Competition is fierce, buyers often come to the table with preconceived notions—notions that must be adjusted to make sales—and prices continue to plummet in an attempt to win business.

We’re here to tell you that success is possible in this space. But you need to train your reps to overcome the challenges in front of them and close deals. A strong manufacturing sales training program can help.

In this article, we’ll explain what manufacturing sales training is, why it’s important, how to build an effective manufacturing sales training program for your department, and more. Let’s get started!

What Is Manufacturing Sales Training?

Manufacturing sales training is a specific kind of sales training that helps professionals close more deals in the manufacturing industry. It typically includes information about the products/services being sold, tips to analyze customer needs, proven negotiation and closing techniques, and more. Those who go through manufacturing sales training are generally more confident and competent in their roles.

Why Is Manufacturing Sales Training Important?

Now that we know what manufacturing sales training is, let’s talk about why it matters to sales departments like yours. Here are four reasons you should invest in this kind of sales training:

Enhances Product Knowledge and Confidence

As mentioned above, the best manufacturing sales training includes information about the products and/or services its reps are asked to sell. It makes sense. Reps can’t close deals if they don’t understand their offering’s top features, use cases, and competitors—at least not at a consistent clip.

It gets better. Once reps have deep product knowledge, they’ll be more confident. Since confidence breeds trust, the bedrock of sales, those who have it tend to drive more revenue.

Shortens Lengthy Sales Cycles

Generally speaking, manufacturing sales cycles are long. Reps that succeed in this industry find ways to shorten them by identifying quality leads, meeting with decision makers, and learning prospect pain points.

Manufacturing sales training will teach your reps how to do these things. The result? Shorter sales cycles, lower cost of acquisition, and ultimately, more revenue for your company.

Increases Customer Satisfaction

Happy customers are worth their weight in gold.

How so? Happy customers make repeat purchases, which shortens sales cycles (see above) and increases revenue. They also recommend companies to their professional and personal networks.

So, how do you increase customer satisfaction? You build rapport with potential buyers, understand their needs, and provide them with viable solutions—all things you learn in manufacturing sales training.

Drives Brand Awareness and Advantage

Would you rather buy a box of Captain Crunch or a generic brand of corn and oat puff cereal? Sales are much easier to make when potential customers know about the company and/or product being sold to them.

Manufacturing sales training will teach your reps how to strengthen brand awareness by showing them how to leverage case studies and testimonials. It will also help them position your company’s products or services as the top solutions, which will build credibility in the marketplace.

What Are The Challenges of Manufacturing Sales Training?

The manufacturing industry is difficult to navigate. There are numerous pitfalls you need to avoid to find success. Said pitfalls should be communicated to sales reps. Here are the most common ones:

• Competition: The manufacturing space is crowded. To find success, sales reps have to cut through the noise and convince potential customers to buy their products, not someone else’s.
• Low Pricing: Thanks to increased competition, prices in the manufacturing industry have taken a significant hit. It can be extremely difficult to grow a company on such small margins.
• Preconceptions: Buyers have access to an incredible amount of product information before they ever talk to a sales rep. This allows them to build preconceptions, which reps often have to adjust.

These are very real challenges. But a stellar manufacturing sales training program will help your reps overcome them, quickly and consistently. You just need to make sure your program covers the right topics.

Core Topics for Manufacturing Sales Training

What should manufacturing sales training look like for your company? Every company is different, of course. But the best training programs cover core topics like:

Technical Product Training

Your sales reps should be product experts. If they don’t know what your product can do, how to do these things, and why these features matter, they’ll never drive enough revenue to justify their salaries.

So, when building a manufacturing sales training program, teach reps the ins and outs of your product. This will enable them to demo products effectively, answer customer questions with confidence, quickly overcome objections, and negotiate with potential buyers in more productive ways.

Understanding the Manufacturing Sales Cycle

Your reps also need to understand how manufacturing sales works.

The process is often long and complex. Why? Because most manufacturers are in the B2B space, which means they sell to other businesses rather than individual consumers.

Businesses often have more specific requirements than individuals. More people are involved in the buying process, too. According to recent research, it takes seven people to make a B2B purchasing decision. In other words, reps have to convince seven people to buy their product, not one or two.

Your manufacturing sales training program needs to educate and prepare reps for this process.

Strategic Account Management

Price cuts make it difficult to grow business operations. One of the best ways to avoid this scenario is to teach reps strategic account management skills during your manufacturing sales training sessions.

“Strategic account management” is a fancy term that basically means, “Get to know your customers, learn about their needs and pain points, and build strong relationships with them.”

Once reps learn to manage accounts effectively, they’ll be able to serve customers better. This almost always leads to more sales and greater loyalty—all without having to compete on price.

Adapting to Changing Market Dynamics

If you’ve been in the manufacturing industry for a while, you know things are always changing.

Competitors come and go. Prices fluctuate. Customer preferences change. It’s a lot to keep up with, which is why your manufacturing sales training program should be updated regularly to reflect new trends.

When reps are prepared to confront these new trends, they’ll be able to relate to customers on a more personal level than before and pitch products with more confidence.

Digital Tools and CRM for Manufacturing Sales

Finally, make sure your manufacturing sales training program teaches reps to use your CRM software (or reports from your ERP).

Every sales department needs a quality CRM. But said CRM won’t benefit your reps if they don’t know how to upload, organize, and take advantage of the information it contains.

Fortunately, most CRMs have detailed training for users. So you might not need to create product tutorials yourself; only link to the resources already available to you on the provider’s website.

(The advice above applies to all software in your company’s tech stack. If your reps use route planning apps, sales enablement tools, sales intelligence software, etc. make sure they know how it all works.)

Best Practices for Manufacturing Sales Training

The core topics above will help you create a strong foundation for your manufacturing sales training program. Now you need to elevate your approach with the following six best practices:

Utilize a Variety of Training Techniques

Choose multiple ways to educate your team.

For example, you might have each of your reps participate in different roleplaying scenarios. Or use gamification techniques to increase team-wide motivation. (Leaderboards are great for this!)

Don’t forget to optimize your approach to sales management either. If you practice active listening, identify bad-fit prospects, develop sales scripts, invest in the right technology, etc. you’ll put your team in the best position to succeed. Just as important, your reps will enjoy working for you and put in extra effort.

Coach Sales Reps To Push Past Boundaries

The best sales reps are fearless. They regularly venture outside their comfort zones to try new things. Doing so allows them to discover new sales techniques they would have otherwise missed.

As a sales manager, you should encourage your reps to push past these kinds of boundaries during the manufacturing sales training process. It will help them develop a knack for learning and exploration, which will serve them well in the future. It will also help them build confidence in their own abilities.

This gets at a deeper truth: the best sales leaders are serious about sales coaching. Don’t just manage team performance. Get down in the weeds and help your reps improve their skills on a regular basis.

Educate Reps to Engage Early in the Buying Cycle

Prospecting is critical to your team’s success in manufacturing sales.

The question is, what makes a good prospect? The answer is different for every company. Generally speaking though, good prospects want what you sell, but are still at the beginning of the buying process.

When reps engage potential customers early in the buying cycle they’ll have less competition for each sale. This will naturally reduce the number of hurdles said reps must overcome to close deals. It will also help reps avoid price as their’ only value proposition, which is never a position you want them to be in.

Incorporate Continuous Learning and Microlearning

The way you present your manufacturing sales training program matters. We suggest creating bite-sized lessons and updating them on a regular basis to ensure the information is current.

Why bite-sized lessons? Because microlearning has been proven to be highly effective. When reps can read and/or watch short lessons on their phones they’ll do so more often—mostly because they can fit the lessons in between other activities. Microlearning also promotes better knowledge retention. Win!

Teach the Art of Skillful Negotiation

Negotiation is an important part of the manufacturing sales process. Unfortunately, most sales departments go about negotiation the wrong way by treating it like a specific step in the sales cycle.

The truth is, negotiation happens from the first moment your reps engage a prospect. And it doesn’t end until the prospect becomes a paying customer or walks away from the deal.

Once reps learn this important fact, they’ll be able to negotiate with greater skill and effectiveness.

Use Data and Analytics for Personalized Training

Finally, track your manufacturing sales training program to offer personalized advice to your reps.

Tools like SPOTIO will help you track the number of visits and calls your reps make, as well as the number of emails and text messages they send. You can use this information to adjust your coaching efforts.

For example, you might find that Rep A makes a lot of visits, but doesn’t close many deals. You can then work with them to ensure they’re courting quality leads, making strong pitches, etc.

SPOTIO Simplifies Manufacturing Sales Training

A solid manufacturing sales training program will help your reps gain product knowledge and confidence, shorten sales cycles, increase customer satisfaction, and build brand awareness.

The trick is to create a program that truly helps your sales reps. To make this happen, include the core topics above in your curriculum. Then use the best practices we outlined to make your training effective.

Know what else you can do to increase manufacturing sales? Invest in quality technology.

SPOTIO was specifically created for field sales teams like the one you lead. As such, it has all the features your reps need to increase productivity and sales. Some of these features include lead generation, route planning, customer mapping, multi-channel communication, and reporting tools.

Sign up for your free demo of SPOTIO today to see if it’s the right technology for your sales team!

Every sales team needs solid training and ongoing coaching. But reps in the wholesaler and distributor industries need it more—mostly because margins are small and competition is fierce. If your sales team can’t close more than 20% of its deals, your company will probably struggle to stay in business.

Not to worry! Distributor sales training will teach your reps to build strong relationships with customers, expand market reach, strengthen your brand’s image, and enhance overall sales performance.

In this article, we’ll show you how to build an effective distributor training program for your company.

Why Is Distributor Sales Training Important?

If you manage a sales team in the wholesaler and/or distributor industries you’ll benefit from distributor sales training. How so? Here are four specific advantages your team will enjoy:

Enhances Sales Performance

When reps have deep product knowledge and grasp advanced sales techniques, they’ll close more deals.

Distributor training will teach your reps about the products they sell, how they stack up to the competition, how to present product benefits in compelling ways, and how to overcome objections.

With this knowledge, your reps will almost certainly make more sales than they otherwise would.

