Free Sales Training Lesson – The Digital Sales Institute

Free sales training lesson with video, a sample from the sales skills 101 online sales training program courtesy of The Digital Sales Institute.

Source: Free Sales Training Lesson – The Digital Sales Institute

Free sales training lesson, materials and sales training videos from The Digital Sales Institute. We constantly post a range of Free sales training resources for  salespeople, business owners, and entrepreneurs to take their sales skills and understanding of the sales process to the next level.

In today’s digitally influenced selling environment, salespeople must fine tune and constantly refresh their sales prospecting, presentation, value propositions, closing techniques etc in order to close more deals. Investing in online sales training programs is one way to boost sales results.

For more free sales training lessons see our Free Sales Training Video blog or visit our showcase on Sales Training at Vimeo

Free Sales Training Lesson Tips

Up and Over and Yes

This is a simple method to measure your progress (and credibility) in your sales activity.

UP. Up is measured in effort, the effort you put into each sale step.

OVER. Over is measured in “Yes’s” how quickly they move through the buyers journey (from step to step)

Every sales opportunity recognizes the effort it takes to get to a “YES”. However, no matter how hard you work; if you can’t get to “YES” you are only going up. You’re working hard, but getting no closer to the deal – which means you have still to: Met their need, prove that you understand their business, build intrigue, captured their attention, demonstrate value, established confidence, proved it works, proved it is better, that your solution can address  their pain.

Yes points are like mini-sales in the sales process.

Knowing what you’re selling (where in the sales process) IN the moment is critical. Is the YES a YES to an appointment? Is the YES a YES to a phone call? Is it a YES to an introduction to the CFO? You have to know what you are selling IN the moment, because it is these “Over” events that go towards closing a deal. Nearly every sales opportunity requires multiple sales “YES” to get to the end.

YES’s only come when the customer or prospect is participating in the sale: when they are working with you

1. Respect the fact a sales cycle is NOT linear.
2. Manage the selling effort to align with the each YES.
3. Know the customer’s buying process.
4. Align your sales process accordingly.
5. Without a “YES” you are going UP not OVER so no closer to the close.
6. The customer or prospect has to work too.
7. Always have an “ask” for the prospect.
8. Active buyers, buy, passive buyers do not!

Free Sales Training Lesson – The Sales Process

The modern sales process and the steps in selling is focused on how buyers’ behaviors are changing with the rise of digital engagement and purchasing, and the impact this is having on sales roles across both B2B (business to business) and B2C (business to consumer) channels. These changes require many of us to step up and really bring to the fore our very best-selling skills in conversations, getting commitments, showing empathy, displaying kindness, ideas generation, problem solving, creativity and delivering real value.

When it comes to the steps in selling for meaningful interaction and conversations, whether it be B2C or B2B sales, buyers are expecting a much more sophisticated experience from salespeople.

The B2B Buying and Selling  Puzzle in the Sales Process.

• Buyer profiles have never been easier to identify but harder to engage and sell to
• They value of genuine relationships as being critical to the buyer/seller relationship
• The average B2B transaction is getting smaller but is taking longer to sell
• In a competitive world, 82% of sellers still fail to differentiate themselves

Buyers want to deal with Subject Matter Experts, not just vanilla salespeople. So salespeople need to train themselves to become subject experts, as to help buyers move forward toward their goal and make a purchasing decision.

Believe it or not, salespeople also need to learn how to sell, maybe that is why you are watching this free sales training lesson. Modern selling requires everyone to learn how to communicate, have relevant conversations, sell themselves effectively and ethically. Which brings is on to the sales process.

A sales process is a set of repeatable steps that a salesperson takes to take a prospective buyer from the early stage of awareness to a closed sale.

Simply put, it is a prospects or customer’s journey from realizing they have a need for a product to making an actual purchase.

And since the sales process is a journey for a customer, it is a road-map for a salesperson.

Typically, a sales process consists of 5-8 steps: Prospecting, Preparation, Approach, Presentation, Handling objections, Closing, and Follow-up.

