Sales training. Whose job is it?

Karen Jefferson

The founder of every firm became a rep because they are good at selling. Few, if any, have a degree in sales since there are fewer than 70 colleges and universities in North America offering such a degree. Without formal sales training, the sales process can be an unpredictable and sloppy occurrence. As an independent manufacturers representative, it is your job to hire and train the best sales team in the territory. Your expertise is selling. Make your team the best it can be.

Because each factory has the core competency of making their particular product, they are the technical experts. If they are NOT, then they need to go back to the drawing board, literally and figuratively, to study up. However, technical product training is not the same thing as sales training. Do not let a manufacturer tell you otherwise.

One of the many values that a rep brings to the manufacturers on their line card is a sales team that is ready to go. This means that reps take on the responsibility of finding, hiring and training the best sales team in the territory. If reps are relying on innate sales ability, a big opportunity is being missed. There are indeed natural salespeople, but there are few that cannot use the boost of formalized training. Following technical training from the factory, reps are not only the technical face of the factory in the field, they are the sales expert. Selling is your core competency. If you are not providing sales training to your team, start making a systematic plan.

You can use any variety of sales training. There are many to choose from. Sandler, Dale Carnegie, Action Selling, and more.Remember that all sales training is not created equally. Carefully compare and contrast program content as well as costs and end results. Pricing varies greatly and there is a wide range of guarantees. My personal favorite is the Certified Sales Professional (CSP).  Full disclosure: I used to sell CSP in the U.S. CSP tools and skills emphasize bringing current and accurate information to the customer in an attempt to solve a problem. There is no pressure to buy. And the goal is always to solve the customer’s issue, even if MY product is not the right solution. Furthermore, CSP provides a useful 8-step sales process. This process makes it predictable and (more importantly) repeatable. When followed, the process can increase sales substantially.

Some sales trainings work to reduce cold call anxiety. Others focus on overcoming objections.And there are those that focus on “the close.” What I took away from my CSP training was that cold calling can be warmed up considerably and when following the 8-step process there are no objections and the close is agreed to in the beginning. Additionally, the program takes a holistic view of sales and considers not just the process, but also the salesperson as an individual and the landscape of your product and market. It helps you understand how you handle stress and whether or not you actually have the personality and temperament for sales. 

Regardless of which sales training program you use, be sure that you communicate your efforts to the factories you represent. Reps work hard to be successful and often times they think the proof is in the orders. And to an extent, this is true. However, the effort and expense of fielding a serious and successful sales team is often invisible to your manufacturers. Make an effort to keep them informed. Let them know that creating and maintaining the best sales team in your territory is a conscious effort on your part. Good rep firms don’t just happen. Every day you work hard to be successful. Be proud. Be loud. Tell your manufacturers why you (and subsequently, they) are successful. Sell yourself and your firm to them on a regular basis. There has never been a manufacturer that complained their reps were communicating too much or selling too well.

Karen L Jefferson CPMR CSP is not only a Certified Sales Professional, but also a Certified Professional Manufacturers Representative. She knows how hard reps work and wants your factories to know, too. She writes to remind you to sell yourself. More writings can be found at www.KarenJefferson.US and she is available to consult with your principals as to running a more effective rep network.

Sales Foundation (2013). 2013 Top Universities for Professional Sales Education http://www.salesfoundation.org/wp-content/themes/SEF/pdf/sef_schools2013.pdfAccessed 4/3/15