Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2015 - (Page 52)
T R AC K I N G
TRENDS
- KE N TAY LOR
VENDOR SELECTION TIPS
FOR CORPORATE SAL ES TR AIN I N G
Sales performance improvement and
leadership development are two of the
fastest growing segments for sourcing
training from the supply side of the market.
We are also seeing continued strength in
the custom content development space
as it pertains to salesforce development,
so understanding what to look for in a
vendor should be top of mind for training
professionals.
In a recent Training Industry research study,
we explored several questions relating to
both the propensity to include external
vendors to support sales performance
improvement initiatives and best practices
to consider when moving through the
selection process.
Respondents were asked what their
key priorities were for improving the
effectiveness of their salesforce. The 22
FIGURE 1.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT SALES PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS
70%
60%
60%
50%
40%
22.0% Very
Effective
17.6% Ineffective
30%
20%
22%
16%
10%
1%
0%
Very
Effective
52
Somewhat
Effective
Somewhat
Ineffective
Very
Ineffective
percent of companies that self-assessed
their programs as very effective (see
Figure 1), said the key focus areas for their
investments are improvements to the sales
process, as well as training and coaching
of the sales reps and managers. More than
half of respondents (57 percent) felt that
starting with the sales process was critical to
improving the performance of a sales team
(see Figure 2).
We are encouraged to see the trend toward
investing time in the sales process prior to
jumping into program development. Our
study reveals that 43 percent of learning
leaders reported that they look to the market
for help with improving the sales process.
As illustrated in Figure 3, learning leaders
responsible for improving sales team
performance understand the value of
leveraging external training providers
for traditional program development
and delivery, as well as for critical success
factors to any sales transformation, such as
reviewing the sales process and integrating
the right data and tools. Seeking guidance
in both of these areas prior to developing
the program can actually be critical to
maximizing the impact of your sales
transformation investment.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2015