The last training session proved disastrous. There you were,
at the front of the room, speaking enthusiastically about
the challenges of turning reluctant prospects into satisfied
clients. But the faces staring back at you looked skeptical.
A couple of people seemed genuinely and openly uninspired by
your unabashedly brilliant and animated presentation; others
simply looked confused.
Isn't this the sales-training class? What's wrong with these
new hires?
When managing a group of salespeople, it's important to know
them well enough to understand what drives them, what
inspires them. The same things that motivate you may do
little for them, especially if your personalities are on the
opposite sides of the communication spectrum. You might be a
passionate cheerleader, but if your trainees seem unmoved by
your excitement, you're simply expending a lot of
unnecessary energy and wasting precious time.
Reserved types respond best to facts and figures. They tend
to take on a consultative approach when selling and feel
comfortable with a no-nonsense training approach. They
almost always disregard anything flamboyant and may wince at
the mere thought of playing team-building games. They can
sell technical products or intangibles and usually relate
best to sedate, bottom-line oriented prospects.
Of course, you may have the opposite problem. You might be
the one who is rather reserved and pragmatic while your
sales students seem annoyingly loud, garish and outspoken.
These very sociable beings may be less than enthusiastic
when listening to your well-honed presentation on the latest
industry trends; with this in mind, try to employ a more
creative approach when discussing serious, fact based sales
topics. If you're speaking one language, and they're hearing
another, your goal of bringing out their best will always be
just that - a goal.
Gregarious personalities need to be entertained while you
train them. They typically find straightforward lectures
boring and like learning sessions that involve two-way
interaction, perhaps some role-playing or the chance to earn
impressive rewards or prizes. They can usually sell
emotionally based products to almost anyone.
Before attempting to connect with any of your hires and mold
them into successful salespeople you must be certain they
have all of the necessary equipment - copious amounts of
drive, determination and ambition. Make sure the
smooth-talker in your class is also assertive and
competitive. Be on the lookout for faux sales types - those
who talk a bigger game than they can actually play. An
outgoing personality might be a plus in sales, but charm
alone is seldom enough to consistently close deals. Someone
preoccupied with his or her own self-image may back away
quickly to avoid seeming pushy when a prospect seems
uninterested.
You probably know all too well that hiring the wrong person
for the job can be a painful and expensive mistake.
Will the new hires take on a consultative sales approach or
a persuasive one? How do you know whether your trainees
respond to bells and whistles or facts and objectivity? The
answer to these questions lies in knowing more about whom
you are hiring before you show them to their desk.
Interviews may give you a clue, but remember that many
people can and will project the image they think you want,
or say the things you like to hear, just to land the job.
Fortunately, there are several hiring tools available that
can tell more about your potential new team members. One of
these is a written personality-based evaluation that
underlines strengths, flags weaknesses, and provides
management advice. Assessments of this kind can also help
restore cohesiveness within the sales department.
When developing a sales staff many other factors come into
play, including the pace and sensitivity of the trainee.
Someone who tends to be unhurried will become flustered if
required to rush, while a very time-driven person may
dislike working through long sales cycles. Thin-skinned
business people often become deterred when their ideas or
sale pitches are rebuffed, but those who are very resilient
can sometimes disregard constructive criticism and be
challenging to manage. Remember that your trainees' unique
traits can bring about both positive and negative effects
that should be considered when coaching.
Being a successful trainer requires more than just wanting
to work with people. To teach effectively and bring out the
best in your new hires you need to know what motivates them
and what stops them cold. Once you learn to use these
triggers to your advantage, you can save time and money. You
might even realize that it wasn't really them after all --
it was you, who didn't get it! -
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