article directory in town.
The dilemma was: what if you trained salespeople and they leave?
What if you don't train them and they stay?
Which is the more significant dilemma?
I've argued my choice for that in the article...
I did not set out to answer the question about the certified sales training program.
As I mentioned earlier, I intend to organize my thought around it.
I can feel a pattern began to emerge internally, but until it becomes clear, I'll just leave this thought as they are, and perhaps I'll revisit them to see what's going to finally emerge.
The tough time comes. Tough times don't last. Tough people (salespeople) do. The enormous task is to keep them motivated during tough times.
How to do that?
Here's a suggestion from the late Zig Ziglar, and it works wonder, in his case.
See if it works for you too...
Zig told a story that one day, a person he knew was inviting him to meet a lady, backstage. The friend said to Zig that, the lady had listened to some of his materials and really think that Zig could offer help in her dire situation.
And Zig agreed to it...
When the lady was brought to him, Zig felt that the situation will significantly be improved if the lady leaves the room.
"There's so much negativity in her," Zig said...
The lady was complaining about her job, and how bad things were at the office.
So Zig asked her, "Is there anything you like about your company that you can think of?"
"What could that be? I got only hatred to that place," replied the lady.
"Don't they pay you a salary for your job? Don't you like to get paid?" Zig fished in a question.
"Yeah, they pay me, and I like getting paid for the job I did," said the lady.
"There! There's one thing you like about the company. What else? You know what...let's list down right now, things that you like about your job. Now, right now," Zig commanded.
And the lady complies, hesitantly.
Before they know it, she got more than 20 items on the list!
Zig said, "What I want you to do, every night before you retire to bed, and first thing in the morning when you open your eyes, read this list aloud in front of a mirror. Read it with enthusiasm and passion. You read it alone, and make sure you can hear yourself out loud reading it. Do you understand?"
The lady nodded and went off...
The last time Zig heard of her, she got promoted to a better position and better pay.
How To Train Salespeople To Stay Motivated In Tough Time
How to do that?
Here's a suggestion from the late Zig Ziglar, and it works wonder, in his case.
See if it works for you too...
Zig told a story that one day, a person he knew was inviting him to meet a lady, backstage. The friend said to Zig that, the lady had listened to some of his materials and really think that Zig could offer help in her dire situation.
And Zig agreed to it...
When the lady was brought to him, Zig felt that the situation will significantly be improved if the lady leaves the room.
"There's so much negativity in her," Zig said...
The lady was complaining about her job, and how bad things were at the office.
So Zig asked her, "Is there anything you like about your company that you can think of?"
"What could that be? I got only hatred to that place," replied the lady.
"Don't they pay you a salary for your job? Don't you like to get paid?" Zig fished in a question.
"Yeah, they pay me, and I like getting paid for the job I did," said the lady.
"There! There's one thing you like about the company. What else? You know what...let's list down right now, things that you like about your job. Now, right now," Zig commanded.
And the lady complies, hesitantly.
Before they know it, she got more than 20 items on the list!
Zig said, "What I want you to do, every night before you retire to bed, and first thing in the morning when you open your eyes, read this list aloud in front of a mirror. Read it with enthusiasm and passion. You read it alone, and make sure you can hear yourself out loud reading it. Do you understand?"
The lady nodded and went off...
The last time Zig heard of her, she got promoted to a better position and better pay.
STOP!
How would I handle the situation myself, if a whiner salesperson was brought before me?
Will I suggest the same thing as Zig does?
Highly probably, I would just ask that person to seek employment elsewhere or go into another industry, and not selling anymore. That person might not cut it as a sales rep.
I remember during my first year working in pharma sales, being stationed far from home, and had no family, relatives, or close friends around, I complained about the target being too high and my boss being too nosy almost frequently.
My dear neighbor caught me doing this every time we sit down and talk, and he offered his own version of a pep talk:
"You see," he said.
"I came here just like you.
This is really far from home to me.
I came here because I got married to my friend's girlfriend, whom he dumped for someone else.
She was on the brink of ending her own life, and I pulled her out of it.
I had no kids with her.
All the kids you saw were from her previous marriage.
But they treat me with respect.
I treasured that.
And I end my service with the Navy.
All my certificates and qualifications got lost somewhere, and I had to start earning my living with what I have.
But look, I'm not doing too bad with a flower nursery and a small pick-up, right?"
This small talk never fails to spark my motivation.
I was looking ONLY at my trepidation while there are others who are going through much worst!
They make my situation pale in comparison...
I believe this is how salespeople can train themselves to be positive in tough times.
They need to count their blessing, be grateful for what they have no matter how insignificant it appears to others.
