Table of Contents

• The Evolution of Sales Training: From In-Person to Virtual
• The Role of In-Person Sales Training in the Hybrid Era
• How the Selling Environment Has Evolved: A Look at Work Location and Selling Modes
• Implementing Hybrid Sales Training: Best Practices and Strategies
• Case Study: A Real-World Example of Hybrid Sales Training
• The Hybrid Sales Training Model: Wrapping Virtual Activities Around In-Person Training
• Module Example: Leading a Thorough and Impressive Needs Discovery
• The Future of Sales Training: Embracing the Hybrid Model
• Maximizing the Impact of Sales Training Videos on Revenue Growth

Introduction

The Evolution of Sales Training: From In-Person to Virtual

The sales training landscape has undergone a remarkable evolution over time. Traditional in-person training methods, while advantageous, faced challenges such as scheduling conflicts, travel expenses, and scalability issues.

The introduction of virtual training through technology has revolutionized the way organizations provide training to remote teams, offering flexibility and accessibility. Sales training videos have become a crucial component of this transformation, providing a platform for knowledge transfer and skill development.

In this article, we will explore the evolution of sales training, the role of in-person training in the hybrid era, how the selling environment has changed, best practices for implementing hybrid sales training, real-world examples of successful hybrid training, and the future of sales training. We will also discuss the impact of sales training videos on revenue growth and strategies for maximizing their effectiveness. Whether you are a sales operations manager or a sales professional looking to enhance your skills, this comprehensive article will provide valuable insights and strategies to optimize your sales training programs.

The Evolution of Sales Training: From In-Person to Virtual

The evolution of sales training over time is remarkable. Traditional methods involved in-person training, which, despite its advantages, came with challenges like scheduling conflicts, travel expenses, and scalability issues. The advent of technology introduced virtual training, allowing organizations to provide training content to remote teams at their convenience.

The transformation has made sales training videos a crucial player, providing a flexible and easily accessible platform for transferring knowledge and skills. These sales training programs include a comprehensive sales training video that covers the complexities of prospecting, lead generation, up-selling, cross-selling, and closing deals. The intention is to improve the performance of the sales team, leading to increased sales and customer satisfaction.

The learning and development landscape, especially in sales and marketing training, has significantly changed since 2020. There is now a greater focus on customer-oriented sales enablement training, which involves the effective use of sales enablement platforms. This shift has led to a wider range of options for clients, personalized sales experiences, and more effective sales performance measurement.

Sales training videos are crucial for improving sales performance as they offer valuable insights into advanced sales techniques, customer behavior analysis, and client relationship management. Regular sales training keeps teams updated with changing consumer behaviors, new technologies, and competitive dynamics. For instance, a company facing challenges due to increased stress levels affecting interpersonal dynamics, deadlines, and sales outcomes found a solution in the introduction of soft skills training.

This approach led to a decrease in misunderstandings, client complaints, and staff turnover. Engagement is crucial, and it is important to have industry-specific and mobile-compatible sales training videos and sales training software. Research suggests that engaging leads within 60 seconds of inquiry can boost conversion rates by almost 400%, highlighting the importance of immediacy in sales strategies.

In this context, platforms like Salestable.ai offer tools and support to help underperforming sales team members improve their performance and drive company growth. Users can track sales team performance and utilize performance data effectively. Salestable.ai provides solutions for midmarket SMBs, sales leaders, revops, and channel partners, offering features such as sales leaderboards, sales team collaboration, sales onboarding, sales training, upskilling, sales coaching, sales content management, remote team management, remote team readiness, objection handling, partner enablement, and resources like ROI calculator, blogs, testimonials, videos, and FAQs.

The Role of In-Person Sales Training in the Hybrid Era

The sales landscape has evolved, and training videos have emerged as potent tools for refining sales skills. The value of in-person training still holds strong in this hybrid era, offering unique benefits like personalized coaching, immediate feedback, and real-time collaboration. It provides sales reps with an environment to practice under the guidance of experienced trainers, positively influencing sales performance and revenue growth.

