The ASTD Sales Training Drivers.com BLOG is dedicated to defining professional selling standards and setting expectations for sales development and performance. We are committed to helping sales organizations and individuals measure their effectiveness with world-class sales enablement.

It is our pleasure to share major trends in the sales profession with the greatest Impact on current and future practice of the sales profession pertaining to globalization, commoditization, competition, technology and demographics. We are dedicated to discussing the challenges and solutions that occur in sales development and talk about the ASTD Sales Competency Model.

ASTD SALES TRAINING COMPETENCY MODEL - What is that?

• ASTD World Class Sales Competency Model focuses on a "sales system" not a process or technique.

• Does not replace training manuals, books, methodologies or practices.

• Provides functional expectations about sales profession success.

• Creates a Sales Learning culture without losing customer focus.

• Defines and ensures relevance and permanence of organizational sales competency

• Defines Knowledge, Skill, Abilities and Behaviors for sales competence.

• Future oriented, honors the past, applies to all sales organization types and levels

• Focused on improving sales performance through learning, training, and job analysis by Workplace Learning Professionals, Sales Trainers, Managers, Associates, Academia

WHY DO SALES LEADERS WORRY?

• Frustrated with increasing pressure to meet sales quotas every month and meet company goals.

• Upset why sales associates cannot increase customer satisfaction and drive revenue numbers.

• Unsure why sales associates find training ineffective and less than useful.

• Worried why Senior Executive Leaders are turning to training departments to align selling efforts.

• Concerned about how to implement a competency-based approach to sales training.

REACTIVE SELLING ISSUES

• Most efforts to improve sales training has been focused on a "reactive" approach

• Sales Leaders need to accelerate team performance to increase revenue and customer satisfaction

• Sales people find sales training ineffective and less than useful.

• Lack of Organizational Management Support / Unproductive focus on short - term results

• Company uses a Technique Approach to teaching sales skills

• Sales Managers are not measuring individual sales associate behavior accurately.

• Sales Coaching is not defined and are not taught effectively by Top Producers.

PROACTIVE SALES ORGANIZATION SOLUTIONS

• Focus Sales Leaders on a "organizational system" approach to sales training for sustainability

• Hold every employee accountable for an understanding of company mission and vision.

• All members of the sales organization will understand the business strategy and how to leverage technology in pursuit of goals.

• Each employee is coached to help identify the personal impact they have on overall sales efforts.

• Professional employee focus is on Human Performance Improvement

• Create Learning functions to help develop team skills for sales success and organization growth

• Evaluate selling skills, knowledge and attitudes during exchange between buyer and seller

• Measure and document the value between buyer and seller.

• Expand the organizations sales capacity.

• Increase in sales capacity = Increase in sales revenue.

• Sales capacity is measured by: Leadership Position, Market Share, Customer Loyalty

• Sales Capacity and Sales Competency must be balanced.

• Include everyone indirectly involved in revenue generation: HR, IT, Production, Accounting

• Include all employees in the sales organization directly responsible for revenue generation.

• Include Sale Support: Operations, Tactics, Leadership, Management, Strategist, Developer, Manager, Analyst, Administrator

• Identify and tailor skill gaps for Sales Leaders, Training Team and Team Members

• Create coaching programs to offset personal development deficiencies for each sales member.

• Define and build on-boarding or leadership development programs