Don't Waste Money On "Traditional" Sales Training!

By Allan S. Boress, CPA, CFE
Author of The I-Hate-Selling Book

As securing and keeping clients becomes even more competitive for all professional service firms in this slow economy, more firms are utilizing "sales training" to teach their professionals how to bring in business.

Unfortunately, most such programs are doomed before they be-gin and often have an adverse effect on the sales effort of the firm

Traditional “sales training” won't work if:

The wrong skills are taught to sell services.

Any training originally designed to sell tangible "things" like copy machines utilizes techniques that simply aren't effective in selling professional services.

"Features and benefits" based training that teaches professionals how to "show and tell" why they should be engaged can't succeed, as the service provider has nothing to "show" or "sell" except him or herself.

End result: the SERVICE PROVIDER adopts the behavior of a "salesperson" and loses professional credibility.

Note: EVERY form of “sales training” in the marketplace, no matter what it is called (“consultative,” etc.) is some form of Features and Benefits training designed originally for people who sell “things.” Our training is the only one customized for the professional service provider.

The “Selling Behavior” taught conflicts with the way service providers see themselves.

Ninety percent of professional service providers don't see themselves as positive, enthusiastic, glib, smiling sales types.

However, that's the behavior that most “sales training” attempts to imbue.

Techniques such as:

• Overcoming stalls and objections
• 48 ways to close the sale
• Giving glitzy presentations

...are all inherently contrary with the self perception that the professional service provider has of him or herself.

End result: the professional service providers won't act out this foreign behavior and may develop a more negative mind set about selling.

No reinforcement system in place.

Dramatic changes in behavior don't take hold with one day seminars as people revert to old habits.

Most professional service firms don’t invest in their people’s “soft-skills” and are too frugal to invest in ongoing continual reinforcement of the proper mind set and behavior necessary to consistently create new business.

End result: little happens as the participants forget what they've learned and the importance of it.

Leadership doesn't participate in the process.

Executives and partners must lead the way to set the right example for their people to follow.

The training doesn't teach how to get there.

”Sales training” tends to ignore the personal marketing aspect of developing leads and account management, building referral networks and becoming well known.

It only concentrates on what techniques to apply in a "selling situation."

End result: little happens, as the professional service provider doesn't know how to get to the sale.

The people conducting the training aren't their peers

Professional service providers tend to be critical by nature and are much less likely to take advice from a "stranger" than from someone that has faced the same hurdles they have as professionals.

Empowering Your Professionals with the Right Selling Skills

How do you get your people better at bringing in business?

Do what the best business generators do. Help your people to create stronger, more personal relationships with clients by:

• Teaching them how to be better listeners.
• Having them spend more time with their clients on a personal basis.
• Learning more about the client's business and personal goals.
• Encouraging them to be more proactive in bringing the client ideas about how to improve the bottom line and operations.
• Forwarding the clear and consistent message that excellent client relations and business development results are mandatory for being considered for partnership.
• Make sure the people you hire to train your professionals have an extreme amount of experience with other firms
• Make sure the training you utilize is specifically created – from scratch and best practices – for your business

  ------------------
  Allan S. Boress, CPA, CFE is one of America’s most sought after speakers and trainers on the subject of personal marketing, systematic selling and client retention. He is the author of the "I Hate Selling Tapes" available on his web site. You may reach him at 954/345-4666 or at aboress@aol.com or www.ihateselling.com