Sales Training Software For Better Results: What Works and What Doesn't
Introduction
Think your sales team's performance can't get any better? Think again! Businesses that invest in top-notch sales training software see a 353% return on investment.
In the early 2000s, sales coaches might have thought that providing on-demand, personalized coaching through AI to analyze sales calls was something out of a science fiction novel.
Today, sales training software has more than just training features. These features are often linked to additional capabilities that help holistically improve sales skills and performance outcomes.
This article will help you discover how to turn your sales team into a league of exceptional salespeople using the ideal software. From exploring the key features that make top-tier software stand out to understanding its direct impact on your bottom line, we've got you covered.
Let’s get started!
The Importance of Sales Training
Using sales training software has significantly boosted our performance. For instance, our team saw a 310% increase in annual revenues after implementing the software, and our sales margins improved dramatically. Additionally, we exceeded our sales quotas by 133% in 2017 and 139% in 2018, proving the powerful impact of structured sales training on our conversion rates and overall sales performance. - Yasin Arafat, Founder and CEO of DOPPCALL.
Effective prospect engagement and deal closing require salespeople to hone their abilities and continuously stay updated with industry trends. Sales Performance International found that sales training increased performance by 20%, showing the value of these programs in meeting goals.
Continuous learning = sales success
There is a clear correlation between continuing education and sales results; in fact, research has shown that continuous training increases sales results per employee by 50%.
With continuous training, sales staff can keep up with shifting consumer preferences, competitor approaches, and new technology developments. This will result in improved sales performance and more revenue.
Well-trained sales team ⬌ High-growth business
Put simply, every firm has a growth plan. Investing in extensive sales training programs can have real financial advantages.
The sales training process can benefit your entire team in many ways. Take a look at this graph, for instance.
This shows that sales training positively impacts salespeople individually and increases the company’s engagement and retention rates. Customized training is twice as common in high-growth organizations, indicating that these businesses understand the value of individualized learning opportunities.
What challenges does traditional sales training present?
Sales training can benefit your organization’s revenue generation. But you must address a few challenges associated with it,
1. Inconsistent training:
Larger or geographically distributed teams may find in-person sales training expensive and logistically difficult. Any sales department's goal is to ensure its salespeople remain true to the company's principles and deliver accurate information about the solution. That can only happen if sales training is consistent.
2. Customization gaps:
According to 63% of companies, their sales training courses were not customized to their particular requirements but rather were general in nature.
The organization and execution of the training process often take a great deal of time and money. And because individual sales reps’ participation levels might vary, the results may not always be optimal.
3. Retention aspects:
With 84% of sales training content forgotten within three months, knowledge retention is a major challenge in sales training. This can lead to uneven skill levels within the team, so there is a frequent need to reinforce learning and use refreshers to ensure learning stays.
What is Sales Training Software?
The sales training software market was valued at $2.1 billion in 2022, and experts predict it will reach $6.07 billion in 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 14.2%.
Sales training software helps your sales teams accelerate the uptake of new hires, provides existing sellers with additional resources for growth and learning, and coaches based on performance metrics.
The software simplifies training by providing salespeople with engaging and instructive information. It incorporates tools like analytics, role-playing activities, and virtual simulations to evaluate salespeople's effectiveness and development.
It also provides seasoned sales professionals the tools they need to be competent through continual training and support. The outcome? A single salesforce is compatible with virtually every aspect of their tasks and adheres to a consistent pattern.
Types of sales training software
Every company can benefit from online sales training tools regardless of industry. These tools are versatile, and you can tailor them to meet the expectations of your sales team members, no matter what market you're in.
Here are a few types of software that you might want to consider using.
1. Stand-alone e-learning platforms:
These platforms offer online training without system integration. They're versatile and used by many industries because they can do much for training. These sites serve as all-inclusive, standalone learning environments with various instructional materials, such as video tutorials and engaging courses.
2. CRM integrated platforms:
CRM systems are a boon to salespeople and may help them close more deals. They have access to all of the customer's data, including contact information and a history of transactions. Because the CRM stores so much information, it's easy for salespeople to explain the product to customers because they know what they want.
