Having a team that wears the company's shirt is the goal of any entrepreneur, regardless of the market segment. However, to achieve this objective, a key factor is to invest in a quality and effective employee training strategy.
And, to avoid any false steps when putting this plan into practice, we prepared this content with 7 mistakes that cannot be made in online sales training, in addition to highlighting the importance of investing in this tactic.
Want to know more about the subject? Continue reading and stay well informed!
Why is it important to offer structured sales training?
Each establishment offers a different line of products or services and serves different public profiles. Therefore, it is not enough for employees to just have that much-desired natural gift for sales. It is essential that they know the company's culture and products/services so that they can transmit this culture to the public.
Here, the power of good sales training comes into play! Using this tool, it is possible to observe highly positive changes, such as:
- Mimproving the performance of the sales team;
- Mgreater engagement and collaboration among employees;
- Aimproving communication techniques with customers.
The result is professionals prepared to provide all the information about the products or services you want to sell, answer the consumer's questions and, consequently, close a greater volume of business more efficiently, successfully reaching goals.
When sales training is online, what is the main pitfall?
We are in an increasingly connected world, in which many of the activities that were previously carried out in person, such as alignment meetings, conferences and corporate training, can now take place completely online.
However, for many people, this practicality still indicates that the digital process is easier and does not demand the same attention. It is a common type of mistake, although serious, as it can end up harming the success of the training.
It is important to understand that digital media has arrived to facilitate communication and speed up procedures, but this does not eliminate the need for structured planning for the training process to be successful.
What are the 7 most common online sales training mistakes?
Now that we've uncovered the trap that can seriously harm your online sales training, we're going to list 7 mistakes made by many companies so that you can avoid them and score positive points with your team.
1 - Not investing in the right tools
Imagine that you have done detailed planning, chosen current training tactics, brought together the entire sales team on a virtual platform and, suddenly, you realize that the chosen resource does not work. It's disappointing, isn't it?
Well, when we talk about online sales training, the tool chosen makes all the difference. Regardless of your objective — live conferences, video classes, sharing additional study materials or assessment activities, it is essential to evaluate which of the options available on the market will best serve you.
2 - Only deepen the theory and leave practice aside
Presenting sales tactics in a theoretical way is important, but there is no point in investing only on this side of the coin. Practical knowledge is essential for salespeople to apply their skills in a real context.
Even if the training is carried out online, it is possible to invest in exercises and interactive activities that allow participants to test their learning in a dynamic and playful way — which even contributes to the absorption of content. For example, simulating a sale to a more experienced salesperson.
3 - Not carrying out follow-up
Even if the training has been applied successfully, to know if the results were truly satisfactory, it is essential that managers or those responsible for the training process monitor the teams and numbers that a good training tool provides.
This proximity ensures that employees can resolve queries more quickly, and also ensures that certain errors can be corrected early on.
Here, it is interesting to dedicate time to holding feedback meetings both individually and with the group — even if they are online, to assess whether the knowledge has been properly absorbed and whether the teams are evolving as expected. Just like looking at the data on how many employees completed the training, looking at the average grade they achieved and having it on hand at the time of feedback helps to better illustrate the points that will be covered.
4 - Not encouraging continuous improvement
Another very common mistake made by companies, alongside the lack of monitoring, is not encouraging continuous improvement among their employees. It is not enough to just demand results, it is necessary to keep teams engaged so that they can put into practice the topics covered in sales training.
It is necessary to keep in mind that, when employees are not motivated and work without a growth perspective, they do not advance towards their goals. In this way, the company is also affected and it is possible to observe a drop in sales volume, the quality of customer service and the store's atmosphere as a whole.
5 - Not taking the customer’s profile into account
There is no point in having a team that is an expert in your product or service and well-informed about the most effective sales tactics if the training offered does not also address the profile of the target audience to be won over.
By ignoring customers' needs and interests, the sales process turns into a simple attempt to push a product to a consumer who will certainly not make their purchases again at an establishment that does not put them first.
6 - Not updating the training strategies used
The commercial area, in general, is highly dynamic. Consumer interests change, products change, and so do the ways of marketing them — just look at the rapid evolution of e-commerce and the growth of companies that adopted virtual tools to boost their sales.
From this observation, we can say that a big mistake made by managers is not paying attention to market transformations and the most recent tactics in terms of training and qualification. This stance will certainly harm the progress of business and make the competition gain more prominence in a short time.
7 - Not documenting the results
Last but not least, it is common to see that companies carry out online sales training but forget to correctly document all processes. Here, we are not just talking about a roadmap for carrying out the training, but about all the steps that accompany this process.
It is essential that the company knows the team's current problems and can carry out a study of the scenario before, during and post-training. This way, it is possible to identify recurring problems, assess the need for new training processes, in addition to more consistent monitoring of team evolution.
How to avoid these mistakes?
Now that you know the main mistakes made by companies when investing in online sales training, let's list some tips on how to overcome this challenge and make this process more effective:
- Apost robust content that is up to date with market demands;
- Cmake sure the chosen approach is accessible to your sales team;
- Echoose an online platform that allows the sharing of study materials in different formats and the interaction of participants;
- Pbe prepared to deal with doubts and failures along the way so participants stay motivated.
Find a platform that has all completed training reports available in real time.
And when planning your online sales training, You can count on specialized support from Take 5.
We have the ideal solution to meet your company's needs with technology and great efficiency. Contact us and learn more!