Companies like Bridgestone Americas and SweetRush have harnessed these training methods to enhance their employees’ performance. Conversely, companies like Lidl GB have shifted to interactive online learning resources, highlighting the need for a balanced approach between virtual and in-person training to ensure maximum ROI. As the market evolves rapidly, salespeople are diversifying their offerings and focusing on personalized sales experiences.

B2B sales are now integrating AR and VR technology for immersive sales processes, emphasizing the need for salespeople to adapt to remote working and online collaboration tools. Consistent sales training, both virtual and in-person, can prepare sales teams to meet these changing market trends and boost their performance. As Pradeepa Kolli, VP of Sales with LHH (The Adecco Group), stated, effective sales coaching is the key to maximizing sales productivity.

To this end, Salestable.ai provides a sales enablement platform that helps underperforming sales team members improve their performance and drive company growth. The platform offers a range of solutions including onboard training, goal tracking, sales team collaboration, sales coaching, and sales content management. Catering to midmarket SMBs, sales leaders, RevOps, and channel partners, Salestable.ai is committed to helping sales teams succeed through a perfect blend of virtual and in-person training.

How the Selling Environment Has Evolved: A Look at Work Location and Selling Modes

The realm of sales is undergoing a revolutionary change, propelled by the advent of remote work and technology. Sales teams are now operating from diverse locations including home offices, coworking spaces, and client sites. In addition, sales professionals are engaging with potential clients via numerous platforms such as virtual meetings, phone calls, emails, and social media.

This new reality necessitates a reimagined approach to sales training that acknowledges the unique challenges and opportunities of the contemporary sales environment. Sales training must now be agile and adaptive, centering on the requirements of the target audience. This can be accomplished using resources offered by Salestable.ai, which include case studies, product demonstrations, and templates that resonate with the target audience.

Tailored training programs can be particularly beneficial, as the needs of a seasoned sales representative may differ from those of a newcomer. For instance, a senior sales rep might need more extensive product training, while a new recruit might need a wider range of courses. Real-world examples of sales calls, which Salestable.ai provides, can offer priceless insights into effective strategies and client responses.

This empowers sales representatives to refine their approach and anticipate any objections or questions during sales discussions. The emergence of remote work has broadened the talent pool, attracting a large number of applicants per role. Nevertheless, it also poses challenges in managing remote productivity and averting burnout.

Companies need to be proactive in implementing hybrid or remote work strategies that prioritize the health and well-being of their employees. Ultimately, the future of sales training is in embracing the shift toward remote work and utilizing technology like Salestable.ai to deliver flexible, personalized training programs. This equips sales representatives with the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in the evolving sales landscape.

Implementing Hybrid Sales Training: Best Practices and Strategies

Implementing hybrid sales training successfully necessitates meticulous planning and execution. A crucial first step is setting clear training objectives that align with revenue growth targets. This alignment helps prioritize impactful content and activities, thus improving sales performance.

For instance, Bridgestone Americas, Inc., a global leader in tires and rubber, has seen improvements in sales performance by aligning training objectives with growth goals. Technology platforms, such as Salestable.ai, can be leveraged for the seamless delivery of sales training videos and fostering interactive learning experiences. Salestable.ai is a platform that offers tools for onboarding, training, goal tracking, and sales collaboration.

It provides performance data to help understand sales team performance, making it a valuable resource for sales teams. Moreover, consistent evaluation and feedback mechanisms are paramount in identifying areas for improvement and making necessary adjustments to the training program. For example, Atos’ SVP for sales and marketing challenged the marketing team to devise a systematic model for improving bids/deals using consistent evaluation and feedback.

Sales training courses can be instrumental in improving the sales team’s overall performance by providing insights into advanced sales techniques, understanding customer behavior, and managing client relationships. As the surprising sales statistics suggest, 67% of lost sales result from sales reps failing to properly qualify potential customers before beginning the sales process. With resources such as Salestable.ai, organizations can effectively implement hybrid sales training to drive revenue growth.

Case Study: A Real-World Example of Hybrid Sales Training

Reflecting on the potential of hybrid sales training, we can consider the transformation of a global technology solutions provider. Tasked with educating a geographically dispersed sales team, they adopted a hybrid approach, combining in-person workshops with on-demand sales training videos.

