Our October webinar is almost here, so we decided to sit down with our presenter Dave Stein and discuss the topic of Selecting the Right Sales Training Provider. We discussed what makes him passionate about this topic, what qualities organizations should look for in sales training providers, and why sales leaders can make the wrong choices when it comes to selecting them.
Dave has spent almost 20 years as a sales trainer, so he understands the challenges that trainers and training departments face when it comes to picking the right training option. Something he noticed in his time as a sales trainer was that when it came time to make the decision about which training company to go with, there wasn't any independent source of information about how well companies performed. With this in mind and a passion to provide sales leaders with something more than a "gut feeling" to make decisions, he started ES Research Group.
On the qualities to look for in sales training providers, Dave had this to say:
"It's the insistence that sufficient reinforcement programs/methods be incorporated into the total sales performance improvement initiative. Sales training companies make the biggest profit by filling seats in multi-day programs. Some are less willing to do what it takes to sustain the effort, because the margins aren't as big We like sales trainers who fight for reinforcement, executive sponsorship, sales manager participation in programs, and all the other components of a successful sales training initiative."
This means that above all else, a sales training provider should be able to show how their programs will be of value to you in the long term. They can tell you all about the impressive ways that they can immerse your sales team in their learning process, but it's meaningless if it doesn't add up to positive changes in overall behavior.
Unfortunately, sales leaders might not be looking at this as their requirement. More often than not, they go with an aforementioned "gut feeling" to make these tough decisions. These gut decisions can have many factors involved that will sound all too familiar to a trainer: "I've used them before." "They promise the largest ROI." Or, best of all, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
Dave will be covering ESR's approach to evaluating and selecting sales training providers. He'll be sharing what he tells ESR's clients about their strategic approach to this process. Don't miss out on this FREE opportunity to learn what it really takes to make outsourcing training worthwhile! Register today!