Sales is a process and the following are components must be managed:

A. Communication skills in terms of discovery questioning and active listening are vital.

B. Making sure that all  sales conversations contribute to building commitments and Yes points..

C. Manage the sales process through all the steps.

D. Build a credible and compelling solution for the customer.

E. Link the benefits of the solution with the exact needs of the customer.

F. Handle objections professionally using logic and proof.

G. Watch out for and recognize influencers, users and decision makers.

H. Pay attention to buyer roadblocks, commitments and actions.

I. Frame the closing of the sale appropriately to the buying group.

J. Use the closing technique that suits the situation.

K. Asking for the business.

We hope you enjoyed this free sales training lesson, a $11.99 subscription will give you access to all our online sales training programs. Click here to REGISTER.

Free Sales Training Online Lesson – The Digital Sales Institute

Free sales training online lesson to sample the sales training programs available on The Digital Sales Institute. Sales training video on steps in selling.

Source: Free Sales Training Online Lesson – The Digital Sales Institute

Complimentary Free sales training online lesson from The Digital Sales Institute. This shorten sales training video is an excerpt from our “Sales Skills 101” online sales training program.

Steps in the sales process

Your sales process is the set of steps a salesperson will follow to (a) move a customer along the sales funnel and (b) ensure you get commitments that a need exists for you to continue investing time with that customer. The sales process begins long before you make contact with a prospect and often continues long after the sale is finalized.

A comprehensive sales process encompasses all the major customer interactions from prospecting, nurturing, presenting value, proposals to closing the sale.

A well-defined sales process allows you to:

• Better understand every step in your sales process
• Develop more effective sales and marketing strategies
• Move buyers quicker along the buying process
• Ensure you get Yes commitments to keep the sale moving forward

The Digital Sales Institute offers a range of online sales training programs that help salespeople and organizations to use modern sales techniques to build, reinforce and sustain sales skills. Our low cost, online digital sales training learning programs features a fun yet professional user experience which combines the best aspects of classroom teaching with the efficiency of online learning.

Flexible and accessible 27/7, our online sales training can be used anytime, anywhere on PC’s, internet enabled or mobile devices. We offer a series of reinforcement online sales training modules to aid long-term sales skills improvement and learning. Research based and low cost, where 1 small investment payment can maximize the learning investment of any salesperson. This ensures that sales teams can refresh and then apply their learning in real life sales opportunities. We hope you enjoy this free sales training online lesson on the steps in selling.

We hope you enjoyed this free sales training online lesson. To access all the lessons, please click here to REGISTER.

Sales Questions for Discovery – The Digital Sales Institute

Sales questions for discovery, clarification, engaging prospects or gaining commitments are critical across the entire sales process. Customers never stop thinking, so salespeople should never stop crafting great sales questions that improves the quality of sales conversations. The goal of sales questions for discovery purposes is for salespeople to have valuable conversations with various customer profiles and adapt the company’s value proposition to the unique situation of each buyer. Great conversations should happen on purpose, not by accident.

But to have conversations that win, the sales questions, messages, storytelling, marketing content, and sales skills need to work together. sales-questions Sales Questions sales-questions Sales Questions

“In B2B selling only 3% of your market is actively buying at any given time, 57% are not ready and 40% are poised to begin.” – Aberdeen Group

The above percentages support the logic that sales questions must build a bridge to connect with buyers on a personal level, understand what’s important to them, get insight into their thinking, and create better options for them. The importance of asking the right sales questions

Source: Sales Questions for Discovery – The Digital Sales Institute

Sales Questions for Discovery – Attention and Signal vs. Noise

Today, buyer attention is in short supply, they are lost in a sea of more information, advertising, and messages like never before. Sales questions and conversations should be crafted to get attention, be strong signals above the noise. Sales questions that resonate with a prospect’s plans and desires. Mind share and being “top of mind” have never been more prized than they are now. Intelligent sales questions that give a buyer food for thought is a major plank in getting mind share time. So, keep your sales questions relevant and your sales conversations noteworthy.