Builds Stronger Customer Relationships

Returning customers spend 67% more than new customers. The question is, how do you convince folks to purchase from your company multiple times? You build relationships with them.

Think about it like this: would you rather shop at a local store you’ve been to a dozen times, or nationwide chain who just discovered? Most people would choose the first option because they already know and like the local store. The same goes for your customers. Relationships will keep them coming back.

Guess what—distributor sales training will teach reps to build business relationships that last.

Expands Market Reach

Once your reps have been properly trained they’ll be able to find new market opportunities; not just capitalize on the ones they already have. This will help introduce your company to new customers.

It makes sense when you think about it. Well-trained reps have deep product knowledge and understand the nuances of successful selling. Why wouldn’t they be able to use these skill sets to engage different kinds of customers and/or customers in different geographical areas than they usually do?

Strengthens Brand Image

Brand image is important—especially in sales.

Distributor training will teach reps to uphold certain standards, which will make it easier to close deals. Why? Because potential customers will know what to expect from your company.

This, in turn, will breed trust. Every seller knows that trust is the foundation of a successful sales process. Without it, your team will never close the number of deals it hopes to close.

Key Distributor Sales Training Areas

Distributor sales training is obviously beneficial. The question is, how do you build a program that successfully prepares reps to close deals? Just make sure it covers these key topics:

Product Knowledge

Your distributor training program should teach reps about the products they sell.

Educate reps on product features and benefits, technical details, how your current customers use your products in the real world, and why your products are better than the competition.

Your reps won’t be able to make sales at a consistent clip if the information above isn’t ingrained in their brains. So, above everything else, give your reps the product knowledge they need to succeed.

Sales and Marketing Skills

The best sales reps are constantly honing their skills. As such, your distributor sales training program should teach reps about the most effective sales and marketing techniques.

What’s the best way to connect with new leads? How can they build trust with potential customers? What objections are most common and how can reps overcome them? Which email templates work best?

Make sure your sales training answers these questions—and the many others like them.

Customer Service Excellence

Top-level customer service will elevate your company to new heights.

When customers like buying from your company, they’ll do it more often. As mentioned above, existing customers spend way more than new ones, so incredible customer service has huge ROI.

To ensure reps treat customers the right way, teach them active listening skills, which will help them build rapport with leads, solve problems for prospects, and meet customer needs with consistency.

We also suggest integrating your CRM system with your other sales tools. That way the data each tool collects can be organized and used to deepen customer relationships on autopilot.

Inventory Management

Your reps can’t sell what they don’t have. This is why inventory management skills are so valuable in the wholesaler and distributor industries. Make sure your distributor training covers this topic.

Teach them to forecast demand, assess stock levels, and order new products when necessary. Then take things a step further and teach them how to store, handle, and transport products the right way.

Compliance and Regulations

It’s not the most exciting topic. But every distributor sales training program worth its salt will teach reps about industry regulations. That way they have the information they need to maintain compliance.

Ask yourself questions like, “Which laws and regulations are vital to our industry?” and “How does our company handle specific compliance issues?” and “How do we monitor team compliance?”

Then answer these questions inside your training program so that you don’t have to deal with legal issues.

Market and Competitor Awareness

What products do your competitors sell? And how do they stack up to your company’s products?

Competitor research will help your reps differentiate your products from the other solutions on the market, and position them as viable alternatives. Both of these things will pay dividends down the road.

On a related note, keep your sales team updated on market trends. Have industry standards changed? What about customer expectations and preferences? Add these details to your distributor training.

Brand Values and Culture

Your company is more than the products it sells. By teaching reps about the values of your brand, you’ll give them information they can use to connect with potential customers on a deeper level.

For example, your brand might stand for transparency. If so, your reps can promote this fact during the sales process. They can say something like, “We’re all about transparency here at [Your Company], so I’m going to give it to you straight. [Your Competitor] makes a pretty good product, but if you want [Benefit Your Offer] you’ll be better off with [Your Product] because [Main Product Differentiator].

Technical Proficiency

Finally, make sure your distributor sales training program teaches reps to use your company’s tech stack.

Have you invested in a sales enablement tool? What about task automation software? At the very least, your sales team uses a CRM solution, right? Educate reps so they can use these platforms effectively.

7 Best Practices for Distributor Sales Training

Now that you know what your distributor sales training program should include, let’s talk about how to supercharge your efforts in this area. Here are seven distributor training best practices to implement:

1. Conduct a Thorough Needs Assessment

Your distributor sales training program should be uniquely crafted for your sales team. So, before you do anything else, conduct a thorough needs assessment to discover:

• What skills do your sales reps not have?
• What’s the best way to teach reps these new skills?
• What metrics will you measure to gauge future sales performance?

2. Customize Training to Learner’s Needs

There are many ways to train sales reps. The best distributor training programs match specific techniques to each individual learner’s needs. That way said learners get the most out of their training.

One rep might need to improve their lead generation skills, while another will need to learn to overcome objections and close deals more consistently. These reps shouldn’t go through the exact same training.

Instead, develop your program in a way that makes it easy to customize for each rep on your team.

3. Implement a Blended Learning Approach

If possible, add in-person and online classes to your distributor training.

Doing so will help reps interact with more experienced sellers and get hands-on experience, while also giving them a bit of flexibility to complete certain lessons on their own time.

When it comes to online classes, short and punchy works best. These kinds of lessons allow reps to consume content in between other tasks, which will help them complete their training in less time.

4. Create Accessible Content Hubs

Where will your sales reps access their online training? If lessons are scattered across multiple websites, or stored in multiple folders within your company’s cloud storage program, they won’t get watched.

Instead, organize all of your distributor sales training content inside one centralized hub.

This will make it easier for you to upload new lessons when necessary, and easier for your reps to find and consume the content in a timely manner. Both of these things are essential to success in this area.

5. Track and Monitor Training Completion

Your distributor training program won’t benefit your sales team if reps don’t complete the modules. With that in mind, find an effective way to track and monitor training completion.

Sales performance management tools like SPOTIO make this easy. Simply use the platform to track all of the activities your reps complete on a daily basis. Then go over the data to make sure they finish the training you’ve assigned to them. It’s a simple way to keep your reps on track toward your training goals.

6. Solicit and Incorporate Feedback

Do your reps enjoy the distributor sales training program you’ve developed? You won’t know until you ask.

Solicit feedback on a regular basis to discover which aspects of your training need to be improved. Then—and this is really important—incorporate the feedback you receive.

No, you don’t have to implement every suggestion your reps make. But carefully considering their opinions will allow you to create better training materials and build a better culture within your sales team.

7. Provide Continuous Training and Reinforcement

Your reps should receive sales training and coaching throughout their tenure with your company. After all, new products are released, best-in-class sales techniques change, and customer preferences evolve.

Top sales managers understand this and look for ways to update their distributor sales training programs with new and relevant content. That way their reps always have the information they need to close deals, drive revenue, and succeed in their roles. Be this kind of sales manager!

Ease Distributor Sales Training Demands With SPOTIO

If you want to increase sales in the wholesaler and/or distributor industries, you have to invest in your reps. One of the best ways to do that is to develop an effective distributor sales training program for them to go through. Good news—after reading this article, you know how to build a successful program!

Make sure your distributor training includes the key areas mentioned above. Then implement the seven best practices we covered to ensure reps connect with and implement the things they learn.

Looking for other ways to close more deals? The right technology will help. When it comes to field sales, SPOTIO is the platform you need. It was specifically designed to help field reps find leads, engage prospects, and convert customers. Sign up for a free demo of SPOTIO to see if it’s right for your team.

You can design awesome training programs for your sales team. Doing so will improve the performance of your individual reps by an average of 20%! (This is especially true when it comes to sales training for field techs, who need a solid understanding of the basics.)

With that in mind, keep reading to learn what field sales training is, the core elements you need to know about, innovative techniques you can try, and a whole lot more. Let’s get started!

What Is Field Sales Training?

Field sales training is the process of teaching people to close deals in outside sales scenarios.

The majority of people who participate in field sales training are professional sellers. But field techs can also use this kind of training to close deals while they make regular service calls.

One more thing: field sales training can come in many shapes and sizes. Online courses, industry conferences, internal events, and even company mentorship programs all apply.

The Need for Specialized Training for Field Sales

As you probably know, field sales is different from inside sales. Those that succeed in this career have different skill sets than those who sell from the comfort of their office.

That’s why dedicated field sales training is so important.

Once you invest in this kind of training for your field sales team (or the service technicians you hope can close deals for you, too) you’ll be able to overcome a few common challenges:

• Finding Qualified Leads: How do you find people who want what you sell?
• Maintaining Productivity: How can you minimize time spent on admin tasks?
• Handling Sales Objections: How do you push through the “nos” and make sales?
• Optimizing Travel Time: How can you get from point A to Point B in less time?

Core Elements of Field Sales Training

So, what does your field sales training program need to include? The five core elements below are essential to the success of your sales training efforts. Ignore them at your own peril!

Product Knowledge

First, your sales reps and/or field techs need intimate knowledge of the products they sell. How does it work? What makes it great? And how does it compare to the competitions’ offerings? When your team can answer these questions they’ll be able to engage potential customers on a deeper level, address concerns with confidence, and ultimately, close more deals.

Customer Engagement Techniques

How should your sales reps and/or field techs engage with potential customers? The reps on your team might already know how to do this—especially if they’ve held similar positions at other companies. Your field techs, though, might need a lot of coaching in this area. Teach them how to interact with prospects in ways that could lead to a sale. And if possible, get them a field sales engagement software like SPOTIO to make the whole process easier and more effective.

Time Management and Scheduling

What separates top sellers from low performers? A lot of things, actually. But time management is near the top of the list. Once your sales reps and/or field techs learn to schedule their days effectively, they’ll become more productive. When that happens, they’ll make more sales. What’s the key to time management? Preparation and technology. Speaking of which…

Technology and Tools

The right technology will make it easier for your sales reps and/or field techs to close deals. For example, a CRM software will help them organize prospect information. And engagement software will help them interact with prospects in productive ways. Just make sure that your team knows how to use the tools it has access to. This is easy to do with SPOTIO. We offer live training sessions that cater to specific roles, so that everyone can excel with our desktop or mobile app.

