Just as Hank Bergson in the previous article stressed the need for a commitment to training as integral to a company’s sales success, two consultants that have worked closely with MANA member firms maintain that unless that top-down emphasis on continued improvement is present there’s little hope for professional development of a firm’s sales staff.

But before hearing from the consultants, a MANA member weighs in with his real-world view of how important training is for the independent sales agent. “One of the greatest mistakes any of us can make is to assume that we don’t need training — to think that we know all there is to know.” According to Nicolas Skrzypczak, TransAtlanticPass Consulting & Sales Agency, LLC, Waterford, Michigan, “The type of training I’m talking about isn’t exactly rocket science, but it is training in the basics of what we do for a living. That can be as simple as learning how to plan for your business or how to manage your time. But those things are important because these are functions that we perform on a daily basis, and too often we take them for granted.

“It’s doubly important for me to realize how important training is because I’m self employed and no one is going to do anything for me — I’ve got to do it myself. I’ve got to motivate myself to be trained in being an independent representative.”

Mentoring With MANA

To that end, Skrzypczak notes he participated in MANA’s mentoring program conducted by Joe Miller, MANA’s former president and CEO. “That was of great assistance when it comes to developing a formalized business plan and structuring my company.” In addition, he’s completed other training programs, one of which was accompanied by online classes, testing and a hands-on coach who reviewed homework assignments.

While Skrzypczak’s experience may not be typical of what all agents do when it comes to training for their profession, his approach fits comfortably with what two consultants have to say who were interviewed on this subject.

“In my opinion, believing in the importance of training and educating your sales staff is all about having a leadership mindset that is driven into an organization.” That’s the way Nicki Weiss, founder of Sa1esWise, and a mainstay on the teleforums on a number of subjects that MANA members have become familiar with. According to Weiss, who boasts more than 25 years as a sales trainer and coach, “Effective sales training starts with an organization’s leaders. They must be committed to the ongoing professional development of their people. You really can’t expect salespeople to take it upon themselves to hit the pause button on their daily activities and consider the need for training and education. That all has to come from the top.”

And that push from the top has to emphasize that all personnel (“even people in accounting and operations”) in an organization have a role to play in effective sales. Recognizing that fact and doing something about it are two different things, however, and Weiss stresses that unless “You continually talk about it and implement programs, nothing will be accomplished. It’s a little bit like a baseball pitcher constantly working on his pitches or someone going to the gym to develop muscle. Unless there’s a mindset aimed at personal development, there will be no improvement.”

Coaching and Training

As she views the subjects of training and education, Weiss draws a distinction between training and coaching. “To my mind sales training is in some ways learning about the mechanics of the sales process. It entails skills development and stresses how important it is to have a process in place that allows the salesperson to think strategically. Coaching, on the other hand, is the actual application of what you’ve learned.

“Whenever I work as a coach with groups, we take some of their real-world experiences, and apply them to day-to-day problems. For instance, coaching will take a salesperson through a process where a new product launch has been delayed; or, the salesperson is having difficulty getting in to see a decision-maker at a large account; or, the salesperson is having difficulty determining the value of what he offers to the customer. Working through all of these examples is a part of the ongoing process of personal development.”

Just as she’s very much aware of the contributions that training/educating and coaching make to a sales organization, Weiss is equally aware of the fact that some companies make a critical error when they approach training. “I call it ‘one and done’ thinking,” she says. “Too many companies fail to establish a generous enough budget to see to it that their people are properly and constantly trained. What these companies should be doing is thinking about on-going training, and I’d recommend something in the area of $3,000 per person annually for training. On top of that, everyone in an organization should be involved in a similar type of training.”

She also cautions companies about what she calls “siloing” when it comes to training and education. “By siloing I mean that not everyone is involved in the training. They may have a program for inside sales, for instance, but leave out everyone else. When that happens you don’t have all personnel working off the same page.”

Because of her involvement with MANA, Weiss is well aware of the training products and services that the association provides it members. “MANA certainly supports the mindset of training and the association is all about professional development.” She notes that MANA members who participate in the teleforums have proven to be a very receptive audience: “It never fails that after every teleforum there’s feedback from one or more reps that they’ve been able to pick up some information or some tip that allows them to conduct their businesses better.”

Training Inside Sales

While Nicki Weiss bemoans the fact that too many companies haven’t budgeted enough for proper training of their sales staffs, another consultant, Frank Foster observes that in his view not enough emphasis is given to the training needs of inside salespeople.