For sales questions to get above the noise, the starting point is to understanding your customer’s needs, try to imagine the world from your customers’ point of view. Who are they, and what motivates them? What’s their day like? What are their challenges or goals? Is the relationship between seller and buyer more partnership based, purely business or transaction based?

Sales Question to Ask to fill the GAP

Sales questions for discovery must fill the GAP and address what the buyer or decision makers in the company want to accomplish. Sales questions that uncovers the GAP between where they are now and where they want to be? And the GAP in the sales process is nearly always determined by the responsibilities and stance of the decision maker.

GAP sales questions for discovery should be constructed to answer insights such as;

How is the decision maker rewarded, and for what?

What is it that the decision maker has to do to earn the respect and support of his or her superiors and peers?

On what basis, and for what results, does he or she get recognized for?

It can be too easy to forget that one of the deepest subconscious needs of all people is the need for self-esteem, feeling valuable, important and worthwhile. If the series of sales questions can find out what a person needs to do to increase their self-esteem and their perceived value in their organization, and then show them that by using your product or service, they can earn the approval and appreciation of the people around them and above them, they will often be highly motivated to buy what you are selling.

“When engaging with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”

sales questions for discovery success

Ten things you need to know about your customers

1. Who they are.
   How long have they been in their role, outside work interests, shared connections, social background, previous roles etc.?
2. What they do
   Understanding of what their business is trying to achieve, responsibilities, goals, how they are measured?
3. Why they buy
   Reactionary, planned, early adopters, triggers etc? This helps to match their needs to the benefits your business can offer.
4. When they buy
   Needs driven? budget driven? solution driven? Seasonal driven? Uncovering buying trends can increase the opportunity to enter into deeper sales negotiation conversations.
5. How they buy and select vendors
   What is the internal process? Who is on the buying committee? Any criteria a vendor is expected to pass? Terms?
6. Do they have budgets or how much money they have
   Being able to afford the offering means a buyer can commit to the sales process, avoid chasing dead-ends by discovering does the contact have authority over budgets.
7. What makes them feel good about buying solutions
   B2B buyers are emotional creatures as well. If you know what makes them tick, you can serve them in the way they prefer.
8. What they expect of you as a salesperson and partner
   For example, if your customers expect 24/7 support and you don’t disappoint them, you stand to gain repeat business.
9. What they think about you
   Your personal brand is important. If your customers trust your insights, views you as bringing value and enjoys dealing with you, they’re likely to engage with you more. And you can only tackle problems that customers have if you know what they are.
10. What they think about your competitors
    If you know how your customers view your competition, you stand a much better chance of staying ahead of your rivals.

Sales Question for Discovery Success

As stated above, in order to get a sale and a customer, you must first understand what your customers want and need and what the differences are between the two. So here is a list of 30 sales questions for discovery and qualification.

What are your short-term goals? Long-term goals?

What does this solution mean to you? What does it mean to your company?

What is your expected outcome from selecting this solution?

What is your boss hoping to accomplish in the next year?

How do your team objectives play into your department’s strategy?

What do you perceive as your greatest strength? Weakness?

How does your company evaluate the potential of new products or services?

Who has your business now? Why did you choose that vendor?

What are your buying criteria and success criteria?

Where would you put the emphasis regarding price, quality, and service?

What level of service are you looking for?

What do you like best about your present supplier? What don’t you like?

What do you look for in the companies you do business with?

What might cause you to change suppliers?

What do you like best about your current system? What would you like to see changed?

What do you perceive your needs to be? How important are they?

If you were me, how would you proceed?

Where do you go to inform yourself of developments?

What factors would influence your decision to consider changing?

What will it take for us to do business?

How soon can we begin?

What is my best shot for getting back the account?

What did we do in the last sale that impressed you most?

What do you look for in your relationship with a supplier?

Who was the best salesperson who ever called on you?