Handling Rejections and Objections

If you can’t handle rejection, you won’t last long in sales. And if you can’t handle objections, you won’t close many deals. Coach your reps and/or field techs how to do these things. When it comes to rejection, make sure your team expects it, doesn’t internalize it, and learns from it. Objections on the other hand, should be studied and prepared for, so your team is ready.

Innovative Training Methods for Field Techs

Now that you know what your field sales training program should have, let’s talk about innovative methods you can use to convey this information to your field techs.

Role-Playing Scenarios

Sales training for field techs should include role-playing scenarios.

Why? Because this will allow techs to develop their sales skills in a safe environment. It will also give you, their sales manager, the opportunity to deliver feedback in real-time.

Role-playing can be used to practice different sales techniques, engage different buyer personas, and otherwise experience different challenges. It’s a great way to build confidence in any seller, too, but especially those who aren’t as comfortable pitching products.

Gamification

Want your field techs to embrace sales? Gamify the process!

Gamification is what happens when you apply typical game elements to non-gaming scenarios. Point scoring, competition between reps, leaderboards, and unique rewards all count.

Your field techs will enjoy the sales process more when it’s treated as a game. So give them points for the sales activities they complete. Then, display said points on a department-wide scoreboard. Finally, offer rewards to points leaders at the end of every month, quarter, etc.

Microlearning

Microlearning is a specific teaching technique that breaks down complex information into bite-sized chunks that students can engage with at a time of their choosing.

Studies show that microlearning leads to an 18% jump in knowledge retention. (Other studies put this figure as high as 80%.) Every field sales training program should include this tactic.

When teaching field techs to sell your company’s products and/or services, give them short applicable lessons to consume. This will reduce overwhelm and improve skill sets quickly.

On-Demand Digital Training

Personalized, one-on-one field sales training programs are great. But not every sales team can devote resources to this kind of initiative, which is why on-demand digital training is so popular.

Record videos for your field techs that teach them about specific sales techniques, how to use your department’s sales tools, etc. Then let them watch these videos whenever they want.

(Note: you might not have to create these videos yourself. You can buy courses, for example. Either way, give reps access to on-demand lessons to increase the chances they get watched.)

Field Coaching and Reinforcement

Your field sales training program must include feedback.

Coaching sales reps leads to higher engagement levels, improved productivity, better pipeline management, and greater performance. This is also true when training field techs.

Don’t just ask your techs to engage in role-playing scenarios, or watch a few on-demand videos. Study their actual performance in the field, then give them feedback. What do they do well? What can they improve? Your techs won’t know until you tell them.

Peer Learning and Workshops

Finally, take advantage of peer learning.

If you’re not familiar with the term, peer learning is what happens when students learn with and from each other. In sales, peer learning is often deployed via mentorship programs. In other words, an experienced sales rep lets a new sales rep shadow them during the sales process.

If possible, assign one of your top sellers to each of your field techs. That way said techs can learn to make sales by watching the best in your department go about their business.

Measuring the Success of Field Sales Training

You’ve started to build a sales training for field rep program. Now what? Now you need to track your team’s efforts so you can properly evaluate your efforts in this area.

Follow these three steps to effectively measure your field sales training program:

1. Communicate: First, communicate with your sales reps and/or field techs. Let them know that you plan to monitor their progress, and work with them to choose metrics. This will keep all interested parties on the same page and give you targets to aim for.
2. Isolate: Second, divide your measurement efforts into three categories: engagement, experience, and effect. Engagement refers to the progress reps make through your training program. Experience refers to the enjoyment reps get from the training material. And effect refers to the outcomes your team achieves because of the training.
3. Evaluate: Third, study the data and assess your field sales training program on a regular basis. It’s important to commit to this third step. To help you do that, make the evaluation stage as easy as possible by using tools to collect and visualize data.

Solutions like SPOTIO make it super easy to track performance metrics; then present said metrics in easy-to-understand ways using our platform’s “My Reports” feature.

Engage Your Field Sales Reps With SPOTIO

Field sales training is important—especially when working with field teams who don’t have a background in sales. Fortunately, building an effective training program isn’t rocket science.

Simply follow the advice in this article and ensure your training teaches reps about the products they sell, how to engage potential customers, important time management techniques, how to use the tools in your company’s tech stack, and how to handle various objections.

Then use innovative methods to make sure the information you share sticks. Role-playing scenarios, gamification, microlearning, etc. are perfect for this application.

Finally, consider using SPOTIO if you don’t already. Our platform was specifically designed to help field sales teams succeed. As such, it’s stocked with tons of features related to lead generation, territory management, multi-channel communication, task automation, and more.

Request your free demo of SPOTIO today to see if our tool is right for your sales team!

What do these three people have in common? They’re all great coaches who elevate their players to new heights—and have plenty of championships to prove their worth.

It doesn’t matter if you’re working with top-level athletes or sales reps, coaching matters.

The question we have for you is, do you invest in your sales team? Do you set aside time to coach your reps and ensure they reach their full potential? You should!

In this article, we’ll explain what sales coaching is, the benefits sales coaches provide, how to improve your coaching skills, and a whole lot more. Let’s get this show on the road…

What Is Sales Coaching?

Sales coaching is the process of mentoring sales reps in one-on-one scenarios so that they can improve performance, close more deals, and drive more revenue for your company.

There are many different ways to coach reps—we’ll cover a few different models in a later section of this article. But the end goal is always the same: help sales reps excel in their roles.

Now, it’s important to understand the differences between sales coaching and sales training.

Sales coaching, as we just explained, is the act of helping reps unlock their potential. It’s a continual process that happens from the beginning to the end of a rep’s time with your company.

Sales training is different. This process teaches reps the standard skills they need to do their jobs. You might train your reps to use your department’s CRM or implement your sales strategy, for example. You know, things every rep needs to learn, regardless of their natural abilities.

Think about it like this: trainers teach athletes how to lift weights. Coaches teach athletes how to use the strength they’ve built to navigate the court and score points in a real basketball game.

The Role of a Sales Coach

Sales coaches work with individual sales reps to help improve their sales performance.

Because of this, coaching a sales team always looks different. You might help one rep develop good habits so that they can consistently sell at a high level. You might help another rep supercharge their selling technique so that they can close more deals. And you might help a brand new rep improve their confidence so that they can make their first few sales.

In other words, sales coaching focuses on fundamentals that allow reps to succeed. It does not focus on specific numbers. After all, if you nail the fundamentals, the numbers will naturally rise.

So, to officially answer the question, the role of a sales coach is to mentor sales reps on an individual basis, so that they can improve their skills and close more deals than before.

Examples of Sales Coaching

What does sales coaching look like in real life? We’re glad you asked! Here are a few examples that will help you understand the nuts and bolts of this important practice:

• You review a rep’s latest sales call to identify what they did right and wrong
• You review your reps’ daily sales activity, such as the number of face-to-face interactions they have with potential customers. (For those managing field sales teams.)
• You analyze a rep’s sales email sequence to determine how it can be improved
• You meet with a sales rep on a regular basis to discuss top field sales techniques
• You allow a rep to ask you questions about the sales process, and give honest answers
• You jump on a sales call with a rep so that you can give them advice during the call

Benefits of Sales Coaching

We’ve taken a lot of time to define what sales coaching is and what it looks like in the real world. Now, let’s talk about why you should invest in coaching sales reps. Here are four reasons:

Improved Sales Performance

As we’ve discussed, sales coaching results in better sales performance. How could it not?

Sales coaches teach reps the skills they need to close more deals, generate more revenue, and enjoy more success. These skills are typically learned through experience, so sales coaches can help reps develop much faster than they would if they were simply left to their own devices.

Increased Employee Engagement

According to recent research, average rep tenure is a paltry 18 months. This is problematic because high turnover rates increase company expenses while lowering revenue potential.

Fortunately, sales coaching helps keep reps engaged. It makes sense. When your reps succeed, they’ll enjoy their jobs. And when they enjoy their jobs, they’ll stick around for longer. This is especially true when coaches use metrics to show performance. KPIs like the volume of prospect interactions per rep can help gauge progress and inspire sellers to new heights.

Enhanced Skill Development

Does your company invest a lot of resources into sales training? Then do yourself a favor and commit to sales coaching, too. That way your reps maximize the training they receive.

This is especially important in light of a Gartner study that shows the average B2B sales rep forgets 70% of what they learned within a week of sales training, and 87% forget within a month.

Better Sales Pipeline Management

Finally, sales coaching will help you manage your sales pipeline more effectively.

When your reps have the skills they need to make sales, they’ll do so more consistently. You can then look at your pipeline and accurately predict which prospects will turn into customers.

You’ll also know which of your reps are most likely to close deals and can use that knowledge to properly assign leads. This will almost certainly result in more revenue for your company.

Sales Coaching Models

So, how should you go about coaching a sales team? The best way is to follow one of the coaching models we outline below. Study each of them to identify the right model for you:

GROW Model

GROW is an acronym that stands for:

• Goal: What are you trying to achieve? And what habits do you need to develop to achieve them? SMART goals are generally best for the GROW model.
• Reality: What skill sets do your reps already have? What skill sets do they need to develop? Is there anything preventing them from developing these skills?
• Options and Obstacles: What’s the best way to address the obstacles standing in the way of your reps? Suggest multiple ways to overcome these challenges.
• Way Forward: What action steps can your reps take to reach success? Create a plan to help reps get from where they are now to where they want to be in the future.

GROW is an effective sales coaching model—especially when sales managers allow their reps to lead conversations and define goals, realities, obstacles, etc.

OSKAR Model

OSKAR is an acronym that stands for:

• Objective: Ask your reps to define the goal they want to achieve.
• Scale: Have your rep rate their current performance on a scale of 1 – 10.
• Know-How: Determine what your rep needs to achieve their goal. Possible solutions include specific training resources, in-depth sales knowledge, and accountability.
• Affirm and Action: Tell reps what they’re currently doing well. Then work with reps to identify specific actions they can take to improve. Be sure to include deadlines.
• Review: Go over your conversation and ask reps for feedback on the coaching session.

