Gain a Competitive Edge through Virtual Sales Training

Gain a Competitive Edge through Virtual Sales Training
A productive sales department makes use of ongoing training for all sales personnel, not only offering training in product knowledge, but training in sales techniques as well. But on-site training takes away from valuable time in the field, and tends to be costly. The solution is virtual sales training, which brings a substantial cost savings to the organization in terms of reduced travel expenses, as well as reducing the need for downtime for the sales reps.

“But I’m a ‘people person.'”
A common objection to virtual sales training is that sales reps tend to be, or at least should be, a little gregarious, outgoing, and comfortable in interacting with people. A successful salesperson can still flourish in a virtual sales training environment, even when taking training courses from home or from the isolation of an office cubicle. Newer collaborative technologies make those virtual sales training sessions more attractive to the sales person who is accustomed to direct interaction.

If your student is a “people person,” the technology is available to encourage that. Holding live virtual sales training sessions mean you can implement collaborative technologies that offer the same experience as the physical classroom, and your students can easily participate, collaborate, ask questions, and provide feedback during the session. The virtual sales training session need not be a simple one-way interaction.

Finding the time
In any business, time is always at a premium. There is no question that training is an essential part of the sales process, and organizations that offer continual training both in the product line and in sales techniques will enjoy better results. Given that training is valuable and contributes at least indirectly to increased sales and therefore more revenue for the company, we can therefore conclude that “more is better” when it comes to training. Studies have shown that companies that take advantage of virtual sales training technologies are much more likely to hold more frequent training sessions than are companies that use only on-premises, face-to-face training.

The time aspect can be enhanced further by extending the virtual sales training to include both live and recorded sessions. Most web conferencing and training systems include a session recording facility, which allows the entire session to be recorded and archived for later review. This permits any sales reps who may not have been able to attend, to go back to the archive at a later time and review any session they desire.

The distance advantage
Virtual sales training allows sales reps to participate in classes from any location, and from any machine, anywhere in the world. This brings several advantages to the table. First of all, it encourages greater participation, since it eliminates many barriers to attendance. Second, it saves money by eliminating the need to schedule facilities; and third, it allows the organization to bring in the best instructors available, who may not otherwise be able to travel directly to its premises to hold a session.