3. Only mobile-based training platforms:
There’s just one tool that salespeople frequently have at hand: mobile devices. A mobile app with searchable, up-to-date sales content can help your sales force close transactions quickly. Mobile training applications make every mobile device a great sales enablement tool for a low cost. Professionals need sales training applications to be at the top of their game in their day-to-day work.
Key Features to Look For
The best sales training software typically offers a variety of features and unique selling points, but you need to consider several things while choosing the ideal program for your team. Before you buy the software, be sure it has these features:
- Ease of course creation: The software should provide easy-to-use tools for creating and editing training courses so users can easily access it even without technical skills.
- Interactive content and simulations: The software should offer fun and interactive learning materials like video clips, quizzes, and engaging modules. Having scoreboards, badges, and contests really amps up the competition and motivates people to get involved.
- Performance tracking and analytics: The program needs features that evaluate the understanding and advancement of sales representatives. These features enable you to identify areas for improvement and monitor team productivity.
- Customization and adaptability: Make sure the software lets you personalize the training content to match your sales team's unique requirements and expertise. Personalizing the content lets you keep the training interesting, pertinent, and suited to your team's particular difficulties and levels of selling skills.
- Integration with existing tools: The software must seamlessly integrate with popular tools to offer in-app training right where the reps work. It permits effective tracking and real-time reporting that guarantees training will automatically sync with real-world sales operations.
Top Benefits of Using Sales Training Software
The key feature that helped our team the most was the interactive modules. These weren't just passive videos; they included quizzes, role-playing scenarios, and real-world simulations. These interactive elements made the training engaging and practical. Our team could apply what they learned immediately in real-world situations, which led to better information retention and boosted their overall performance. - Andrew Grella, CEO and founder of Formen Makeup.
There are many ways that sales training tools and apps can help you make your sales team better. No matter when they start working for your business or when they have their first customer interactions, your workers will grasp winning behaviors from day one of using them.
Here are our top picks for the benefits of this software.
1. Enhanced engagement and retention
According to a Gallup study, very involved employees do not actively seek new job opportunities.
If you want your sales force to learn in a fun way, invest in effective sales training programs. These programs keep teams interested and improve learning efficiency.
It doesn't have dull manuals; instead, it has fun videos and interactive courses.
2. Consistency in training
Sales training software helps administrators and experts in the field quickly and easily develop training content.
Online sales software lets you map your training curriculum with all the features you wish to emphasize. You can also use that agenda to develop various training courses so that all new employees in the company can consistently have critical knowledge-sharing and sales skills.
Apart from producing tailored and individualized content, sales executives can effortlessly and promptly modify and update training materials on an ongoing basis.
3. Measurable results
Across the company, you can conveniently monitor the sales teams' development, competence, and output. The software has dashboards to graphically represent your representatives' actions throughout all courses and activities.
Moreover, it provides comprehensive metrics on clicks, views, and retention to help better determine how engaged new reps are with the training efforts.
4. Cost-effectiveness
Sales training software can also scale up or down depending on the needs of the business, meaning they can support more people at no extra expense. You can enjoy a high return on investment by investing in the right software. Studies indicate that when you spend $1 on sales training, you can expect a potential return of $4.53.
Using the software can help reduce expenses related to traditional training methods, such as renting venues, travel, and accommodations.
Choosing the Right Sales Training Software
In the migration and education industry, sales training is paramount because our success hinges on building trust and credibility with clients. When selecting the right sales training software for KBA Global, our key decision factor was the platform's ability to deliver measurable outcomes. We sought a solution that provided engaging content and robust analytics to track our team's progress. The chosen software's comprehensive reporting features allowed us to identify skill gaps, tailor coaching interventions, and make data-informed decisions to refine our sales approach continuously. - Shambhu, Founder of KBA Global.
With so many options, Picking the best sales training software might be tricky. Think about the following while you're shortlisting, testing, and settling on the software:
1. Assessing your needs
To define the software's features and capabilities, determine the feature gap you aim to solve. You can assess cost and needs by considering who will use the product and how many licenses you need.
Determine if everyone in the company or the heads of revenue operations needs access. Once you understand clearly, consider whether you want to prioritize user experience or speed for your users.
2. Evaluating features and usability
Make a list of all the features your training program absolutely must have. These could include mobile accessibility, performance tracking, interactive content, and interaction with other technologies like CRMs. Your staff should have no trouble navigating and using the program because complex systems could hinder application and training.