OSKAR is a great sales coaching method for reps who need consistent encouragement. Does that sound like someone on your team? Give this methodology a try!

CLEAR Model

CLEAR is an acronym that stands for:

• Contract: Create a contract of sorts between you and your sales rep. The contract should define when you’ll meet, the goals you have, and your criteria for success.
• Listen: Let your rep state their current sales-related problem. Then ask questions that will help you understand said problem on a deeper level (and listen to the answers.)
• Explore: Ask a few more open-ended questions about the reps problem and goals. Do your best to keep your questions brief and let the rep do most of the talking.
• Acton: Start to ask more specific questions that help your rep understand the actions they need to take. The goal is to let the rep come to their own conclusions.
• Review: Take a moment at the end of the session to reflect. What did you and your rep talk about and what were the main takeaways?

The CLEAR model is ideal for self-motivated reps, as they’ll be doing most of the work. The sales coach is really just there to guide reps to their own conclusions in a productive way.

FUEL Model

FUEL is an acronym that stands for:

• Frame the Conversation: Start by setting expectations. What do you and your reps want to achieve? And how will you work towards these goals?
• Understand: Next, analyze your rep’s current state. Ask a variety of open-ended questions to learn about the root cause behind your rep’s current issues.
• Explore: Then look at your rep’s goals. How can they achieve these things? Explore ways for your rep to reach success and work to prioritize them effectively.
• Lay Out a Plan: Finally, give your rep specific action steps they can take to progress in their sales career. Make sure you include timelines and a follow-up schedule as well.

FUEL is a pretty straightforward approach that should work in most sales coaching scenarios.

WOOP Model

WOOP is an acronym that stands for:

• Wish: What does your rep want to achieve?
• Outcome: What specific goals will your rep accomplish when they get their wish?
• Obstacles: What specific challenges must your rep overcome to reach their goals?
• Plan: What milestones does your rep need to meet to ultimately achieve their wish?

The WISH model is more abstract than the other sales coaching methods we’ve talked about. As such, it’s great for reps who desire flexibility throughout the coaching process.

Best Practices for Sales Coaching

Coaching sales reps isn’t easy, which is why the sales coaching models above are so popular. Each is designed to help reps succeed under your mentorship. You know what else will help them succeed? The best practices below. Implement them and watch your sales team thrive.

Set SMART Goals

It doesn’t matter what you’re doing—making dinner, running a marathon, or coaching sales reps—you need a specific goal to achieve. But not all goals are created equal.

When setting objectives with sales reps, focus on SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

• Specific: Your goal should have a specific desired outcome
• Measurable: Your goal should be trackable in some way
• Attainable: Your goal should be challenging, but achievable
• Relevant: Your goal should align with your company’s objectives
• Time-Bound: Your goal should have a clearly understood deadline

Here’s a quick example of a SMART goal for sales reps: I want to improve my current sales email sequence so that it achieves a 15% response rate by the end of Q2.

Customize Your Approach

Every rep is different. The best sales coaches tailor their approach to the specific person they’re working with. That way each rep gets the most out of the sessions you have with them.

For example, you might use the OSKAR sales coaching model for a new rep who hasn’t made many sales yet, and whose confidence is flagging. But you might choose the CLEAR sales coaching model for more experienced reps who simply need someone to bounce ideas off of.

The content of your coaching sessions will vary too, of course. You might help one rep improve their organizational skills so that they can better track their email follow-ups, while another rep will need your help to improve their sales call etiquette and boost their close rate.

You might be tempted to put every rep through the same sales coaching process—it would be a whole lot simpler for you. But customization is essential if you truly want your reps to succeed.

Use Effective Sales Coaching Tools

Technology can make the sales coaching process easier. But a quick Google search will reveal dozens of different sales coaching tools. Which ones are right for your organization?

We can’t answer that question for you, but we can share a few types of technology to consider:

• CRM Software: This tool will help you see who’s in your rep’s pipeline and how many times they’ve contacted them. With this information you can help your reps plan effective paths forward. The best part, you probably already have and use a CRM!
• Sales Engagement Software: This tool is designed to help sales reps engage potential customers and track their efforts. You can use the data inside to analyze rep behaviors and help optimize communication sequences. SPOTIO is a top option in this category.
• Sales Enablement Software: This tool gives reps easy access to the resources they need to close deals. We’re talking about sales content, training, contracts, etc. Many of these apps have dedicated sales coaching features, too, making them extra valuable.
• Conversational Intelligence Software: This tool will record, transcribe, and even analyze sales calls for you and your reps. You can use it to study the calls your reps make, then use the built-in AI technology to provide them with top-level feedback.

Provide Constructive Feedback

As a sales coach, you must give your reps feedback. If you don’t, you’re not really a coach.

But feedback should be delivered in a very specific way. First, it should be constructive. Don’t just tell your reps what they’re doing wrong, tell them how to fix their mistakes.

Second, try to offer more positive than negative feedback. This will keep your reps happy and engaged in the sales coaching process, and motivate them to achieve more. Constant negative feedback produces opposite results. No one wants to be told how lousy they are every day.

Now, this doesn’t mean you should lie to your reps. You need to give them honest feedback so that they can improve their skills. But you should always look to praise reps when possible.

Focus on One Improvement at a Time

What if the rep you’re coaching has multiple problem areas? Maybe they lack confidence, possess very little organization skills, and have a hard time overcoming objections.

This rep is obviously in a tough spot, and you might think working on all of their issues at one time will yield the best results. But this would be a serious mistake.

Sales coaching is more effective when one weakness is tackled at a time. Why? Because it prevents overwhelm and makes it easier to track progress. Once the rep starts stacking wins, they’ll improve at a faster pace, but don’t rush the progress. Concentration is key.

Create Action Plans

Meeting with reps is great. Asking them questions and analyzing their sales behaviors is even better. But none of it will matter if you don’t create action plans for them to follow.

Start with the rep’s goal. What do they want to achieve? Maybe they want to master a specific sales technique. Perhaps they’re looking to improve their objection-handling abilities. Whatever the goal is, break it down into a series of achievable steps.

For example, the goal, “get better at handling objections” can be broken down into the following steps: gain a deeper understanding of your target market, study specific objection-handling techniques, implement said techniques, analyze sales call recordings, etc.

If you really want to get the most out of this tip, guide your reps through this process, rather than doing it for them. This will help your reps be proactive and think through the challenges they must overcome. It will also help motivate them to put their plan in action.

Hold Reps Accountable

Speaking of putting plans in action…

One of the most important jobs you have as a sales coach is holding your reps accountable. You need to make sure they implement the advice you give them.

The easiest way to do this is to ask your reps about their progress. Use questions like, “What measurable progress have you made since we last spoke?” and “Have you discovered new challenges to overcome?” and “How do you plan to overcome these challenges?”

We also suggest reviewing sales activity metrics in your department’s CRM software. Has your rep made as many visits or sent as many emails as they say they have? You need to know.

Offer Professional Development Opportunities

Sales coaching doesn’t always need to be a formal process.

What if you coached your reps by offering them on-demand resources they can study on their own? Then, once a few reps have been through the material, you can host a meeting to discuss takeaways. The right sales courses, books, and podcasts can be incredibly valuable, which is why every sales department should make them available to its reps.

One more thing: 94% of employees would stay with their current company for longer if they were given professional development opportunities. Win!

Celebrate Success and Encourage Open Communication

Last but not least, celebrate the wins with your sales reps. Doing so will encourage them to work harder and achieve more—both of which are good things for your sales department.

The way you celebrate is up to you, and may even change depending on who you’re working with. Some reps, for example, might appreciate a physical reward when they reach their goals. Others will be happy with a handshake and the knowledge that they’re hard work has paid off.

It’s up to you to motivate your reps in a way that brings out their best selves.

Now, you might be wondering, “What happens when my reps don’t succeed?” This is when open communication is critical. Help your reps learn from their mistakes by talking about what went wrong; then providing tactical ways they can improve their abilities in the future.

Maximize Your Success With Effective Sales Coaching

Sales coaching is incredibly important. Once you take it seriously, your reps will perform better and stick around for longer. As an added bonus, managing your pipeline will get easier, too.

The question is, how do you coach sales reps effectively? We won’t lie to you, it’s not easy. But the tips, tricks, and best practices we covered in this article will help.

The right software won’t hurt either. If you manage a field sales team, the right software is almost certainly SPOTIO. Why? Our platform was specifically designed for your needs and will allow you to easily track rep sales activity, analyze email and text messages, and more.

Sign up for a free demo of SPOTIO right now to see our industry leading tool in action!

Podcasts have been around for nearly two decades, but they’ve only become popular in the last few years. How popular? There are now 100 million podcast listeners in the US alone.

Some of these podcasts will teach you how to drum up more leads, build deeper, more meaningful relationships with prospects, and, ultimately, close more deals.

Of course, not every sales podcast is created equal. That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best sales podcasts of 2023 for you. Let’s take a look…

14 Best Sales Podcasts

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in sales or whether you sell B2B or B2B. There is definitely a podcast out there to help you sharpen your skills. Here are 14 of the best ones:

The Inside Scoop on Outside Sales

The Inside Scoop on Outside Sales is your go-to resource for all things field sales.

Tune in as SPOTIO’s CEO, Trey Gibson, interviews industry experts from both new and established companies and extracts vital insights you need to improve your field sales game.

While many podcasts talk about sales in a general sense, few focus on outside sales specifically, making this podcast a must-listen-to resource for all field sales pros.

Suggested episodes:

• Strategies for High-Performing Field Sales Teams
• Let’s Master Mental Toughness in Sales w/ Chris Pierce
• The Art of Non-Confrontational Sales w/ Babe Kilgore

Sales Gravy

If you’ve been in sales for any length of time, you may recognize the name Jeb Blount.

Jeb is a renowned sales consultant and author with an excellent podcast called Sales Gravy. In it, Jeb offers straightforward advice and motivation to sales reps.

