A few months ago, I pulled onto a car lot and was greeted by an eager young man. During the test drive I asked him how long he’d been with the dealership. “This is my second day”, he responded, and his first stab at sales. When I asked him what training he was given, he returned a blank stare. I could almost see his thoughts – “Training? Why do I need training? After all, it’s only sales.”
In my decades as a sales professional, I have accumulated a library of books, articles, audio books, videos, courses and manuals, etc. on the art and science of selling. During my career I’ve spent thousands of hours studying and honing my craft. So, when did sales training become optional? For top sales professionals, training is not an option, it is essential.
Why Salespeople Need Training
While the fundamentals of sales are simple and straightforward, the essence of selling is about building and maintaining trusting relationships. And that, in any context, takes skill and hard work. In his best-selling book How to Master the Art of Selling, Tom Hopkins explains, “There never has been a great salesperson who was born great… So stop excusing yourself from the hard work of learning how to be competent in your sales career. It doesn’t matter whether you think you’re a wonder or a non-wonder; you still have to pay the learning ‘price.’”
While untrained salespeople let prospects walk the lot and hope somebody buys, sales professionals apply themselves to learning these fundamental skills:
- Active Listening & Empathy: Go beyond hearing to truly understand the prospect’s pain points, needs, and goals by asking insightful questions and paying attention, showing you care about their success, not just the sale.
- Consultative Selling: Position yourself as a trusted advisor by diagnosing problems and offering tailored solutions, rather than just pushing products, proving deep product knowledge and business acumen.
- Relationship Building & Trust: Build genuine rapport and long-term connections by being authentic, responsive, and consistently delivering value, which fosters loyalty and referrals.
- Effective Communication & Storytelling: Clearly articulate value, tell compelling stories that resonate, and manage objections with confidence, influencing buyer thinking and making your case persuasive.
- Prospecting & Pipeline Management: Continuously identify and nurture new leads (filling the pipeline) and effectively manage existing opportunities to drive consistent sales growth, using time management and discipline.
Why Salespeople Need Continuous Training
Developing those skills is one thing; maintaining the habit of performing them, day after day, is quite another. As I work with salespeople on a daily basis in implementing MhCRM, I see them start of applying themselves to learning the skills and putting them to use, but over time, lapsing back into old habits. Sales requires ‘always-on’ energy. It’s hard to maintain that level of performance without periodic renewal. Steven Covey in the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, referred to this as “Sharpening the Saw”. The illustration was of lumber jacks sawing trees all day. The smart ones realized when their saws were getting dull and stopped to sharpen them as needed. Continuous sales training keeps your selling saw sharp. It keeps you motivated and energized and makes you more effective.
Another reason for continuous training to keep up with changes in the market, the product, and the tools and technology that affect sales. How will product changes, such as the removal of the chassis requirement, affect how you present and sell homes? How can you incorporate AI tools into your sales and marketing arsenal to reach more buyers? What changes will you need to make in your marketing to account for buyer’s use of AI in their new home search?
Just like any profession, elevating your status to that of a sales professional requires continual training, practice, and application. You wouldn’t trust a surgeon that learned on the job. If you put in the time and energy to learn your craft, your income can rival that of a doctor, you will approach every new engagement with confidence, and you will be considered a true professional by your customers and peers.
