Try these sales training ideas as a digital team to start selling strongly!
You may have never dreamed of working as a salesperson, but in some markets, selling sometimes becomes a part of your job. It may even be one of those “other duties as assigned” that so often completes even the shortest job description. Even if you didn’t go to school or work in a sales career for years, there are many ways to keep your skills sharp. Consider using these sales training ideas at your digital agency.
1. Creative copy competitions. You might not be a direct salesperson, but you may work in marketing, PR, or even a writing-related field. If you can pitch perfect copy for your company’s website, email newsletters, or sales ads, you’re off to a great start in sales. Training ideas include regular copy competitions. Whether it be once a week or once a month, pick a random product (a stapler, computer mouse, paper clip, etc.), and enlist a couple of staff members to produce sales copy for it. Let the rest of the staff pick a winner.
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2. Practice networking. People often fall in one of two categories when it comes to professional networking. They either love to do it or feel uncomfortable. If you love to network, there’s a good chance you don’t need to practice it – you probably use your networking skills on a regular basis. However, if networking just isn’t your thing, its a good training option. Start small and practice networking with your colleagues, and then branch out to other local businesses until you feel comfortable enough to do this on your own. Networking is a great way to pull in new leads and make contacts at other agencies.
3. Share success stories and discuss pushback. If you’re working at a digital agency, it’s likely you’re already setting aside time for team meetings. Parcel out some of this time to discuss sales situations your team has encountered since the last meeting. Everyone loves to hear success stories. It’s motivating and encouraging to all team members. Don’t forget to discuss any pushback you may have received from customers. If you’re regularly hearing the same concerns from clients, set aside extra time to plan a strategy of how to address the pushback. Maybe you need to make some company changes or just develop a scripted response, but working together will take the pressure off one staff member, and benefit the entire team as a whole.
4. Audit social media accounts. How do you present yourself online? Often customers take the additional time to look at the social media feeds of the company and sometimes even the salesperson before working with them. Is your social media message consistent? Is your company and staff presenting themselves in a positive light online? If you’re looking for sales training ideas, have your staff members audit each other’s accounts. Provide them with a checklist of things to consider so you can be sure everyone is following the same guidelines.
5. Create a mentorship program. One of the best sales training ideas is to pair up new staff with experienced sellers. You can design this program to be as formal or informal as you’d like. Encourage teamwork, and your new employee is sure to succeed.
6. Immerse yourself in sales culture. Spend 10 to 15 minutes a day reading sales blogs or participating in sales training webinars. Create a lending library in the workspace where staff members can take home sales books to read. There is so much great free content online as well to use as self-guided training. There’s no excuse to stop learning!
7. Pick up the phone and try cold calling. There is no better training for new salespeople than practicing the art of the cold call. This will give them a chance to talk directly to clients, while developing their own consistent sales message. It will also give new salespeople a chance to think on their feet and adjust the conversation to meet the needs of the client.
8. Introduce role playing. If your employees work together in the same space, great. If not, use Skype or Google Hangouts to get employees face to face. Make one employee the salesperson and the other will play a customer. Give them a random object or concept to sell, and set a short time limit. Next, switch roles and products. After this sales training idea is completed it would be great for the employees to discuss what they learned from each other.
9. Encourage Show and Tell at meetings. So, you might not have participated in Show and Tell since the third grade, but if you’re looking for sales training ideas, this is a great way for your staff to practice their sales techniques when they feel the most comfortable. Similar to the creative copy competition and role playing, each team member will need to sell their item to the rest of the staff. Everyone is usually a bit more willing to participate in this type of training, because they’ll be selling a product with which they’re very familiar. Isn’t this the overall goal for your company?
10. It’s quiz time! How well do your employees know your product, software, or concepts? If you went to a bar and ordered a drink, you’d want the bartender to know which ingredients and how much of each needs to be included for the drink to taste great. The same goes for any company. Quizzes used for sales training ideas usually work well when they are unannounced and presented in a fun manner. Always quiz respectfully and use it as a learning experience, versus a punishment for your staff. If they get answers wrong, have them come prepared to the next meeting with a two-minute presentation or simply have them email you when they’ve identified the correction to their mistake.
While you’re busy preparing your staff with these sales training ideas, you’ll want to keep up to date on any leads or contacts you may receive.
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What are your staff’s favorite sales training ideas? Share what works best for your company in the comments section below!