Want to learn how to hone your negotiation skills? How about overcoming the fear of rejection? You may need better information related to closing. Sales Gravy has it.

Suggested episodes:

• When They Say No: How to Reframe Rejection and Win
• The Five Questions You Should Be Asking on Every Discovery Call
• How to Get Meetings With Hard-to-Reach Prospects

Conversations with Women in Sales

The Conversations With Women in Sales podcast offers inspirational stories to help women succeed in the sales industry. (The advice is so good, though, anyone can benefit from it.)

Episodes were hosted by Barb Giamanco until her passing in 2020. Lori Richardson has since taken up the mantle in order to highlight the journeys, challenges, and victories of women in this traditionally male-dominated field. Listen for both motivation and practical advice.

Suggested episodes:

• Traits and Qualities of a Sales Leader, Radhika Shukla
• When Knowledge is Shared, Everyone Wins, Heidi Messer
• The Grass Isn’t Always Greener, Katie Walsh, HubSpot

Make It Happen Mondays

Hosted by B2B sales expert John Barrows, the Make It Happen Mondays podcast emphasizes practical sales advice that you can implement into your career immediately.

Each episode covers a unique aspect of sales, from cold-calling strategies to effective time management. Even better, John usually hosts a guest, which means you’ll get top tips from not one, but two industry veterans that you can use to level up your sales skills.

Suggested episodes:

• Jeremy Chen – The Art of Cold Calling: Tactics For Success
• Jamie Diglio – Embracing Your Superpowers in the Age of AI
• Rhonda Petit – The Link Between Authenticity and Success

Sell Or Die

Best-selling author Jeffrey Gitomer and recognized sales expert Jennifer Gluckow team up for this insightful podcast to chat about the art and science of sales.

Listen to Sell or Die for entertaining interviews with top sales professionals in the industry and cutting-edge knowledge you can use to better motivate your sales team, improve customer relationships, boost sales performance, and otherwise achieve more success in your career.

Suggested episodes:

• Creating Profitable Relationships w/ Dov Gordon
• The Three Sales Mindsets: The Groove, The Rut, and The Grave
• How to Leverage Tech and Build a Seven-Figure Sales Organization

Sales Pipeline Radio

Hosted by Matt Heinz, the Sales Pipeline Radio podcast features a wide range of guest experts who discuss a variety of sales and marketing-related topics.

This resource is one of the best sales podcasts of 2023 because it offers a unique blend of actionable strategies, thought leadership, and real-world stories—all of which will help you build and maintain a healthy sales pipeline. Listen to take your career to new heights.

Suggested episodes:

• How vs. Who: Why Relationships Still Matter in the Age of AI
• How to Build Empathy as Your Sales and Marketing Superpower
• Leading Your Sales Team in Times of Change

Sales Hacker Podcast

Sales Hacker is considered to be the world’s largest community for B2B sellers. So it’s not surprising to learn that the organization also publishes a stellar bi-monthly podcast.

The Sales Hacker Podcast is hosted by Sam Jacobs, who interviews notable sales professionals and thought leaders and dissects their tactics and strategies. Listeners can expect to learn the hacks, tips, and tricks that the best in the business use to close deals.

Suggested episodes:

• Boosting Sales Performance: Unearthing the Potential of Women in Sales with Lauren Bailey
• A Holistic Approach to Compensation Structuring with Scott Barton
• The Elements of a Great Sales Manager with Todd Caponi

Advanced Selling Podcast

Bryan Neale and Bill Caskey host the “longest-running sales podcast in podcast history.”

Listen to the Advanced Selling Podcast for valuable advice on B2B sales topics, like building client relationships, closing deals, maintaining sales momentum, and more.

Also worth mentioning, this podcast has an app that will help you access bonus content and give you the ability to ask the hosts questions. The episodes alone would have made this one of the best sales training podcasts, but the app really pushes it over the top!

Suggested episodes:

• The Best Sales Advice Bill And Bryan Have Ever Received
• Who’s Selling Whom?
• Are You Winging Your Sales Process?

The Sales Evangelist

Next up, The Sales Evangelist.

In this podcast, host and B2B sales pro, Donald Kelly, shares his insights and interviews sales experts while focusing on specific topics that relate to sales training and development.

It’s a practical guide for anyone who wants to evangelize their product effectively, which is why we’re happy to add it to our list of best sales podcasts.

Suggested episodes:

• How to Engage Economic Buyers and Get Them to Talk
• How to Think, Act, and Perform Like the Top 1% Earners
• Upskilling New Team Members For Better Results

Selling Made Simple

Selling Made Simple, formerly known as The Salesman Podcast, is hosted by Will Barron and aims to demystify the B2B sales process for its hundreds of thousands of monthly listeners.

Mr. Barron covers everything from sales psychology to developing the best sales techniques, providing insights to both new and seasoned sales professionals alike. And Mr. Barron’s guests range from sales experts to FBI agents to ivy league professors.

Suggested episodes:

• Using Referrals to Build Your Pipeline FAST
• Upselling: The Quickest Way to Smash Sales Targets
• Social Lead Generation (What is Working in 2023)

The James Altucher Show

James Altucher is one of those serial entrepreneurs—he’s founded 20+ companies!

His podcast, aptly named The James Altucher Show, has been around since 2014, has millions of regular listeners, and has been downloaded more than 40 million times.

What makes this resource one of the best podcasts for sales professionals is the fact that it doesn’t just focus on sales. Instead, James has thought-provoking conversations with various experts and entrepreneurs, providing valuable insights you can use to sell more.

Suggested episodes:

• How to Read People (And a Room) With Precision
• You Don’t Get What You Deserve. You Get What You Negotiate
• You Could Be Much More Persuasive

The Modern Selling Podcast

Join host Mario Martinez Jr., a noted sales expert and founder and CEO of Vengreso, as he explores the intersection of sales and technology in The Modern Selling Podcast.

This podcast is designed for all sales professionals who want to stay ahead of the curve in the modern digital sales landscape. But it’s especially pertinent to entry-level reps who are just learning the ropes. Wherever you are in your sales journey, you’ll enjoy this sales podcast.

Suggested episodes:

• 7 Effective Selling Techniques for Sales Success
• Sales Leadership: Inspiring Teams and Driving Results
• Unleashing the Power of AI for Sales w/ Oleg Bilozer

Self Helpful

This podcast, hosted by Kevin Miller, used to be called The Ziglar Show and helped listeners apply legendary author, sales coach, and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar’s principles.

Now it’s called Self Helpful, but the goal is still the same: educate and inspire. Listen to learn personal development strategies and how they can impact your sales success. This is definitely one of the best podcasts for sales leaders and reps. Don’t skip it!

Suggested episodes:

• How to Be Authentically You and Still Respect Others
• Your Work and Why to Remember Your Why Over Your What

The Win Rate Podcast

Last but not least, we have The Win Rate Podcast, a noteworthy resource that’s hosted by Andy Paul and features a panel of industry experts to help listeners succeed in sales.

This brand-new podcast tackles topics related to your company’s pipeline and how you can close more deals tomorrow than you did today. It’s beneficial for B2B sellers.

Suggested episodes:

• How to Shift Sales Manager Focus from Top of Funnel to Winning More Deals
• Buyer’s Experience Is The Key to Decision Making and Boosting Win Rate

Which Sales Podcast Are You Going To Listen To?

The best sales podcasts will teach you new tactics, implement proven strategies, and improve your professional salesperson skills. You just have to listen to them.

Fortunately, after reading this article, you know which podcasts are worth your time.

We encourage you to download a few episodes from each recommendation. Then listen to them on your commute to work, while you travel between prospects, as you make dinner at home—whenever you can spare time for your professional development.

And remember, if you’re in field sales, The Inside Scoop on Outside Sales, a SPOTIO podcast, is the resource you need. Start listening today for game-changing advice!

You must train your sales reps to close deals consistently to help your company grab a piece of this lucrative pie. Fortunately, there are a bunch of resources to help you.

So that’s what we’ll cover in this article. Keep reading about the eight best solar sales training online courses available in 2023. Let’s dive in!

8 Best Solar Sales Training Resources

Before discussing resources, let’s discuss why good sales training is critical in solar.

It’s pretty simple. Good sales training is essential in the solar industry because solar panels represent a significant investment to most customers. If you or your reps need help understanding how to highlight the benefits of this particular technology, they’ll never close deals.

Fortunately, the eight solar sales resources below will teach your reps everything they need to know to connect with customers and drive more revenue for your company.

1. Udemy: Double Your Solar Sales Course

This Udemy course is designed to teach solar reps the mindset they need to make sales. As such, it’s loaded with information about the psychology of sales, building trust with potential customers, handling objections, and pulling oneself out of a sales slump.

Course Pros:

• Double Your Solar Sales is affordable at $124.99.
• This course also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.
• The instructor provides step-by-step scripts to follow.

Course Cons:

• The course only includes 1.5 hours of video content.
• Some users claim the content needed to be more advanced for their needs.
• There’s a case to be made that the content is too focused on California solar sales.

Top Testimonial:

“Great information that can be directly applied to selling solar panels at the highest level. You will sell solar if you use this method of selling.” – Brian W.

2. Solar Energy International: Solar Training – Solar Business and Technical Sales

This solar sales training online course goes deep. You’ll learn everything you need to know about the industry, policy changes, technical information, and sales techniques—all of which you can use to make more sales and drive more revenue for your solar company.

Course Pros:

• This course lasts for six weeks and includes a ton of material.
• You’ll get a certificate once you complete all of the course material.

Course Cons:

• This course is 60 hours long, which is a serious commitment.
• It’s also expensive. Expect to pay $895 to attend this course.

Top Testimonial:

“My experience learning with SEI has been nothing short of amazing! SEI’s comprehensive solar courses have helped me develop the skills I need to become a successful solar professional.” – Dhib Warda

3. The D2D Experts: Door to Door University – Solar

D2D University teaches sales reps in a variety of industries how to increase sales. The Solar Sales Training course is a popular resource that includes information about pitching solar in door-to-door sales situations, setting appointments, and closing more deals.

