Does Online Sales Training Work? - The Digital Sales Institute

Due to a shift towards remote selling and more salespeople working
from home, sales leaders are asking “does online sales training work?”.
We know that best in class companies (and indeed the most successful
salespeople) are constantly seeking ways to improve sales performance.
So, both coaching and sales training must adopt to the reality of more
online learning.


It may take some time to accept that online sales training is not
just an alternative to classroom based sales training but could be THE
sales training channel as we enter the middle digital sales era. Apart
from emotions, there is little to suggest that classroom training is
more effective online training for salespeople. Maybe the question is
not whether online sales training benefits your sales force; but whether
sales leaders can afford not to join in the trend.

Online sales training courses

Over 70% of companies believe that Online Learning gives them a competitive advantage

The quote above should not really come as a surprise if you think
about it. Any form of online learning will provide a flexible tool for
employees to use that supports their own ownership for self-improvement.
Today, keeping salespeople updated and refreshed on selling skills can
be a significant challenge for many companies.


Modern buying practices and complexities in the sales process means
it can be difficult for a salesperson to keep up. Sales leadership now
need to find ways to constantly bridge knowledge gaps, as and when they
occur. Salespeople need flexible training resources that they can use in
their own time and on demand to help improve their sales performance.
Any company that can provide their sales force with 24/7 access to sales
training surely must have some competitive edge over their competitors.

Online Sales Training Facts

In research from Adobe, revenue generated per salesperson is over 26%
higher in those companies that provide sales training using technology,
including online. The reason is simply, it enables salespeople to train
more frequently and more conveniently.  Remember, over 25% of all
employees leave their job because of lack of development opportunities.


Another survey identified that nearly 65% of companies plan to
increase their investment in sales training alternatives (while their
in-class training will remain flat or decline.


According to another study carried out by Brandon-Hall, learning via
online requires on average 40 to 60% less time than learning the same
material in a classroom setting. This is because the training can be
taken whenever a person needs it without their day being interrupted.
Also, the same survey pointed out that the time saving did not impact
learning quality, in fact it showed the opposite.


In another piece of research in online learning retention, the Research Institute of America found that
online learning has a retention rate of between 25 to 60% compared to
face-to-face training with 8% to 10%. The reason behind these numbers is
that online students have more control over their own learning process,
can learn faster plus the opportunity to revisit the training as
required.

The Major Benefits of Online Sales Training

Here are some major benefits of online sales training plus hopefully
the answer to “does sales training work? alongside the advantages for
both company and of salesperson.


1.Effortful retrieval.


Effortful retrieval is the term applied when a salesperson is given
the opportunity to recall the new information they have learnt. In
neuroscience, learning is called “encoding.” This is a one-time process
that stores the new information into the brain. To improve retention
levels, the salesperson only needs to retrieve that information.


Repeatedly watching a video, reading the material, or thinking about
the subject serves to boost the brain which resets the forgetting curve
in a person.


Let us take the example of a golf player. They need to access to a
golf range to practice constantly and for many hours, because they know
that true skill retention and transfer requires learning, practice, and
repetition. It is pretty much the same for most professions. They need
the ability to access learning material, then practice, and repeat to
ensure they stay on top of their game. We already know that access,
practice, and repetition is needed to learn new sales skills, so should
not sales leaders apply it to sales training as well?

2. Self-Paced Sales Training.

More and more salespeople favor self-paced, flexibility, and
convenient access to training that the more traditional, time-bound
classroom training struggles to deliver. Learning and refreshing their
sales skills can adopt to their schedules, so they can easily access the
sales training materials to improve critical selling skills. Best of
all, this learning method does not interfere with the day-to-day
demands.

3. Practice over Luck.

Practice makes perfect will never fade, otherwise we need to rely on
luck. Trainers know that one of the key factors in creating change and
instilling deep sales skills knowledge comes from the opportunity to
practice. The use of an online training channel shows that salespeople
typically practice the sales skill six times before moving on (driven by
the ease of access, the repeat factor and zero judgement). This number
is way more practice than any salesperson will ever get in an instructor
lead sales training environment.

4. More Meaningful and Targeted Sales Coaching.

Classroom training makes it more difficult for both the coach and
salesperson to have meaningful and targeted feedback based on the
individual salesperson’s needs. Competition for attention, fear of
judgement and retention levels become roadblocks to learning outcomes.
  Assigning online sales training
tasks and getting salespeople to write down learning and self-critic
brings a more open, transparent, and safe environment in which to learn.
The sales coach then becomes a true coach in responding to the
salespersons needs over the classroom needs.

5. Demonstrate Self-Motivation

Salespeople undertaking online training are demonstrating that they
can practice time management and are self-motivated, which are among the
top 10 employability skills companies want to see in new recruits. By
completing online sales training, a salesperson can prove that they can
undertake multiple tasks, set priorities, and adapt to changing sales
world.

A Changing Sales Training Imperative

Does online sales training work? It is becoming clear that current
world events and the digital era is utterly disrupting the sales
environment and by default sales training. A sales training system that
many experts have stated that was already losing its relevance in the
modern sales world.


Ask ourselves, can the move to online sales training
be the catalyst to create a new, more effective method to train
salespeople, a method where they assume responsibility for their own
self-improvement? While some sales leaders will undoubtedly worry that
the hasty transition to online training may have hindered some aspects
of the business, others plan to make online sales training part of their
‘sales transformation’ after listening to the logic over emotion.

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Does Online Sales Training Work? - The Digital Sales Institute: