How to do Sales Prospecting Training?

Published: October 25th, 2021

Are your new reps facing prospecting challenges? These challenges can be overcome by subjecting them to sales prospecting training.

Reps are often resistant to prospecting because of the high rejection rate, ineffective sales process, and desperate pursuit of buyers. Nevertheless, the right program can help them make a distinction between qualified and unqualified prospects, eliminate emotional resistance, develop direct and indirect access strategies, neutralize false objections, etc.

There are numerous methods to assist representatives in closing deals and improving their pitches.

The following tips will make the training more successful.

Ensure the reps understand the product

The first step towards effective sales prospecting training is making sure the reps know the product they are selling inside-out. While most sellers can list the benefits and features, sometimes, this type of knowledge is not sufficient. The person selling the product should be provided with first-hand experience of using it.

Let us take SaaS companies as an example. These providers offer their representatives complete access to their software solutions, thus allowing them to put themselves in the shoes of prospects and sell the features more effectively. The basics of every sales prospecting training is to educate reps on the goods they are selling to overcome any obstacles. Find out why is excellent product knowledge essential in the field of customer service.

Identify the ideal customer

Another important step in sales prospecting training is teaching representatives how to identify the ideal customer. There are several important details to rely on when creating the image, including customer demographic information like age, gender, and income. These details can be conveyed in two ways, by creating customer personas and using CRM data.

Moreover, the creation of customer personas can be performed by using special tools, which offer useful templates. These templates enable businesses to fill in demographic information, including age, profession, family info, location, etc. Besides these details, such templates include customer frustrations, goals, and motivations.

CRM data is helpful in the creation of these profiles as well, as it identifies the main sources of leads and sales activities. For instance, it can help representatives figure out whether their customers come from calls or emails.

Provide reps with access to a knowledge base

Effective sales prospecting training enables trainees to educate themselves independently. The knowledge base software is a significant tool, which helps employees train on their own.  The majority of sales prospecting training programs are designed to make prospecting easy and bolster the confidence of reps. Companies can use other resources like product training materials, recording of successful calls, employee handbooks, and customer FAQs.

Offer sales scripts

Another useful strategy in this type of training is providing reps with proven sales scripts. These are indispensable in assisting representatives in understanding the tone of the company and the approach they need to develop in customer relationships. New representatives would appreciate getting cold-calling scripts or email templates to help them get started.

Even though these outlines might seem useless, they have proven incredibly helpful to trainees. As time goes by, sales representatives can make adaptations to the scripts in accordance with their style and strengths. This will help them to create a customized and personalized sales pitch. Make sure to store the scripts in your CRM data to provide instant access.

Make a review of frequent sales objections

An essential aspect of sales prospecting training is teaching representatives how to handle “what if” scenarios. Businesses can rarely predict the reaction of prospects to a pitch, but they might get an idea about their objections. Some objections are universal, like the price point, whereas others are more specific to employers, such as releasing a product with insufficient market awareness.

Regardless of the situation, reps must be prepared to respond to common objections. For example, a prospect might raise concerns regarding pricing, be skeptical about a certain feature, be distrustful of your brand’s reputation, etc. These scenarios are inevitable, which is why representatives need to do their best not to allow prospects to mention such objections. See this URL, to learn about the five most common customer objections.

Introduce roleplay and mock calls

Prior to getting the chance to speak with real prospects, reps should practice engaging in roleplay and mock calls. These are realistic while pressure-free at the same time. It’s the best way to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of trainees before they get the chance to really talk to potential clients.

Some of the recommended scenarios for representatives to act out are dealing with angry customers, negotiating objections like price, letting go of unqualified prospects, answering rare product questions, etc. Although roleplaying is fun, it must be taken seriously.

The bottom line

The right program will motivate your team to prospect, reduce turnover, and get more sales meetings.

Help your sellers find new opportunities!