Last fall I was invited by a potential client to attend one of their company’s training seminars. The session was presented by a well-known name in the industry who spent two hours with the company’s top salespeople. The session’s topic was generating business in a weak economy.
It was expensive for the company-this gentleman didn’t come cheaply.
It was expensive for the salespeople-it took them out of the field for three days.
After the presentation, my host was pumped. His evaluation of the presentation was that it had gone better than he had hoped. He had a trainer everyone recognized and admired. His sales team was excited and ready to hit the streets. His team members knew what to do and sales were going to pick up-they were going to go through the roof.
Three months later, his analysis is that the session was a massive waste of money.
Why did his program turn out to be such a disappointment?
Focus. More accurately, focusing on the wrong thing at the wrong time.
My host had confused a motivational presentation with sales training. He bought a short-term shot in the arm instead of long-term behavior change. He paid for an emotional high instead of new tools and new techniques.
The session he paid for was full of fun and laughter. His sales team was captivated during the entire two and a half hours. The presenter had wonderful, memorable stories and a boatload of well-turned phrases. The audience loved it-and they were pumped, ready to hit the streets.
It was great entertainment and motivation. But it wasn’t training. Rather than sales training, it was a pep rally with stories of how salespeople successfully-and some unsuccessfully-used a few prospecting strategies. There was no training on the how, just entertaining examples of the why. It was sales vaudeville.
Certainly, there is a place for this type of presentation in sales. When a company is seeking serious, in-depth training isn’t the time.
I’m not saying that a training seminar cannot be fun or have humor. I’m not arguing that a training seminar should be devoid of a motivational aspect.
However, there is a distinct difference between a training seminar or workshop and a motivational presentation. And although both have their place, they are not interchangeable.
I got a call last week from the host of last fall’s seminar. His company is launching a new product in a few weeks. He’s now looking for a solid, well-defined sales training program to precede the launch.
Again, his timing is way off.
Last fall when he brought in the motivational speaker, he needed a sales trainer. Now, with the launch of his new product, he really needs a motivational speaker-the pep rally-to get his team excited and pumped up to hit the streets with their new product. Now’s the time for the short-term burst of energy that speaker would provide.
Timing is just as important with sales training and motivation as with any other aspect of business. Which you employ depends on your goals. In this company’s case, the goal is to whip up the troops and get the new product off the ground quickly. The initial success of the program is the focus, not long-term sales skills. Last fall, the focus was on creating long-term sales success. Unfortunately, they misidentified the right product last fall, and almost did the same this time.
Don’t hire your speaker or trainer unless you have a very clear vision of what you want to achieve and what they can provide-it can be a very costly mistake.
Never a true word has been written!
You’ve nailed it.
The “two hour session” is nothing more than a band aid trying to cover up a more serious illness!
Many sales directors think that by being “motivated” will produce the results and yes you do need to be motivated but REAL motivation comes from being able to do a great job, knowing what you’re doing inside out and getting some results AND THEN you’ll be motivated!
I’ve delivered numerous 2 hour sessions and they need to cut like a laser beam. They can’t be generic. You’ve got to focus on one aspect and nail it.
The Sales Jedi
Comment by The Sales Jedi — January 23, 2009 @ 10:10 am |
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Pingback by A Pep Rally Isn’t Sales Training « Sales and Sales Management Blog — January 27, 2009 @ 5:56 pm |
Sales training is never one-shot deal. It requires a long-term commitment – with follow up sessions. A motivational speaker can help you jump start sales but to produce sustained results requires “booster” sessions, follow up and accountability partners.
Comment by Zan Jones — January 28, 2009 @ 1:21 pm |