The in-person sessions enabled team bonding, role-play, and interactive learning, while the on-demand videos provided flexibility for sales representatives to access training content as per their convenience. The result was a significant enhancement in sales performance and revenue growth that exceeded expectations.

This instance exemplifies the effectiveness of hybrid sales training in driving revenue growth. Furthermore, the adaptability of hybrid training has demonstrated its value across various sectors.

For example, Lidl GB, a prominent grocery store chain, moved from traditional classroom-based shift manager training to a series of interactive online learning resources. This transition not only cut organizational overheads but also accelerated the training process for new shift managers.

In the current business environment, altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid sales training has emerged as a vital tool. It has allowed sales organizations to quickly adapt to these changes, enabling remote interactions and nurturing customer relationships in virtual settings.

Sales training programs incorporate various components aimed at improving sales skills and knowledge. They provide insights into advanced sales techniques, negotiation skills, understanding customer behavior, and managing client relationships, significantly enhancing the team’s ability to close deals and generate revenue. Moreover, Salestable.ai offers tools and support to enhance the performance of sales teams, providing necessary information for improvement. It enables sales leaders to understand their team’s performance through effective use of performance data. The platform includes features such as sales leaderboards, sales team collaboration, sales onboarding, sales training, and objection handling, all of which can be instrumental in driving company growth. In essence, hybrid sales training, which combines in-person interactions and on-demand video training, offers a flexible, cost-effective, and efficient solution for driving sales performance and revenue growth.

The Hybrid Sales Training Model: Wrapping Virtual Activities Around In-Person Training

The hybrid sales training strategy, which combines the benefits of both online and face-to-face training methods, is an excellent approach for building a comprehensive and immersive training program. Sales training videos form the backbone of this strategy, delivering essential knowledge and skills, including advanced sales techniques, customer behavior comprehension, and client relationship management.

These videos are a dynamic tool for enhancing sales performance and adapting to market fluctuations. Meanwhile, in-person training sessions offer a more engaging experience, emphasizing practical application through role-playing and team activities.

These sessions also play a pivotal role in improving customer relations and integrating new team members. The fusion of these two methods results in a robust training model that not only amplifies the influence of sales training videos on revenue growth but also boosts sales productivity.

This hybrid model is especially advantageous in sectors like finance and banking, where continuous training is essential due to international regulations around areas such as fraud protection, Know-Your-Customer requirements, or Anti-Money Laundering. However, the effectiveness of this model hinges on persistent coaching and regular product updates.

As recent studies suggest, retention of sales training without systematic coaching can lead to a lack of ROI on enablement investments, thus affecting sales productivity. Therefore, a disciplined approach to drive coaching with hyper-personalization per seller is necessary to ensure the success of the hybrid sales training model. Salestable.ai is a platform that provides tools and resources to support sales teams, with products such as onboard training, goal tracking, sales leaderboards, and sales team collaboration. It offers robust resources, including ROI calculators, blogs, testimonials, videos, and FAQs, making it an invaluable tool for midmarket SMBs, sales leaders, RevOps, and channel partners. It is a platform that can significantly enhance the efficacy of the hybrid sales training model.

Module Example: Leading a Thorough and Impressive Needs Discovery

Enhanced sales training programs, particularly those that incorporate tools like Salestable.ai, can significantly advance the discovery needs process. Salestable.ai provides comprehensive data to support sales leaders in understanding team performance and pinpointing areas for improvement. Coupled with sales training videos, this platform offers an in-depth understanding of the stages involved in needs discovery interactions with potential clients.

Notably, Salestable.ai is also beneficial in keeping sales teams updated with industry trends, product developments, and evolving sales strategies. This is crucial in today’s dynamic sales landscape, characterized by changing consumer behaviors and competitive dynamics. Regular training using tools like Salestable.ai helps teams stay informed about these changes and adjust their strategies accordingly.

For example, the trend towards product-led growth requires a deep understanding of the product in a short span of time. Self-directed reskilling courses offered by Salestable.ai can play a vital role in this. Sales representatives with thorough product knowledge are better positioned to sell.