If you could change one thing about your organization, what would it be?

Do you struggle with [common pain point]?

What deadlines are you currently up against?

Which resource could you use more of?

Would you rather cut costs, save money, or increase productivity?

Sales Questions Have A Place in Every Part of The Sales Process

The use of sales questions for discovery and uncovering of opportunities is a major skill every salesperson should master via sales training. However, it takes research, planning, trial and error to gather a list of questions that work for your industry. In your sales skills arsenal, more intelligent and well thought out sales questions will deliver better results across the whole sales process.

 

Social Selling Training Courses

Social selling training courses are now an integral part of any sales training programs to educate salespeople on the power of social media in sales.

Source: Social Selling Training Courses – The Digital Sales Institute

Social selling training is now a vital part of a salespersons sales training programs, as traditional sales methods have diminishing returns.  Sales tactics such as pure cold calling have diminishing returns when trying to reach potential clients. To sustain business success, sales professionals need to adopt digital and social selling techniques as part of any efficient sales strategy. Social selling skills are transforming sales, social reach, customer engagement, networking, awareness, prospecting and lead generation.

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Free Sales Training Social Selling

Benefits of Online Sales Training – The Digital Sales Institute

Benefits of online sales training are becoming more apparent as organizations and salespeople look for a more modern approach to upskilling

Source: Benefits of Online Sales Training – The Digital Sales Institute

The benefits of online sales training can be narrowed down to a number of key areas. These include automating the sales training process, minimizing time away from job, controlling disruption and in reducing sales training costs. In a rapidly changing sales world, the investment in sales training is vital to improving the sales team’s knowledge, productivity and overall sales skills. The ROI of all sales training is about measuring increased sales in the longer term plus ensuring a happier more motivation team of salespeople which reduces employee.

While classroom-based sales training still has its place, the cost, logistics involved and impact on productivity has many companies challenging its relevancy. In no small part to technology advancement, video solutions, streaming capabilities and course ware development the benefits of online sales training are compelling.

Benefits of online sales training

Tapping into a world of web-based sales training experts and online sales training material means rolling out an online based sales training program has never been easier. With the help of an online sales training provider, a cost-effective sales training program will be up and running in no time.

One of the major benefits of online sales training is that the sales programs are focused on topics the learner has selected. Removed from dominating opinions and time pressure allows the learner to concentrate fully on course content being offered via the online sales training program. Another one of the benefits of online sales training for a salesperson is that there are no distractions or deviating off topic. In fact, many leading sales transformation experts believe that online sales training provides a more purer learning environment.

Ask any salesperson or manager and they will tell you that selling is a lot more complicated in today’s attention poor yet busy world. Now there is on average 5 stakeholders involved in most buying decisions and that goes for less complicated or inbound sales as well. The reality is most salespeople are or need to sell to five people which makes their role even harder.

One can understand why switched on companies mandate sales training so their salespeople will improve their ability to sell more effectively to a whole host of stakeholders. They are alert to the fact that continual sales training is required to sharpen sales skills, keep abreast of the latest thinking, develop better buyer engagement skills and close more deals. However, continual sales training does not have to eat into their productive sales time or become cost prohibitive. Which is why online sales training has become vital. The very nature of this self-paced learning means the salesperson can undertake any sales training at a time, pace and place that suits them.

Benefits of Online Sales Training

Useful and ease of use.

Every sales training program has to be useful, but is it?  Useful sales training is defined as the degree to which a salesperson believes that attending a particular course will enhance their job performance. In essence, useful sales training can be seen as providing content that is beneficial to the sales team’s daily activity load. If any course content doesn’t appear relevant to the sales teams, it stands to reason they will not meaningfully engage with it. But keeping in-house sales training materials fresh, Up to date, relevant and useful can be expensive or laborious. This is why salespeople constantly rate online sales training higher than in-house, they find it more useful as its fresher.  Plus, from a business point of view, its more cost effective. Double win.

