Training Enablement & Sales Training: The Combination Needed to Compete

Training Enablement vs. Sales Training

Training enablement and sales training are linked because enablement supports the methodology taught in training.

This relationship is important because when a seller completes training they need enablement professionals to keep them aligned to the methodology they learned. Training enablement provides that support by offering tools, content, and metrics that ensure what was learned in training carries into real sales pursuits. The sales enablement in the training enablement role helps convert theory into practice.

Although enablement and training are connected there are some distinctions. Sales training is often a single event. Sellers are expected to make a long-term commitment to the skills learned but the training has a start and endpoint. In contrast, training enablement is ongoing. Enablement professionals must constantly keep their resources up to date in a way that reflects changes in the market and changes within the sales organization. Simply, training enablement is “always on.  

The task of training enablement can be daunting, here we offer 10 tips enablement professionals can employ to ensure they are providing the training enablement support sellers need after a sales training event.

10 Tips for Enabling Sales Training

1. Make Performance Visible with Measurement

Sales training becomes more compelling when sellers see its value reflected in performance measurements. Management also has an opportunity to signal their commitment to the methodology by selecting measurements that track the behaviors taught in training.

2. Keep Lessons Concise

Sellers are sensitive to demands on their time. Minimize time out-of-market with training that occurs in small, digestible pieces. This approach also allows sellers to take what they have learned and quickly apply it to in-play pursuits thereby making the process more engaging.

3. Pair Training with Coaching

To sustain new skills managers must become effective coaches. They must develop the skills needed to develop a cooperative approach to helping sellers stay aligned with the intended methodology.

4. Connect Training to CRM Tools

Embed the intended selling behaviors in the CRM tools so that sellers have a constant guide. Sales training succeeds when sellers have a way to objectively track the pursuit against a set of goals aligned with training.

5. Make it Interactive

Training is more engaging when sellers approach the material in a variety of ways. Training should include opportunities for interactive exercises like role-play, Q&A sessions, live polling, and open discussion.

6. Prime Sellers for Learning

Sellers need to enter training with a willingness to learn. Managers have a responsibility to preface training with material that explains why the training is occurring, why now, and how it will help sellers yield stronger selling outcomes.

7. Make it Practical

The job of selling is constantly changing. Sellers need to know that the skills they will learn can be broadly applied to a variety of buyers who purchase in a variety of ways. Leaders should show sellers that the skills they will learn are built to last.

8. Aim For Inclusivity

Sales organizations often represent a range of tenures. Be sure to keep training inclusive by getting experienced and new sellers alike to participate. Sellers are more able to work together when everyone is aligned to the same methodology.

9. Focus on Incremental Growth

Learning and adopting new skills takes time. Sales training feels less daunting when participants know that the expectations are reasonable. Communicate the intention of growing skills incrementally so that taking the first step doesn’t feel like a leap.

10. Offer Expanded Training

Boost the value of training by offering additional instruction in focused areas. For example, consider offering negotiations training, or prospecting training. These expanded offerings allow sellers to develop skills needed within specific parts of the sales cycle.

Converting Sales Training & Enablement into Sales Readiness

Sales training and sales enablement initiatives are not mutually exclusive. Each improves the other. Training introduces new skills and enablement helps bring them into the market and sustain them.

At Richardson Sales Performance we combine the strengths of both to bring a holistic training experience to selling organizations. Our Sprint Selling program shows sellers how to develop an agile approach to selling in an unpredictable and constantly changing setting.

Our Accelerate sales performance platform helps sellers bring those skills into their pursuits by enabling sellers to assess, build, and apply the right selling skills at the right moment to advance the sale and drive revenue. Richardson’s Accelerate brings the most effective selling skills into the flow of work for results that can be seen. This is fundamentally different than traditional CRM systems that catalog, and organize but do not synthesize.

Selling is more competitive than it has ever been. Winning the sale means having a plan to both develop skills and effectively deploy them. Richardson’s combination of sales training and sales enablement does exactly that, click here to contact us to discuss your specific training and enablement needs.