Training your salespeople.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part one in a series of articles about training your sales staff to achieve optimum performance.

Ah, yes. The professional sales force. A dedicated group of intelligent, well-spoken sophisticates with the finely-honed skills of a neurosurgeon and the energy of

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

These professionals prospect like there's no tomorrow. They always use the Customer Log, sell 50% of floor traffic on their first visit and they deliver and follow up as if their technique was going to be shown nationwide on the 6:00 news. They're every sales manager's Dream Team.

OK. Wake up. The fantasy is over. This is the real world and no sales manager has it that good. But some do have it better than others. Why? Because they've taken the time to ensure that their sales force is as well trained and professionally-prepared as possible.

A professional, well trained sales force offers you countless advantages. These advantages can be summarized into just two major points. First, a professional sales force is much more effective at moving product out your door. Second, it is much easier to manage.

In this series of articles you will learn to:

* Determine the training needs of your sales staff

* Develop and implement a sales training plan

* Master the four step training procedure

* Improve learning through participative techniques

* Recognize and develop the qualities of a good trainer

* Conduct productive sales meetings

DETERMINING TRAINING NEEDS

Effective training cannot take place until you first determine the needs of your sales team.

Use a Sales Training Needs Assessment Worksheet to identify the training needs of each of your salespeople. It is designed to be used in three parts: Recognizing performance deficiencies; Establishing training methods; Scheduling due dates.

RECOGNIZING PERFORMANCE DEFICIENCIES

As you have read in my previous articles, monitoring and evaluation is the best way to get continuous feedback on your salespeople's performance deficiencies. In order to identify performance deficiencies, try carefully studying the Customer Log; closely observing your sales force in action; taking your salespeople aside and discussing training needs with them.

The Customer Log can be one of your most valuable tools for identifying areas in which your salespeople need training. By carefully studying and analyzing the log, you can easily see where a salesperson may be falling short, i.e. where training is needed.

I had a salesman who had "winner" written all over him. He was extremely personable, clean cut, dressed well, had a brilliant smile and that special way about him that people just love. He did OK, but he wasn't maximizing his potential. By studying the Customer Log, I noticed that about 80% of his customers weren't getting past the product presentation.

I counseled with him and found out that he just did not have the product knowledge. If a customer asked a technical question, he was at a loss. The customer lost confidence in the salesperson and the product because this guy wasn't establishing value in the presentation.

For an entire month I had him spend every lunch hour back in the Service Department. The service manager and the mechanics were great. They showed this guy what was what and which end was up. As he learned more about the product, his sales gradually improved until he was right up there with the best our dealership had.

By analyzing how far each of your salespeople get with their customers, you will see a pattern begin to develop. It may indicate the step in the selling process where they're having difficulty and where training might be of help.

Author, speaker and educator, Gart has been retained by every major powersport manufacturer/distributor. He is a frequent keynote speaker for national motorcycle conventions and state Motorcycle Dealer Association events. Visit www.gartsutton.com.