What Essential Topics Should We Include in Our Sales Team Training? Seeking Your Advice!

Can anyone suggest major areas/topics that should be covered in training for sales team members? Currently, we have planned a few topics such as negotiation skills, product knowledge, and understanding customer needs. However, I am looking forward to your suggestions for additional topics to ensure comprehensive coverage in our training sessions.

I am eagerly awaiting your valuable suggestions on sales training topics.

Regards,
Ashima Goyal

I would also like to add that we are into sales of Commercial Vehicles (Trucks & Buses), so please suggest accordingly.

Regards,
Ashima Goyal

As you mentioned earlier, your organization is involved in the sales of commercial vehicles (trucks and buses). Therefore, salespeople must acquire knowledge in the following areas:

1. Automobile Industry Overview
2. Market for New and Used Vehicles
3. In-depth Understanding of Dealership and Non-Dealership Models
4. Quality Check-Up Standards
5. Financing Options (Loan, Loan Calculation) – Zero Interest Loan
6. Types of Insurance
7. Warranty Types
8. Knowledge of Supply Chain Management
9. Documentation Process
10. Parts and Accessory Sales
11. Utility and Safety Aspects
12. Test Drive and Engine Inspection
13. Sales Tax
14. Cost per Mile Calculation
15. Aspect Ratio
16. 50/100 Coverage
17. Highway Safety Guidelines
18. Retail Sales
19. Negotiation Techniques
20. Closing Techniques
21. Customer Service
22. After-Sales Management

Note: I do not belong to the automobile industry, nor have I undergone any training for automobile sales. I am sharing this knowledge based on my own understanding.

Sales training can be divided into two areas: basic training for those who need to catch up with the process and nuances, and advanced skills of intelligent patterning. These could include strategic selling, responsible selling, anchoring customer experience, and reorganization of strategies based on the "voice of the customer." Essentially, these are customized to the needs of the learners vis-a-vis the market trends.

I hope this gives you some idea of the training topics needed for your sales force.

Cheers,
Gautam

Hi Ashima,

Apart from product knowledge and the industry scenario, you may need to train the team on the following, depending on their current level of competence:

1. Basic or Advanced Communication Skills Program
2. Negotiation Skills
3. Developing a Winning Sales Attitude

Depending on your sales channel focus, you could consider the following:

4. Persuasive Selling
5. Key Account Management
6. Channel Management (Dealer, Distribution Sales Management)

In case you need any support on this, we would be happy to assist.

Best regards,

Dear CiteHR team members,

Here are some useful topics for sales training:

1. Product Knowledge

2. Company Knowledge

3. Human Relations in Selling

4. Planning of Sales

5. Time Management

6. Prospecting New Clients

7. Opening the Sales

8. Customer Relations

9. Sales Presentation

10. Customer Servicing

11. Sales Negotiation

12. Persuasive Selling

13. Sales Communication

14. Psychology in Selling

15. Sales Counselling

16. Probing Techniques

17. Consultative Selling

18. Handling Various Types of Customers

19. Handling Objections

20. Building Goodwill

21. Organisation of Your Daily Work

22. Listening Skills

23. Setting Goals

24. Telephone Techniques

25. Selling Benefits

26. Competitor's Knowledge

27. Pre-call Planning

28. Business Development Driven Change

Business development potentially includes everything involved with the quality of the business or the organization. Business development planning first requires establishing the business development aims and then formulating a business development strategy, which would comprise some or all of the following methods of development:

• Sales development
• New product development
• New market development
• Business organization, shape, structure, and processes development (e.g., outsourcing, e-business, etc.)
• Strategic partnerships and distribution routes development

29. Relationship Selling Techniques

30. Consultative Selling Techniques

31. High Impact Presentation

32. Key Accounts Planning/Development/Management

Regards,
Leo Lingham

Thank you so much, Mr. Leo Lengham and Mr. Jaideep Kohli, for providing such specific and detailed information on sales training.

Regards,
Ashima Goyal

You need to have some slides on understanding the needs, wants, and aspirations of customers, and then converting customers into buyers by enhancing value through various relationship activities. There are specific exercises for this.

Regards

I am surprised how members who have suggested different training programs for salespeople forget the basic and fundamental training— that of "communication skills." Only Mr. Asima has included it in his training program. If a person doesn't have good communication skills, he will not be able to sell any product in the market! This skill is a *sine qua non*. I have come across a number of trainers who did not have good technical knowledge but possessed excellent communication skills. They were able to sell their products across a wide section of society with great success. Therefore, the first requisite for a good salesman is to possess good communication skills. Studies have shown that CEOs of companies, other things being equal, prefer people with excellent communication skills.

Any training program on sales, in my opinion, should start with "Communication Skills" training. I would advise you to take note of this fact, Mr. Goyal.

Regards,
M.J. SUBRAMANYAM, BANGALORE

Dear Subramanyam, please take a second look at the comprehensive list given by Leo Lingham; it includes Sales Communication.

Prior to working in the customer relationship management (CRM) software industry, I read Emotional Selling by David Yule. I found it to be easy to read and understand. I'd recommend this book as a basis for sales training because it has good practical examples and it's a really fast read. Obviously, now I apply this to my use of automated sales software on a regular basis.