Integrating Virtual and Self-Study Elements Into Your Sales Training Mix

Why Virtual and Self-Study Sales Training Is Essential

Sales training has traditionally been associated with in-person workshops and classroom-style learning. However, recent research highlights a shift. While most highly effective sales training includes in-person sessions, it’s blended with virtual and self-study methods to drive learning retention and real-world application.

Despite this evolution, 67 percent of sales training fails to achieve strong performance and productivity gains. Sellers often struggle to retain information, apply new skills in real sales scenarios, and reinforce their learning over time.

Spry Roughley, an independent accounting firm, faced this challenge as they sought to enhance the business development skills of their senior accountants. While their team excelled at client relationships, selling didn’t come naturally.

“We’re good at client relationships, but we’re not natural salespeople. At the retreat, we discussed involving our younger, senior accountants in marketing activities to help them be more effective. If we could work on their business development skills, we knew it would lead to more productive conversations,” shared Martin Roughley, founder and CEO of Spry Roughley.

To address this, the firm implemented a blended virtual training program combining self-study modules, live coaching, and virtual workshops. The results? A record 46 new clients, an 87 percent improvement in lead conversion rates, and an 11 percent increase in revenue. Spry Roughley’s story shows how integrating virtual and self-study elements into sales training can drive measurable business impact.

The Benefits of Virtual and Self-Study Sales Training

1. Flexibility and Accessibility

Virtual and self-study training enable sales teams to learn anytime, anywhere, without disrupting their daily work. This flexibility is crucial for busy professionals, allowing them to engage with content at their own pace while balancing other responsibilities.

For Spry Roughley, this flexibility was a game-changer. Their accountants could review videos and reading materials before live training sessions, ensuring they arrived prepared and ready to engage.

“The training provided videos and reading materials upfront, so our team could review the content in advance. Then, during the live sessions, we were guided and challenged in real time,” said Roughly.

2. Reinforced Learning and Retention

One of the biggest challenges of one-time sales training is the forgetting curve—without reinforcement, learners quickly lose newly acquired knowledge. Research shows that highly effective training programs are 1.5x more likely to include reinforcement activities, such as follow-up coaching, interactive exercises, and knowledge checks.

Spry Roughley addressed this by integrating online learning with live coaching sessions.

“Each live coaching session aligned with that week’s online training lesson, covering a variety of topics to help our accountants achieve their goals. Between sessions, participants could reach out to their coach for advice on real selling situations,” Roughley explained.

By applying their learning in real-time, participants retained more and saw immediate benefits in their client interactions.

3. Scalability and Cost-Effectiveness

Traditional in-person sales training can be expensive, particularly for dispersed teams. Virtual and self-study training programs offer a scalable, cost-effective alternative, eliminating travel and venue expenses while ensuring consistent training across the organization.

Spry Roughley experienced this firsthand. After seeing strong results with their initial group, they successfully rolled out the same training to a new cohort—without additional costs—achieving similarly impressive outcomes.

4. Stronger Coaching and Feedback Mechanisms

Ongoing coaching is a key driver of effective sales training, and virtual tools make it easier to facilitate structured coaching, peer feedback, and role-playing exercises.

Spry Roughley implemented weekly live coaching sessions aligned with their online learning modules, ensuring accountants received immediate, actionable feedback. This structure made the training highly relevant and directly applicable to their work.

“The blended training has worked exceptionally well for our team. The combination of online, on-demand learning and live webcasts, coupled with coaching and reinforcement activities, resulted in real behavior change and positive business outcomes for the firm,” Roughley shared.

How to Integrate Virtual and Self-Study Sales Training With In-Person Learning

Want to apply these principles to your training programs? Follow these four steps:

1. Implement a Layered Training Model

Rather than replacing in-person training, use virtual and self-study elements to enhance and reinforce learning. A highly effective approach includes:

• In-person workshops for foundational skills or to kick off a learning journey

• Virtual instructor-led sessions for skill-building, practice, and feedback

• Self-study modules for continuous learning and reinforcement

This structure ensures that sales professionals don’t just learn in a single session—they continuously develop and refine their skills over time.

2. Leverage Technology for Engagement

Virtual training is most effective when it includes interactive and engaging elements, such as:

• Gamification and simulations to make learning more dynamic

• Role-playing exercises that mirror real sales scenarios

• Knowledge checks and quizzes to reinforce key concepts

• On-demand access to recorded training and sales playbooks for ongoing reference

Spry Roughley successfully combined videos, reading materials, and live discussions to keep their team engaged and active in the learning process.

3. Connect Training to Real-World Application

One of the biggest challenges in sales training is ensuring that learning translates into action. Training programs should include:

• Role-playing exercises tailored to real sales scenarios

• Live coaching sessions where participants can discuss and troubleshoot current sales challenges

• Peer accountability and group discussions to encourage shared learning and reinforcement

Spry Roughley structured their training so that each live coaching session aligned with an online learning module, helping accountants immediately apply their new skills in client interactions.

4. Align Leadership and Coaching Support

Sales training is most effective when supported by leadership and reinforced through coaching. Research shows that companies with highly effective training are 2.2 times more likely to have leadership support for continuous learning.

For Spry Roughley, leadership buy-in was a key success factor. Their CEO prioritized business development training, ensuring the initiative had the resources and internal support needed to drive real impact.

Key Takeaways

• Virtual and self-study training enhance flexibility, scalability, and effectiveness.

• A blended learning approach—combining in-person, virtual, and self-study—improves retention, engagement, and real-world application.

• Structured learning journeys, coaching reinforcement, and technology-driven engagement are essential for driving lasting sales performance improvements.

By integrating these strategies, organizations can create highly effective sales training programs that drive measurable business results—just as Spry Roughley did.