According to Foster, Frank Foster & Associates, North York, Ontario, Canada, “This is something that has grown into a pet peeve for me. As technology has evolved and affected the way that independent manufacturers’ representatives perform their jobs, the relationship with customers has changed. Where once someone (a salesperson) would regularly call face-to-face, that regular type of contact is now performed by an inside person. So what has developed is that the individuals who are in most constant touch with customers are those inside people, and too often, they are the least trained, among the lower paid service people in a company. They’ve actually become glamorized order takers and they aren’t prepared with the presentation skills that are needed to work with customers. In all honesty, some — but not all — companies realize this problem and have taken steps to correct it. The problem remains with those who haven’t changed their training of inside people.”

Foster continues by noting that customers still want to be “touched,” but the problem today is that we’re so over-surveyed and over-telemarketed that the inside salesperson is faced with a unique problem. “Because a typical response to an inside person might be ‘no thanks’ or ‘I don’t have time right now,’ it remains for that inside person to learn how to be a researcher or solution provider — and not a telemarketer. I’d maintain that an important part of the training has to be in maintaining the human connection. Hi-tech demands high-touch, and it’s a matter of importance to learn how to achieve that high-touch.”

Listen to the Customer

Aside from the matter of needed emphasis on training inside salespeople, Foster remains a huge advocate for training and education in general. “Whatever process is employed to train an agency’s salespeople, there are three very important things to keep in mind,” he maintains.

• “First, selling is not about telling the customer something; it’s about asking questions and gathering information. The customer doesn’t have time or interest to ask about you. He has a need or a problem and he has to find a solution;
• The marketplace has changed and continues to change and your training program has to change to address the needs of the marketplace;
• Demands on an agency’s inside sales staff continue to grow. Training must be geared to allow the agency inside person to be more pro-active or sales-active in meeting the needs of customers.”

As to the ability of associations such as MANA to be able to assist their membership when it comes to ramping up their sales training efforts, Foster says “You don’t have to put words in my mouth. Rep-specific associations such as MANA and others have a variety of programs — some online — that train and then allow for some form of measurement to test the effectiveness of the programs. These programs should be sought out and taken advantage of.”

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MANA’s “Steps to Manufacturers’ Agent Professionalism” Program

MANA defines itself as the association for professional manufacturers’ reps and those who aspire to be professional. We believe the more professionally you operate your business, the more successful you become. The greater your professionalism level, the higher the quality of principals you sign up. The higher their quality, the greater your sales and commissions.

This issue of Agency Sales magazine examines the importance of training and educating the sales staff.

MANA members and associates may access the various articles and other presentations that address the importance of reps and manufacturers working together to ensure future success in the territory by visiting the “member-only” section of the MANA website (www.MANAonline.org).

Educational Resources

Seminar:

MRERF Certified Sales Professional (CSP) — CSP gives a thorough understanding of consultative selling. From business creation to improved time and territory management; goal-setting to prospecting, and everything in between, attendees return to the territory with a renewed enthusiasm for selling. Public sessions of The Certified Sales Professional (CSP) program are scheduled multiple times a year in sites all across the United States. Private sessions also are available for 14 or more attendees.

Agency Sales articles:

Consultant and author John Boe offers tips on how best to meet the needs of four distinct personality types: aggressive, expressive, passive and analytical.

Teleforums:

• Selling to Attila the Hun
• Boost Your Reps’ Performance By Becoming a Top Notch Sales Coach
• Boost Your Reps’ Sales Performance through Coaching — Part 2
• Tools to Accelerate Your Sales
• How to Sell Anything to Anyone: The Power of Storytelling
• Dealing with a Sales Slump
• Which Questions Get Clients Talking
• 7 Worst Mistakes Salespeople Make: How to Change Them
• I Hate Cold Calling: New Ideas for Getting In

For assistance in coaching your sales force on how to sell effectively, we recommend SalesWise. Contact Nicki Weiss at [email protected] or (416) 778-4145 — www. saleswise.ca.

Here are companies that provide sales training programs:

• DVR Learning, LLC (Online and provides discounts to MANA member), www.mana.getcsc.com
• MRERF CSP (Certified Sales Professional), www.mrerf.org/csp
• Dale Carnegie, www.dalecarnegie.com
• Miller Heiman, www.millerheiman.com
• Sandler Training, www.sandler.com
• Wilson Learning, wilsonlearning.com

You can access these in to the member area of the MANA website, look for “Step 6 — Learn to Sell Professionally.”