Course Pros:

• Noted experts in the solar industry teach Solar Sales Training.
• The course includes more than three hours of in-depth training.
• You can try the course for free thanks to the D2D University free demo.

Course Cons:

• Course pricing isn’t available on the website.
• It takes time to find honest reviews of the course.

Top Testimonial:

“After studying the basics and some of the material on mindset, I became the top rep in my office. I went from having zero sales to the most sales.” – Solar Sales Training Customer

4. The Sales Coach: Solar Sales Training

The Sales Coach: Solar Sales Training course will teach you how to understand your audience on a deep, intimate level. When this happens, you’ll be able to provide them with custom solutions that truly fit their needs, leading to more sales and happier customers.

Course Pros:

• This course will give you expert-level knowledge to make sales.
• The material is designed to help you sell solar to a variety of customer types.

Course Cons:

• Course pricing details aren’t available on the website.
• It’s almost impossible to find online reviews of this course.

5. Zippia: Solar Sales Representative Education Guide

Zippia’s Solar Sales Representative Education Guide is different from the other solar sales training resources we’ve talked about so far. It’s not a traditional course. Rather, it’s an informational packet of sorts that will help you decide if a job in solar sales is right for you. So, it’s perfect for those who are still exploring their career options in the solar industry.

Course Pros:

This educational guide is completely free. Just visit the website and start reading.
Read the guide to access information regarding the solar sales industry, such as what the average solar sales rep makes per year and the skills you’ll need to land a job.

Course Cons:

This guide won’t teach you how to sell solar panels. It was created to educate readers and help them decide if they should pursue a career in the solar industry.

6. Coursera: Solar Energy Courses

Coursera is a popular online education platform with multiple courses related to the solar industry. Each of them is backed by a well-known institution and available for free (as long as you don’t require a certificate of completion once you finish material.)

Course Pros:

• As mentioned above, Coursera classes can be viewed for free.
• Coursera covers a range of solar topics, giving you a well-rounded education.
• Every class is quite detailed and delivers a surprising amount of quality information.

Course Cons:

• Most Coursera classes require at least one to three months to complete.
• There are so many courses available on Coursera, it can take time to pick the right one.

7. Everblue Training: Solar Sales Training

This course from Everblue will help you understand how solar photovoltaic systems work. You can then take that knowledge and educate your customers to make more sales.

Course Pros:

• This course is available 100% online and features a variety of educational resources.
• Once enrolled, you (or your reps) will access 16 hours of solar sales training.
• Those who finish the course will receive a certificate of completion from Everblue.

Course Cons:

• This course is costly. Plan to spend $599 per student.
• Sales reps only get six months of access to the online course material.

Top Testimonial:

“Made the process seem much less daunting than I had made it appear. The logical and organized approach to the material really made this a worthwhile course.” – John Paras

8. Ecotech Training: Solar Sales Professional 203 Training

Last but not least, we have the Solar Sales Professional 203 course from Ecotech Training. In it, you’ll learn important system details, as well as the latest sales and marketing techniques.

Combined, this knowledge will help you sell more solar panels than ever before.

Course Pros:

• Enjoy 16+ hours of top-level solar sales training delivered via video.
• Log in and view classes at any time of your choosing, day or night.
• Take a post-course assessment test. If you pass, you’ll receive a certificate.

Course Cons:

• Ecotech’s course requires a sizable financial commitment of $599.
• Course enrollees only get access to the educational materials for six months.

Top Testimonial:

“I completed the PV system mechanical design module the other day… I felt on top of my game because all the racking was fresh in my mind, and it definitely showed.” – Caleb Kinney

Additional Solar Sales Resources

Each of the solar sales training courses above will help you close more deals.

But they aren’t the only resources available to you. In fact, we’ve published a bunch of solar sales tips on this website. Read through our most popular article below to level up your skills.

• Solar Sales Guide: 14 Ways To Close More Solar Deals
• Selling Solar Panels: Quick Guide For Reps & Managers
• 7 Tips To Create A High-Converting Solar Sales Pitch
• 12 Ways To Generate High-Quality Solar Sales Leads
• 10 Steps To Increase Door To Door Solar Sales
• 8 Best Solar Sales Software

In Conclusion

If you want your solar company to succeed in 2023 and beyond, you have to train your reps to make sales. The resources we listed above will help you do that.

You know what else will help you close deals? A quality piece of software like SPOTIO. With it, you’ll be able to generate red-hot leads, plan routes, book appointments, build multichannel communication sequences, and more. Schedule your free demo to see SPOTIO in action.

“Beauty Is In The Eye Of The Beholder”

Motivational sales quotes will start popping up everywhere if you simply look. You’ll find them on coffee cups, online ads, soap dispensers, classroom doors, and the list goes on. But it’s because of their ever-increasing presence in our lives that some dismiss them as annoying.

Sales quotes can be extremely effective to help drive performance for the right audience. Some will simply here the phrase “motivational quote” and instantly roll their eyes, shake their head and begin praying to 8 pound, 6 ounce baby Jesus that they don’t get bombarded with more of those bullshit sayings in their inbox.

If you fall into this category, it’s okay… we’re not judging. Renowned psychologist and motivation expert Jonathan Fader says that some will feel more inspired by motivational sales quotes than others. Fader stated that those inspired by great sales quotes typically tend to connect with them on a deeper level, meaning they have a greater relation to the message.

The Power Of Words

In a study by Farouk Radwan from 2KnowMyself, he showed the effect of words on our mood. Three groups of people were asked to solve a word-based puzzle.

Group 1:   Puzzle contained words like “calm” and “polite”
Group 2:  Puzzle contained words like “anger” and “rude”
Group 3:  Puzzle contained neutral words

Upon completion, participants were asked to head to another room, but along the way someone would continuously interrupt them and force them to wait longer before arriving. Not surprisingly, each group interacted with the annoying individual using words they were exposed to during the puzzle.

Group 1:   Expressed politeness toward the individual
Group 2:  Responded with aggressiveness in their terminology
Group 3:  Responded with a neutral response and little emotion

The experiment shows how terminology affects our thinking and performance. Next time you add in a sales quote at the end of your meeting to fire up the troops, consider how your words will encourage inspiration and positivity to enhance your team’s mindset. This is one of the 10 keys to running an effective meeting.

‘Natural Selection’ Through Language

Fader explained the psychology behind the language we use and who’s delivering the message. Whether or not we’re drawn to these flashy, catchy sayings often lies within our own belief to achieve what we desire. If you believe it can be achieved, motivational sales quotes can be a very powerful incentive to try harder.

This is essential when setting SMART sales goals for your team. People with a manager, teacher or mentor who believe they can do something are more likely to do it. Salespeople need leaders who support and encourage them. This provides the confidence needed to thrive in a competitive environment. Your support and belief are enough to provide some extra motivation.

Feed The Beast

Ward Farnsworth, the dean at the University Of Texas School Of Law, found people have an “appetite for well-expressed wisdom, motivational or otherwise.” He demonstrated how the words we use need to be carefully calculated because of the considerable difference in meaning.

There’s many ways to say the same thing. One phrase may be more pleasing to some while one is more convincing to others. Everyone will understand the meaning, but the reaction will vary considerably based on the phrasing.

Consider how you arrange different terms and phrases when coming up with quotes to drive performance. You have to know the people on your team in order to accurately affect the right emotions.

Words evoking negative emotions disturb chemical processes in our brains for brief periods of time. The mind is unable to accept external input unless it matches our belief system.

Your relationship with your team needs to be deep enough to understand their beliefs in order to pull the right strings.

T.U.R.F.

T – Talk to your sales team on a consistent basis to learn details about each person, including any problems or issues he or she is facing.

U – Use words that align with the individual based on what you’ve learned.

R – Remind sales reps of past accomplishments by using words that motivate the individual based on what you know about them, and be sure to include power words he or she would use.

F – Find motivational sales quotes that speak directly to each individual salesperson by focusing on power words that motivate him or her.

Motivational Quotes To Inspire Peak Performance

Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for… Sales quotes you can steal from us to sound like a baller and try to pass them off as your own. We created a few different categories to make it a little easier to find what you’re looking for.

Section I: Famous Sales Quotes

Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. [Thomas Edison]

Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later. [Og Mandino]

Become the person who would attract the results you seek. [Jim Cathcart]

Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going. [Sam Levenson]

Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. [George Addair]

The secret of getting ahead is getting started. [Mark Twain]

Quality performance starts with a positive attitude. [Jeffrey Gitomer]

Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. [Thomas Jefferson]

Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. [Norman Ralph Augustine]

Section II: Inspirational Sales Quotes

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. [Wayne Gretzky]

The greatest competitive advantage is knowledge. [Mark Cuban]

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,  therefore, is not an act but a habit. [Aristotle]

I still work hard to know my business. I’m continuously looking for ways to improve all my companies, and I’m always selling. Always. [Mark Cuban]

You can never quit. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. [Ted Turner]

If you’re going to be thinking, you may as well think big. [Donald Trump]

Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. [John Maxwell]

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. [Robert Collier]

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. [Thomas Paine]

Section III: Sales Goals Quotes

Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible. [Tony Robbins]

A goal properly set is hallway reached. [Zig Ziglar]

You just can’t beat the person who never gives up. [Babe Ruth]

I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse. [Florence Nightingale]

I got lucky because I never gave up the search. Are you quitting too soon? Or are you willing to pursue luck with a vengeance? [Jill Konrath]

Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. [Vince Lombardi]

A goal is a dream with a deadline. [Napoleon Hill]

You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do. [Henry Ford]

Success is never final. Failure is never fatal. It is courage that counts. [Winston Churchill]

Section IV: Zig Ziglar Sales Quotes

Stop selling. Start helping. [Zig Ziglar]

You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want. [Zig Ziglar]

Lack of direction, not a lack of time, is the problem. We all have 24-hour days. [Zig Ziglar]

Every choice you make has an end result. [Zig Ziglar]

Your business is never really good or bad ‘out there.’ Your business is either good or bad right between your own two ears. [Zig Ziglar]

People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons. [Zig Ziglar]

If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost. [Zig Ziglar]

If you aim at nothing, you will hit every time. [Zig Ziglar]

If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner. [Zig Ziglar]

Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust. [Zig Ziglar]

If you wait until all the lights are “green” before you leave home, you’ll never get started on your trip to the top. [Zig Ziglar]

Section V: Sales Quotes That Hit Home

The best revenge is massive success. [Frank Sinatra]

Things do not happen. Things are made to happen. [John F. Kennedy]

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. [Michael Jordan]

If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves. [Thomas Edison]

Believe you can and you’re halfway there. [Theodore Roosevelt]

Action is the foundational key to all success. [Pablo Picasso]

The secret of success is consistency of purpose. [Benjamin Disraeli]

Change before you have to. [Jack Welch]

We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people. Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way. [George S. Patton]

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. [Zig Ziglar]

Section VI:  Quotes You Need To Know

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. [Steve Jobs]

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons. [Jim Rohn]

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. [Abraham Lincoln]

The coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave but one. [Ernest Hemingway]

The extra mile is a vast, unpopulated wasteland. [Jeff Haden – Inc.]

Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives. [Daniel Pink]

There is always room at the top. [Daniel Webster]

It’s not about having the right opportunities. It’s about handling the opportunities right. [Mark Hunter]

Trying is winning in the moment. [Dan Waldschmidt]

If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all? [Joe Namath]

Section VII: Extra Motivation

Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle. [Abraham Lincoln]

Sweat equity is the most valuable equity there is. Know your business and industry better than anyone else in the world. Love what you do or don’t do it. [Mark Cuban]

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying where there seemed to be no hope at all.[Dale Carnegie]

If not us, who? If not now, when?[John F. Kennedy]

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.[Henry Ford]

Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. [Lance Armstrong]

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.[Dale Carnegie]

Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.[Jim Rohn]

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. [Ralph Waldo Emerson]

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. [Vince Lombardi]

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. [Wayne Gretzky]

The greatest competitive advantage is knowledge.[Mark Cuban]

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence,  therefore, is not an act but a habit.[Aristotle]

I still work hard to know my business. I’m continuously looking for ways to improve all my companies, and I’m always selling. Always.[Mark Cuban]

You can never quit. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. [Ted Turner]

If you’re going to be thinking, you may as well think big. [Donald Trump]

Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. [John Maxwell]

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out. [Robert Collier]

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SPOTIO is the #1 field sales engagement and performance management software that will increase revenue, maximize profitability, and boost sales productivity.

Want to see a product demonstration? Click here to see how SPOTIO can take your sales game to the next level.

In this post, we’ll talk about the value of a sales kickoff meeting, how to ground it with solid objectives that contribute to organizational goals, and what elements make up a successful sales kickoff meeting with best practices from leading companies.

We’ll also leave you with a fail-proof sales kick-off meeting agenda to get your planning started on the right foot.

But first…

Table of Contents

What is a sales kickoff meeting?
5 Key Benefits of a Well-Planned Sales Kickoff Meeting
9 things that make a sales kickoff meeting successful
Sales Kickoff Meeting Ideas
Sales Kickoff Meeting Agenda (Example)

What is a sales kickoff meeting?

A sales kickoff meeting is an annual event used to align strategy, motivate sales teams, generate energy around offers and products, and celebrate past successes. Typically at the start of the fiscal year, it’s an important opportunity to get teams on the same page and ready to succeed in the year ahead.

While bringing a sales team together in person is a huge investment for most companies, time and time again, companies find that there’s no better way to inspire and motivate a sales force.

‘A study conducted by UCLA found that up to 93% of communication effectiveness is determined by nonverbal cues. Another study indicated that the impact of a performance was determined 7% by the words used, 38% by voice quality, and 55% by the nonverbal communication.”

5 Key Benefits of a Well-Planned Sales Kickoff Meeting

Focus

Online meetings are notorious opportunities for distraction and multitasking. By bringing your team together in a face-to-face environment, you are more likely to capture and maintain their attention throughout your agenda.

Building Relationships and Trust

Face-to-face meetings offer a unique opportunity to network and build personal relationships. Teams will be up to 10x more productive throughout the year when they are grounded with strong, productive relationships.

In addition, spending time and bonding with teammates generates trust and empathy, setting the groundwork for productive collaboration.

Emotions are Contagious

In-person events offer attendees a unique opportunity to feed off of each other’s positive emotions. The good energy that comes from this is guaranteed to last for many months to come.

While travel and opportunity costs are definitely a factor, a well-executed sales kick-off meeting will leave your team motivated, inspired, and feeling ready to engage with customers, make progress on sales leads, and close revenue for your business.

Energy

A productive and engaging meeting is one that pulses energy throughout. An exciting speaker, awards presentation, or quick break to just clap your hands are great ways to harness energy into your meeting.

Education

You can’t sell what you don’t know, so it’s imperative to educate your salesforce on every feature, functionality, and nuance of your product. When everyone is together for the Sales Kickoff Meeting, this is a great time to educate your team and make them product fluent.

9 Things That Make a Sales Kickoff Meeting Successful

We recommend you are mindful of the following eight things that make a kickoff meeting successful.

1 . Start with objectives.

Before you start planning a thing, it’s important to work across your planning team and make sure you’re clear and aligned on company strategy, goals, and the objectives your team is tasked to accomplish in the next year. Without this, everything below will be aimless, and you will risk wasting the important investment you’re making in your team.

What does success look like?

When crafting objectives ask your planning team the following key questions:

What do we want people thinking about while they’re here?

What are we hoping to accomplish? Are we focused on Education? Motivation? Technology? Product Information? Being super clear on this will guide your agenda.

How will we measure the success of your event?

How will we maintain the energy you create long after the event is over?

Once you’ve answered these questions, use the answers to formulate 1-3 objective statements to be used internally as you plan as a tool to check in throughout the planning process. Doing this in advance will provide the framework for open and transparent discussion around company strategy and goals, setting your team up to see the big picture and how they contribute to broader success.

Objectives statements define what you want to accomplish into a specific and measurable course of action. It tells everyone what is going to be achieved and when it need to be completed.

A few examples of business objectives are:

Financial: Increase revenue by at least 5% year over year.

Improve Customer Service: Hire and fully onboard three new customer service team members by X date.

Training/Education: Provide resources to employees for professional development and growth.

2. A balanced agenda

Throughout the year your team is likely to be bombarded with emails from customers, internal teams, and naturally some things do not get absorbed. Think of your sales kickoff meeting as the opportunity to land key messages and help your team understand what things are most important to focus on in the coming year.

When building your agenda, be sure to include a balance of internal speakers, an outside-in perspective by bringing in customers, and networking and team building opportunities. To help get you started, we’ve even provided a sample agenda at the end of this article.

3. Team building and networking prioritized

Particularly for dispersed teams, the chance to bring your team together to get to know each other on a personal level is reason enough to invest in a sales kickoff meeting. When organizations invest in building trust a rapport amongst their team, they are guaranteed to see immense gains in productivity and organizational health.

To ensure this happens, it’s critical to leave plenty of time on the agenda for structured and unstructured networking. In fact, the best ideas often come from unexpected conversations, so ensure that there is plenty of opportunities for your team to stumble upon unplanned brilliance. Who knows? That night at the bar may be the key to uncovering a new sales strategy.

Nothing is more important to success than collaboration. Leave time to make sure it can happen organically.

4. Involve your team in the planning

Research shows that participants are more likely to be engaged when they have skin in the game. A good way to involve participants in the planning is to poll the team on what they’d like to see on the agenda well in advance of the meeting. Of course, when doing this it’s important to incorporate their feedback and add agenda items based on their recommendations.

Another way to involve you team is to delegate certain agenda items and activities to team members for assistance in planning and coordination.

For example, if you’re looking for a customer speaker, reach out to your team for suggestions. Once a customer speaker is selected, ask the respective account manager for their support in coordinating the session or their input on what things the session should cover.

For networking events, team building activities, and dinners, assign an influential team member to take the lead, plan the activity and generate enthusiasm with the team.

5. Every good movie has a good trailer

While not everyone can have a role in the planning, everyone should be prepared. Just like every good movie has a good trailer, your sales kickoff event needs strong pre-event communications to generate excitement and set expectations for the event.

To prepare all team members for the sales kickoff meeting, send pre-work that highlights the agenda, the theme, and even offers some materials that can be viewed before the event. If you’ll be making any major announcements at the event, use this opportunity to tease the announcement.

If you’re bringing in external speakers, you may consider interviewing them on video in advance and sharing these short video snippets as a way to help attendees discover what to expect and start thinking about what they hope to learn and questions they’ll ask during the live event.

6. Make the most of technology

These days, everyone lives on her or his phones. When planning your event, look for ways to incorporate technology into your event. You may use a live polling platform during your sessions for audience engagement, or maybe you develop a simple app for tracking the agenda and signing up for breakout sessions.

Regardless of what you go with, using technology is a simple way to keep your attendees engaged and abreast before and during the event.

To get this information, start sending out surveys or polls a few months out from your event. From these, you can start to identify common knowledge gaps and then dig deeper into exactly what people want to learn.

7. Celebrate and inspire with success stories

Your company is nothing without its customers. Your sales kickoff meeting is a prime opportunity to reward accomplishments, evangelize success, and inspire the broader team with stories of success presented by internal team members or customers.

Whether you do it in a panel environment, individual presentations, or both, make sure to include a variety of success stories that really highlight the customer experience.

Acknowledging achievement can result in 50% higher productivity and as much as 20% increase in business outcomes. (source)

While planning these sessions, be sure to include your customers in the planning. Nobody knows customers better than themselves. These types of sessions also help the team see things from the customers’ viewpoint, providing insight into customer realities, pain points, and their decision-making process.

Make sure to record these sessions and hold on to them for use throughout the year.

8. Plan the aftermath

Don’t let a good effort go out the window by ignoring the need to continue the conversation. Unfortunately one of the biggest mistakes sales organizations make is not riding the wave of a sales kickoff meeting.