Have you count your blessings and express your gratitude today?
Go do it now, if you haven't...
There's this question about how frequently should medical sales reps be trained.
I can give a quick answer to it, but after I carefully thought about it, maybe an explanation is appropriate.
So, I'm going to address certain things related to sales training for medical reps.
Feel free to use them as a guidepost in designing your own training map.
Things I'm going to touch on include:
Let's get on with it...
This small talk never fails to spark my motivation.
I was looking ONLY at my trepidation while there are others who are going through much worst!
They make my situation pale in comparison...
I believe this is how salespeople can train themselves to be positive in tough times.
They need to count their blessing, be grateful for what they have no matter how insignificant it appears to others.
Have you count your blessings and express your gratitude today?
Go do it now, if you haven't...
How Frequent Should You Be Trained?
I can give a quick answer to it, but after I carefully thought about it, maybe an explanation is appropriate.
So, I'm going to address certain things related to sales training for medical reps.
Feel free to use them as a guidepost in designing your own training map.
Things I'm going to touch on include:
- 1) Skillsets.
- 2) Competency level.
- 3) Product.
- 4) Restructuring.
Let's get on with it...
Skill Sets
Skill sets refer to the kind of skills reps need to develop.Different skills have different requirements.
For example, training on how to set call objectives requires different skills than practice to close sales.
Both might be in the same selling skills set, but both have a different requirement.
For instance, training how to close require more face to face interaction, either mock or real.
Training on how to set objectives can be done in a meeting room with only a pen and papers, or computers.
Can you identify the different requirements for your current selling skills?
Competency Level
When I joined my current company two years ago, I was positioned at a senior exec level.A newly joined medical sales rep would not get the same position as I do.
In my previous company, every new rep will be in "Skill Level 1".
No matter how a pharma company ranks its rep, different rank corresponds with certain competencies level.
To step up a rank, reps have to upgrade their competencies, and this can only be done through training.
There are no other ways to do this unless you change the company.
Take a look at your current rank:
What competencies you need to add to upgrade your status?
You can bet that, when the portfolio changes, new training is needed to facilitate the transition.
Reps need to equip themselves with new background knowledge and how to use marketing materials.
Even if they have promoted the product before, there will be things that need to be updated.
There will be new info, new clinical trials, modern science, and new marketing materials relevant to these changes.
Did your company put you through a sales training program when you change your product portfolio?
I've been through this exercise also at the beginning of the year.
No matter how a pharma company ranks its rep, different rank corresponds with certain competencies level.
To step up a rank, reps have to upgrade their competencies, and this can only be done through training.
There are no other ways to do this unless you change the company.
Take a look at your current rank:
What competencies you need to add to upgrade your status?
Product
I have recently changed the product portfolio.You can bet that, when the portfolio changes, new training is needed to facilitate the transition.
Reps need to equip themselves with new background knowledge and how to use marketing materials.
Even if they have promoted the product before, there will be things that need to be updated.
There will be new info, new clinical trials, modern science, and new marketing materials relevant to these changes.
Did your company put you through a sales training program when you change your product portfolio?
Restructuring
This is something like the previous situation - change of product portfolio - but it involves more than the product.I've been through this exercise also at the beginning of the year.
My product and sales manager change from that point on.
I've touched on product change.
The managerial change also brings new consequences.
I need to train myself to adapt to this change.
In my previous company, when change is made to product or management, a training program will follow to make sure reps can gel into the turn.
For example, when I change my sales manager (SM) in my previous company, the team was asked to undergo a team-building program to develop teamwork.
As I recalled, it was a two days program under the patronage of a qualified, in-house trainer.
We understand each other better and worked well as a team after that.
Is your company undergoing restructuring?
Does it have a training program as follow-up?
I've touched on product change.
The managerial change also brings new consequences.
I need to train myself to adapt to this change.
In my previous company, when change is made to product or management, a training program will follow to make sure reps can gel into the turn.
For example, when I change my sales manager (SM) in my previous company, the team was asked to undergo a team-building program to develop teamwork.
As I recalled, it was a two days program under the patronage of a qualified, in-house trainer.
We understand each other better and worked well as a team after that.
Is your company undergoing restructuring?
Does it have a training program as follow-up?
These four factors: skills set, competencies level, products, and companies restructuring are factors that cause reps to be put through the constant and consistent sales training program.
If you find yourself in any of this situation, you better hope you already have a training program in place, or else, you need to come up with one.
We can work together on the latter.
Just contact me with your question :-)
If you find yourself in any of this situation, you better hope you already have a training program in place, or else, you need to come up with one.
We can work together on the latter.
Just contact me with your question :-)
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