FreshLearn, for example, offers an intuitive platform that supports course creation, community building, and robust marketing tools for course promotion. The platform helps you create impact-driven sales training courses in less than an hour.
3. Vendor reputation and support
Research the experiences of other users with the software. This can provide insights into the reliability of the software and the quality of service the vendor offers. If you take FreshLearn, the unified platform has received great feedback for its customer support and the team's responsiveness.
You must also ensure that the vendor offers comprehensive support and training resources. Good customer service can be crucial for troubleshooting and helping your team maximize the software.
FreshLearn offers 24/7 live chat support, email support, and scheduled calls to help you get the most out of the platform.
You can find more of FreshLearn’s top-rated reviews here.
4. Budget and ROI
When deciding on sales training software, you must consider the costs and compare them against the potential benefits and ROI. The upfront costs and long-term expenses include updates, training, and support. Remember, the cheapest option is not always the best if it doesn’t meet all your training needs.
To make the pricing reasonable and ensure that people and businesses of varying needs find it affordable, FreshLearn offers three pricing levels. You can choose the one that is perfect for your training needs.
FreshLearn offers a tailored platform for creating, marketing, and selling online courses. Our key features can help you enhance the learning experience:
- Interactive course creation: Easily build customized sales training courses with multimedia content—text, video, and quizzes—that engage learners and boost retention.
- Real-time analytics: Track learner completion rates and measure course effectiveness through detailed reports and dashboards.
- Seamless integration: Connect with tools you already use, ensuring a smooth workflow and better training data management.
- Mobile compatibility: Allow learners to access courses anytime, anywhere, on any device, enhancing flexibility and convenience.
- Community building: Built-in community features facilitate user interaction, helping learners connect and learn from each other.
For a deeper insight into how FreshLearn can transform your training approach, visit us.
Wrapping Up
Now that you know how to choose the right sales training software with the exact features your business needs, you must gather a list of efficient providers. Imagine combining all the features we discussed here into the perfect software that offers you the best-in-class sales team.
That is FreshLearn for you! The platform allows your sellers to access all interactive sales training courses, coaching materials, onboarding materials, and other resources in one convenient location. So, sellers spend more time interacting with customers and less time looking for answers.
FreshLearn offers a comprehensive sales training platform ideal for companies looking to enhance their learning and development programs. Key features include easy course creation tools, diverse content delivery options such as video and live sessions, and other tools for collaboration.
Additionally, FreshLearn supports real-time analytics and certificates, making tracking progress and validating learning outcomes easy. For more details or to sign up, visit FreshLearn.
FAQs on Sales Training Software
1. How can I train my sales team?
You can effectively train your sales team by identifying specific gaps in selling skills and providing targeted training to address these. Use a combination of methods, including in-person workshops, online courses, and interactive simulations.
Incorporate regular assessments and provide feedback to ensure the training is effective, and adjust the training programs as needed to meet your team's evolving needs.
2. What is SaaS sales training?
SaaS sales training helps you equip sales teams with new skills to sell software-as-a-service products. It focuses on strategies like understanding complex product features, managing a longer sales cycle, and employing consultative selling techniques.
Effective SaaS training often includes video-based content, role-playing, and ongoing coaching to adapt to the software industry trends.
3. What is sales coaching software?
Sales coaching software facilitates sales reps knowledge and development by providing features like real-time feedback, performance tracking, and personalized learning paths. It often integrates with other sales tools to provide a comprehensive development platform.
For instance, FreshLearn’s sales training platform helps sales leaders monitor progress, identify areas for improvement, and deliver tailored coaching to each sales rep based on their overall performance and needs.
4. What are the five methods of sales training?
The five key methods of sales training are:
- Instructor-led training: An instructor-led training is conducted in person or virtually, focusing on real-time learning and interaction.
- Online training modules: These utilize digital platforms to provide flexible, self-paced learning options.
- Role-playing: It can train reps to practice and hone their sales skills in a controlled, scenario-based setting.
- On-the-job training: Sales reps learn sales readiness by doing, gaining experience directly in the field.Mentorship and Coaching: More experienced reps or managers guide new team members through direct feedback and support.
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