When we discuss “ease of use” it is more about the presentation format of the sales training rather than the content itself. Any tool deployed to improve sales skills should be easy for learners to interact with while enhancing their learning experience. Because online sales training is available 24/7, self-paced and digital in nature it is relatively low on effort to access meaning salespeople are more willing to use it. For a company, this lower the barriers to getting salespeople to take ownership of their own skills improvement.

Realizing the Benefits of Online Sales Training

Your salespeople may be your competitive advantage when it comes to explaining to a buyer the unique advantages of your product. Increased and crowded competition will demand strong sales strategies that deliver results. So, the importance of continued sales training to lock in the sales team’s ability to play their part in any growth strategy can’t be ignored. The benefits of online sales training can help your salespeople sell better to both existing and new customers, empower them to take ownership for their upskilling, to meet and beat quotas plus help the business outperform the competition.

Overall Sales effectiveness Improves

One of the many benefits of online sales training is that salespeople become better engaged with modern sales tactics, knowledge and tools to improve their close rates. Overall sales KPI’s also improve as they can better prospect, develop and maximize any sales leads provided to them.

Retention of Salespeople Goes Up

Numerous research articles now show that salespeople value sales training and when access to ongoing sales training programs are in place, they are less likely to leave an organization. This boosts retention of both salespeople and valuable knowledge which in turn lowers turnover.

Sales Productivity Increases

Knowing what to do and when to do it has always been vital in sales. More benefits of online sales training are that access to constantly updated content means salespeople become better skilled and more creative at problem-solving to buyers’ challenges. Any salesperson who has achieved a higher level of sales mastery will find it easier to match their product and their customer needs in a mutually beneficial way. They will also be better able to sort where they need to prioritize their sales activity.

Salespeople Take Ownership

One of the top benefits of online sales training is that salespeople assume ownership for their own skill improvement. Combined with mandated sales training, online sales training compliments and reinforces their learning path to becoming a more accomplished salesperson.

Cultivates a Winning Sales Environment

As online sales training can be accessed by anyone and everyone wishing to improve their knowledge of the sales process, e.g., customer support, presales, marketing etc., this will have the effect of a more sales-focused environment and a deeper understanding of customers. Which can lead to more connected teams and a shared drive to grow revenue.

Time Convenient

Revenue and productivity goals can mean it is hard for salespeople to set aside the time for sales skills improvement. They value it, want it and need it but they may not have the hours to spend sitting in a room listening to presentations. Plus, the impact of sales training can be diluted as salespeople are conscious of time away from desk. The benefits of online sales training “training at your convenience” goes a long way to solving this dilemma.

Online Sales Training is the Future

Modern sales organizations realize that the same old approach to sales training programs just are not delivering the results for the cost involved. Yes, the traditional instructor-led sales training programs deliver great content, but does it lead to lasting results? The main reason for this is sales training needs to be a continuous learning journey where salespeople can refresh and update themselves as needed.  The benefits of online sales training programs are that it is easy for any salesperson to spend 15 to 30 minutes learning new sales skills themselves.

The Power of Minds Accessible 24/7

With the latest from the minds of leading sales trainers on proven sales techniques, salespeople get 24/7 access to libraries of time saving sales training content and videos that focus on all aspects of the sales process – one lesson at a time.

The benefits of online sales training are becoming increasing compelling to companies and individual salespeople who want to learn more about the profession of sales but due to time, costs or resources find that the traditional methods of sales training have limits.  It may not be the total solution for everyone, but it is one worth considering.

 

Sales Prospecting Training Program – The Digital Sales Institute

Our sales prospecting training course will guide you via a series of sales videos on the entire process of searching for potential new customers, clients, or buyers in order to develop a new business relationship. The Digital Sales Institute online sales prospecting training course will teach you how to research, profile, engage, blend cold calling, send warm emails, have sales conversations that win, qualify and move prospects through the sales funnel until they eventually become a paying customer. Take this Course

 

Source: Sales Prospecting Training Program – The Digital Sales Institute