Scientists tell us that are mind and body are designed to strengthen and improve with regular exercise thanks to what is called “The Training Effect”.
As Sales Professionals we should always be on the look out for opportunities to leverage the “Sales Training Effect”.
Jeff Galloway is an experienced marathon runner and has introduced hundreds of thousands of people to long distance running and is an expert on the “Training Effect”.
Galloway says, “After more than four decades of running I feel great on almost every one of my runs because I’ve learned this secret of the training effect’.
After 20 years of selling I feel great on almost every sales call because I’ve learned the secret of the “sales training effect”.
Galloway says there’s four key things that we have to do when we train to make sure we improve our results. The good thing is about the training effect is that our bodies and minds are designed as a self-improvement system and that doesn’t require huge amounts of effort in terms of training either physical or mental to improve or increase our results. The key to the “training effect” is found when you’re training for the long term.
A sales team can only improve their results in five ways:
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Reduce the time of each transaction
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Increase the revenue per transaction
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Improve the number of opportunities
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Increase the amount of selling time/activity
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Increase the Number of Sales People
With the exception of adding sales staff all of these strategies require sales training. Sales people know instinctively that they should always be improving their skills. Yet finding time to upgrade them is even more difficult with today’s fast pace. Time constraints, inconsistent delivery, lost opportunities combined with the lack of a measurable return on investment are common complaints.
The question we should ask ourselves is; What is the optimal amount of sales training required to induce the “Sales Training Effect?
For Sales Professionals who are committed to the long tern as sales professionals the way to induce the training effect is keep in mind these four principles.
Consistency:Galloway says you’ll improve running efficiency if you do at least three 2 hour runs every week regardless of the speed at which you run. Each additional day you run per week will slightly improve your conditioning but it will also increase your risk of injury and fatigue. Too many running days in a row even when you run slowly won’t give your muscles the timeout necessary for rebuilding.
When training for sales we have to make sure that we train on a consistent basis. Training for one week a year is not going to get us into the winner’s circle. Training seven days a week will never give us any time with our customers and prospects.
Goal: Set a Target of 30 minutes each week to upgrade your skills.
Specificity: Galloway says to improve your running performance when training for a marathon you have to gradually increase the duration or intensity of your work cuts until you are simulating your goal race effort.
As salespeople we must train on the specific skills, processes and tactics that will allow us to win our race. What this means is that we should train to improve the skills that will help us sell and not just learn the topics that we find easy or enjoy.
Goal: Have a co-worker or manager suggest areas where you need to improve. Upgrade these skills first
Rest: Without rest even the most perfect workouts will not produce a training effect. If you take a day off from running after a long run or a particularly stressful workout most of the damage your body incurred will be prepared in 48 hours.
Major sales training courses, the kind of in-depth sales training that usually happens at the start of a new sales job must be followed by a rest period. Long training courses often overload our conscious minds but create positive learning at an unconscious level. The time spent directly after any training course “face to face” or “ear to ear” with your prospects and customers is when most of that learning is internalized and becomes habit.
Goal: Keep a training log and compare to the amount of time that you are engaged with your customers. Is there a balance between the two. Do you have adequate periods of rest between training and selling?
Pace Galloway says if you run too fast on long runs or running too many speed sessions you won’t reap the full benefits of the training effect. The wear and tear of your body will not be repaired in time for the next longer fast work out which makes you more fatigue rather than more efficient.
For salespeople training should become a regular structured part of your professional development. With a balance of formats, times, tactics and strategies all designed specifically to produce the results that you want.
Goal: Include several types of learning methods, groups/individual, seminars, tapes, videos, workshops, mentors, coaching, teleclasses, newsletters, WebCasts etc. Make sure to teach the task not the tool. Use only as much training as you need to get the learning done.
Long Term As sales professionals we all run the sales marathon. Some of us are training to win; others are training just to finish. Sales training is no longer an option for those committed to a career in sales. Long term success and being able to say ” After 4 decades of selling I feel great after every sales call” comes from constant and never ending improvement.
Follow the four strategies to leveraging the “Training Effect”.
