The First 3 Things To Teach A Salesperson

Here at Service Excellence, we practice what we preach. When we welcome a new member to our team, we go through some of the same processes to train and orient them as we advise our clients to do. Recently, Service Excellence has welcomed a salesperson (Business Success Developer) to the team! As we get him acclimated to the job, there are a few important things to note that all salespeople should be taught.

Even people who have sales experience might not have experience selling the product you do. Whether that’s plumbing, HVAC, roofing or electrical products, all new members of the team need a little training to get them started.

ONE: Introduce Your Culture 

If you want the newest member of your team to accurately represent your company and find the same success your current employees are, they need to be fully integrated into your culture. You want every team member to be completely supportive of your goals and dedicated to your company’s standards when they’re on the job. How do you do that? 

• Share your company’s mission statement
• Talk about your company’s guiding principles and values
• Create opportunities for the new employee to observe team meetings and client interactions

TWO: Learning The Technical Product

For your salesperson to do their very best on the job, they need to completely understand the products they are selling and the clients they are selling to. The best way to give them this experience is with an extended ride-along period of training. They should be shadowing interactions with clients, understanding the full process of selling and serving customers and generally gaining all the knowledge they need to successfully sell to and behave around customers. 

They should also understand the roles and responsibilities of the team members who do other jobs. If the salesperson isn’t accurately representing the technicians and installers who actually complete the service for the customer, it will show. They need to gain the respect of their team members — the best way to do this is by sending them out on repair, service or installation jobs. Let them work alongside your service team and watch them absorb information like a sponge. They’re likely to be better informed and more authentic to the customers after that point.

THREE: Train Sales Techniques

You never want to skip training a salesperson on sales skills. Even the most experienced salespeople should at least be evaluated and approved to go out into the field or work without supervision. This process might entail training documents, classes and/or simply listening in on sales calls. Whatever it is that your company does differently during the sales process needs to be taught and mastered by your new employee.

Need Sales Training?

Maybe you don’t know the best way to train your new salesperson, or maybe your entire sales team could use a boost of knowledge and best practices. Either way, Service Excellence offers effective sales training to all who are interested in bettering their sales knowledge. Stay tuned for our upcoming PRESS PLAY Sales Series classes in 2022! You won’t want to miss this! 

Until then, check out some of our other popular resources to start strengthening your sales skills!