What are you trying to accomplish by training your sales force? Is it to teach your salespeople about the features and benefits of your products and services? If it is, then you are arming your sales force with outdated technology. It’s kind of like brining a knife to a gunfight, which would not be a very good idea!
The 21st Century Sales Force
The objective of training your sales force today is to teach your people how to have their prospects discover that they need what you have.
People love to buy but hey hate to be sold. And when you arm your sales force with the right training, they can efficiently and effectively help people buy.
The old selling model of pushing features and benefits up the prospect’s hill in a battle of “King of the Hill” is hard on both your salespeople and your prospects. It’s time you approach things differently and more professionally because if you don’t, your sales force looks like every other sales force out there.
And when your prospects perceive no difference between suppliers they only have one way to decide who to work with…price.
Permission to Say No - A Paradigm Shift
The training your sales force receives today needs to be different from start to finish. One of the first things they need to learn is the importance of setting upfront ground rules with the prospect. And one of these ground rules is giving the prospect permission to say “no.”
That’s right, as counterintuitive as it sounds, your sales force will sell more when they give prospects permission to say “no” at the beginning of their sales calls. The prospect feels a sense of control when they have permissiont to say no. With control comes confidence and openness. Sound good?
Now of course they will also give the prospect permission to say “yes.” And more often than ever before, by first giving them permission to say “no” prospects will say “yes.” Sounds crazy, I know, but it’s true. Go here to learn more!!
Qualify Hard, Close Easy
Your sales force also needs to learn that not every prospect is a good prospect. And only the best prospects deserve presentations and proposals. How do you know if you’re dealing with a good prospect? You qualify hard!
• Is there a compelling emotional reason the prospect should do business with you?
• Are they willing to invest money, time, and resources to do business with you?
• And, is the prospect in a position to say “yes” or does he only have the authority to say “no”?
Selling in the 21st century is a whole lot different than it was just 20 years ago. The glad handing and features and benefits spewing that carried the day back then simply do not work today.
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