To get ahead of this, have a plan in advance for reinforcing your key messages throughout the year. Additionally, provide a forum for continuing the conversation, whether this is through ongoing meetings or an internal social platform. Since you’ve chosen an impactful theme, look for ways to carry the theme into the year by incorporating the tagline in ongoing conversations, continuing to use the branding and imagery, and ensuring company leaders and managers continue to reinforce it in their team engagements.

It’s not just on the meeting planners to keep the energy going, sales reps need to take accountability for applying the value on an ongoing basis. To facilitate this, have a template in the event materials that forces attendees to identify their top 3 takeaways and how they will apply them moving forward.

Very importantly, have a solid plan for requesting feedback through a survey or otherwise, as well as an ongoing action plan for responding to and actioning the feedback you receive. As a rule, attendees are more likely to give feedback when they see that you take it seriously and are responding to it.

When online is your only option

By now you probably have many ideas brewing to plan for your sales kickoff meeting. You may, however, be eager to get started but strapped for the budget. While an in person event is always ideal, a virtual event is a second-best option, and it’s better than doing nothing. The benefits of a virtual event are in cost savings, ease of recording and sharing the content later, as well as the benefits of technology features like chat, polling, and collaboration software.

If a virtual event is your only option, be sure to include plenty of interactive elements and opportunities for attendees to engage to ensure you don’t lose your audience to distractions and multitasking.

9. Feature Customers in a Video Chat

The purpose of your product is to make the customer happy and ease burdens of their workday. There’s no better way to get behind the scenes and truly understand your offering than by having a conversation with the end user.

Having a couple sessions dedicated to a town hall type conversation with customers who are experiencing different pains with your product will give you honest feedback so that reps can improve their sales process.

Some questions you can ask your panel of customers:

• What made you decide to go with us? What did that process look like?
• What does our competition offer that might entice you to switch?
• What’s the overarching thought on what we’re offering your team?

Sales Kickoff Meeting Ideas

Themed to be sticky:

Choosing a theme for your sales kickoff meeting will land the message while helping attendees retain the information. While themes can be fun and colorful, the most important thing is to ensure it aligns to your strategy and tells a story about what success looks like in the year ahead.

While making your event meaningful, a good theme allows you to add entertainment value to the meeting including skits, contents, and integrated stories and jokes. It ties different elements of the meeting together creating a cohesive experience. A solid theme also provokes your team, giving team members purpose and motivation to go after goals.

Depending on your team’s current situation, here are some theme ideas:

Continuing success:

Elevate: A theme around elevating success reminds your team that although they may be winning, there is still opportunity to grow and advance. Visuals can be set around mountain climbing, action sports, and celebrating extreme athletes.

The world is our oyster: A theme that reminds your team about the vast opportunities ahead of them opens their eyes to potential and inspiration. Using ocean or map-based visuals and activities will get your team thinking about unlimited potential.

Overcoming competition:

Sports themed: A sports-themed event provides the opportunity to integrate examples where teams work together and build on each other’s strengths to beat the competition.

Spy themed: Successful teams are keen to understand what the competition and what’s driving their success. A spy-themed event allows for a lot of fun activities while setting the tone that paying attention to external competition is absolutely critical.

Reigniting energy after a tough year or event:

Back to the Future: No better way to re-energize your sales team after a tough year then to remind them of past successes and how to re-use that energy to prepare for future success. An event with this theme balances past success stories with living visuals of what success will look like in the future.

How you do anything is how you do everything: Motivate your team by choosing theme that allows attendees to tap into their personal passions. Include agenda items that allow attendees and external speakers to share stories on how they succeeded in areas outside of the work they do in your sales organization. Motivate the team by reminded them that success (in anything they do) starts from the passion within them.

Guide to the Perfect Sales Kickoff Meeting (Example)

Day 1:

Breakfast and Networking (90 minutes): Starting your even with breakfast and networking allows your team to connect and reconnect with colleagues. This is particularly important for dispersed sales teams as they may not have time to catch up on a regular basis. Pro tip: Make sure you offer a balance of healthy and indulgent breakfast choices.

Year in Review (60 minutes): Plan a session dedicated to reviewing the past year in numbers. Be sure to include industry trends, highlights, lowlights and significant changes to your company. Include success stories and celebrate the wins.

Guest Speaker | Outside In (60 min): Invite a customer to speak about their experience with your company. Make sure they focus on a balance of success, opportunity and experiences.

Lunch and Networking (60 minutes): Create a lunch environment that encourages social interaction and networking.

Unstructured Break (60 minutes): Give time back for unplanned meetings as well as a chance to catch up on email or make a quick call. Doing this will help your attendees avoid the need to step out during important sessions.

Marketing Update: (60 minutes) Bring your marketing leader in to discuss strategy for the upcoming year.

Workshop / Breakout Session: (90 minutes) Plan 3-4 options for attendees to choose from including but not limited to product training, technology training, or opportunities for personal development.

Day 2:

Breakfast and Networking (90 minutes): Starting your even with breakfast and networking allows your team to connect and reconnect with colleagues. This is particularly important for dispersed sales teams as they may not have time to catch up on a regular basis. Pro tip: Make sure you offer a balance of healthy and indulgent breakfast choices.

Executive Keynote (60 minutes): Bring your company CEO or another leader on stage to share his or her perspective on opportunities in the coming year.

Fun Activity (30 min): Incorporate your event theme for a fun activity.

Workshop / Breakout Session: (90 minutes) Plan 3-4 options for attendees to choose from including but not limited to product training, technology training, or opportunities for personal development.

Lunch and Networking (60 minutes): Create a lunch environment that encourages social interaction and networking.

Competitive Review (60 minutes): Bring in an internal or external speaker to discuss the market, external factors, and provide a competitive review.

Customer Panel (60 minutes): Bring 3-5 customers in for a structured Q&A where they are able to provide insights on what it’s like to do business with your company.

Group Dinner or Cocktail Hour: Provide another opportunity for attendees to socialize and network.

Day 3:

Grab and Go Breakfast (30 minutes): Start the day offering a quick breakfast.

Welcome & Fun: Incorporate your event theme for a fun activity. Get attendees on their feet.

Product training: Bring a product manager in to generate excitement about the product roadmap, unveiling new features/functionality.

Wrap-up: Bring you company CEO or other leader back to the stage to reinforce key messages and next steps.

Unstructured Break (60 minutes): Give time back for unplanned meetings as well as a chance to catch up on email or make a quick call. Doing this will help your attendees avoid the need to step out during important sessions.

Team Building Activity (2-3 hours): Bring the entire team together for an activity that encourages team building and healthy competition.

Optional Dinner: Offer an optional dinner activity to promote networking.

Conclusion

Your sales kickoff meeting is a prime opportunity to bring your team together, align on strategy, generate excitement and promote collaboration for the months ahead. In today’s highly competitive market, it’s more important than it has ever been to build that camaraderie.

Whether you’re able to plan an in-person event or host one virtually, take advantage of this great opportunity to get your team on the same page. The best companies are those who invest in their people. A thoughtful sales kickoff event is one way to show your team that they have your full support.

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Questions or comments? Contact SPOTIO at info@spotio.com or comment below.

SPOTIO is the #1 field sales acceleration and performance management software that will increase revenue, maximize profitability, and boost sales productivity.

Want to see a product demonstration? Click here to see how SPOTIO can take your sales game to the next level.

Much like a playbook for your favorite football team, a sales playbook is a guide that details all of your top-performing sales plays. When created and implemented correctly, a sales playbook:

– Makes onboarding new sales team members easier
– Provides a consistent guideline for evaluating sales performance
– Creates an efficient sales process that can be duplicated

Are you sold yet? If you want to help your sales team be the best versions of themselves, check out the essential elements of a sales playbook below.

What Goes into a Sales Playbook?

The length and level of detail in a sales playbook will vary based on your business and buyers. However, a good starting point when creating your guide is to walk through the entire sales cycle. Let’s explore some of the areas your playbook needs to cover.

How your company and sales team operates

Since your sales playbook will be used in onboarding new hires, it needs to provide an overview of your team. Cover topics such as sales territory mapping, team structure, company mission and values, and how members of the team work together.

Lead scoring

Next, your sales playbook needs to clarify who your customers are, and how leads are qualified. Clarity at this stage in the sales process helps your team prioritize their efforts.

The contact and follow-up process

How quickly do you expect your sales team to follow up with a new lead? What’s the ideal method and timing of follow-up, and are there relevant scripts? These are all appropriate topics to expand on in your sales playbook. Consistency in these actions helps you deliver the same experience every time, as well as test new sales tactics in a controlled manner.

Buyer Pains

Before your sales team can help a lead, they need to know everything you know about the target customer. List out common pain points or objections, as well as how to negate those fears.

Winning value propositions

In addition to common buyer pains, use your sales playbook to collect the very best selling points. Your sales team needs to be well versed in the value proposition of your company, as well as how to frame their talking points to be as effective as possible.

Team tools

Whether your team likes your current CRM or not, everyone needs to be on the same page about how and when to use it. Set expectations around what information goes into your shared tools.

A great sales playbook doesn’t end where the sale happens. If there are handoff procedures for transitioning accounts from one team member or department to another, put those here. You’ll also want to include any best practices for maintaining relationships in the long run.

How to Introduce the Sales Playbook To Your Team

It would be a waste to put time and energy into creating a sales playbook, only to have it collect dust. Here are a few tips for making sure your team puts this resource to use:

– Consult your team during playbook creation by asking what they’d like to reference
– Make sure the playbook is easy to use. Use clear organization, include bullet points for quick reference, and incorporate it into your team’s digital workflow
– Go through the playbook as a team once it’s completed
– Check back in as a team after a few months. Assess what parts have been useful and how it’s fitting into their workflow

A sales playbook is a unique and evolving document that can grow alongside your sales team. By consolidating your best practices, you’ll be able to help your sales team grow and learn.

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Questions or comments? Contact SPOTIO at info@spotio.com.

SPOTIO is the #1 sales acceleration and territory management app to increase your revenue, maximize your profitability, and increase your team’s productivity in just 2 weeks.

Want to see a product demonstration? Click here to see how SPOTIO can take your sales game to the next level.