Additionally, Salestable.ai can be customized to meet the needs of new hires. This includes structured onboarding processes, introductions to the company’s selling techniques, product portfolio, and customer handling strategies. This significantly reduces the learning curve and enables new members to contribute effectively in a shorter timeframe.

Finally, the effectiveness of the sales training program can be enhanced by incorporating feedback from the sales team. This helps identify gaps and make necessary changes to improve training, ensuring a more efficient and personalized sales experience. With Salestable.ai, sales teams have a reliable partner that supports performance improvement and drives company growth.

The Future of Sales Training: Embracing the Hybrid Model

As the business landscape continues to evolve, sales training is increasingly leaning towards a hybrid model. This approach combines the best aspects of both virtual and in-person training, catering to the diverse learning needs of sales teams. For instance, sales training videos, such as those offered by Salestable.ai, provide on-demand, scalable training content.

Simultaneously, face-to-face sessions provide personalised coaching and hands-on learning experiences. Many organizations, including Bridgestone and SweetRush, have adopted blended learning approaches, using eLearning courses to lay foundational knowledge and complementing them with practical training. Salestable.ai’s platform provides tools for onboarding, training, tracking goals, sales team collaboration, sales coaching, sales content management, remote team management, and objection handling.

This approach enables organizations to correlate training initiatives with sales team performance, offering a more effective approach to sales enablement training. The value of sales training is underscored by the heavy investments companies are making, acknowledging that a high-performing sales team requires the right skills and knowledge. Therefore, adopting a hybrid model for sales training is a strategic move towards optimizing sales efforts and maintaining competitiveness in a fast-paced business environment.

Maximizing the Impact of Sales Training Videos on Revenue Growth

In order to optimize the influence of sales training videos on revenue enhancement, there are a number of strategies businesses should explore. Ensuring that the training material is pertinent, captivating, and tailored to the unique requirements of the sales team is paramount.

This can be achieved through the active participation of sales representatives in content creation, and the inclusion of real-life examples and case studies, as seen in the case of Spotify Advertising where sales team productivity was boosted by 40% through efficient data management and real-time collaboration. Additionally, providing continuous support to sales teams is crucial.

This can be done by offering access to a comprehensive library of sales training videos that can be referenced when needed, much like the online learning resources developed by Lidl GB for their shift managers, which significantly reduced organizational overheads. Regularly assessing the effectiveness of the training program is equally important, as it helps identify areas that need improvement and adjustments.

This strategy was employed by Orbea, resulting in a 458% increase in lesson attempts through their digital retail sales enablement platform. By adopting these strategies, businesses can fully leverage the potential of sales training videos to drive revenue growth. As stated by Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research, one video has the potential to deliver the impact of 1.8 million words, highlighting the power of video as a training tool. Furthermore, with the increasing preference for self-guided learning among B2B buyers, as indicated by Gartner research, the importance of video content in sales training cannot be overstated.

Conclusion

Sales training has evolved from traditional in-person methods to virtual training, offering flexibility and accessibility. Sales training videos have become crucial for knowledge transfer and skill development. In the hybrid era, in-person training still provides personalized coaching and collaboration.

A balanced approach between virtual and in-person training is necessary for maximum ROI. The selling environment has changed with remote work and technology. Tailored training programs are essential, along with real-world examples of sales calls for insights.

Implementing hybrid sales training requires clear objectives aligned with revenue growth. Leveraging platforms like Salestable.ai for seamless delivery of sales training videos is beneficial. Real-world examples demonstrate the effectiveness of hybrid sales training in driving revenue growth and boosting productivity.

Leading a thorough needs discovery process is essential. Salestable.ai provides data for understanding team performance and staying updated with industry trends. The future of sales training lies in embracing the hybrid model that combines virtual and in-person elements.

This approach caters to diverse learning needs while correlating initiatives with sales team performance. Maximizing the impact of sales training videos on revenue growth requires pertinent content creation, continuous support, regular assessment, and recognition of video’s power as a training tool. By adopting these strategies and leveraging platforms like Salestable.ai, businesses can optimize their sales training programs for effective revenue growth.

Optimize your sales training program with Salestable.ai and drive effective revenue growth.