"How to Get Sales Training to Stick"

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There are many fine sales training courses for you to take -- but once you've completed such a course, what happens?

All too often, the training materials end up on a shelf and are never looked at again. If this is the case, the training will be a waste. Simply going to a training course doesn't increase your sales. But going to a course and then applying what you've learned does. The problem is, daily selling pressures can tempt you to ignore what you've learned and stick with what you've been doing.

There are four basic guidelines to follow after attending sales training. While they require effort, all will increase the likelihood of using your newly acquired skills and techniques in front of customers, where they can pay off.

Here are those four guidelines:

1. Review the materials within 48 hours. There will likely be a good deal of work waiting for the rep after sales training. In the course of taking care of this work, it's too easy to put aside the sales training materials. The rep gets busy; the sales training manual winds up on a shelf and the material is soon forgotten. Sound familiar? While the numbers vary, research shows that an individual's retention rate goes up significantly if the person reviews what he or she has learned within 48 hours. This is why reviewing your materials within 48 hours is key.

2. Share your learning with your sales manager. One of a sales manager's most important responsibilities is to help his or her reps be successful. Sharing what you've learned at a sales training class will help your sales manager help you implement what you've learned during your course. Your manager can demonstrate the new selling techniques for you during a sales call, or coach you about how to apply them with your customers.

3. Target specific customers. Any new skill takes awhile to be adopted. New selling skills and techniques are no exception. A good strategy is to single out several specific customers who might be good targets for the new skills and techniques. Go with customers who aren't critical to your success (in case you make a few mistakes). So, try the new techniques on "low-risk" customers: new prospects, customers you've been trying to sell for a long time (but haven't been able to), or customers who switched from your company to the competition. With your new skills and techniques, you just might be able to sell them!

4. Don't be afraid to ask for help. After any sales training class, don't be afraid to ask for help. You may come across situations in which you're not exactly sure what to do or how to apply what you've learned. If this happens, don't be afraid to ask for help! Most sales training instructors are happy to hear from their students, and are more than willing to offer suggestions about applying what was taught to specific selling situations. Likewise, your sales manager or a veteran sales rep can also be a great help by providing advice and suggestions.

  "fortune favours the prepared mind"