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Getting training as a salesperson is part of the process and it is especially important for those individuals where selling doesn’t come naturally. How do you shape them to become great salespeople?

John Martinez is a sales trainer and has been training salespeople exclusively for about six years. Before that, he’d had a sales career for over 20 years. Working in corporate America training and building sales teams, he eventually decided to leave to start his own sales training company. 

Becoming a great salesperson

With proper training, anyone can learn the skills to get better at their job and sales is no exception. Not all salespeople are born for sales but with the right exposure and training, a skillset can be gained to excel. In these cases, one needs the desire to develop strategies to help them overcome the inevitable hurdles and challenges that can come with a career in sales. 

John wasn’t a natural-born salesperson himself.  He had a speech problem growing up and the only person who could understand him was his mother. In sixth grade, he was in therapy five days a week. He was also getting bullied at school so for his own safety, he just learned to blend in. 

How to train salespeople

When training new salespeople, great training doesn’t start with sales tactics and strategies.  It starts with the belief system. The sales team needs to know why they sell what they sell and do what they do. People are often held back because they don’t want to be pushy. No one wants to be in an uncomfortable situation, whether they are the salesperson or the prospect. Unfortunately, most sales processes are taught in a way that puts salespeople in an awkward position and they get stuck in a battle with their discomfort. 

John starts with the basics and teaches salespeople to believe in what they do. When they’ve built up enough trust in themselves, John teaches them the strategies and tactics that make conversations comfortable again. 

The training process: 

John’s sales training is done once a week with teams from around the country. They spend about 45 minutes talking about the why and work toward getting a complete buy-in on the sales strategy. Another 10 minutes is spent on starting to reverse the paradigm. 95% of the sales training is about getting sales reps to understand why they do the things they do and say the things they say. 

Salespeople can fail to be successful because they don’t understand the reasons behind what they are told to do. Even when others do understand, they still may not completely buy into the concept. The why is more important than the how because the how can always be taught. 

Becoming a trainer 

John’s choice of being a sales trainer comes from personal experience. While he was successful in training, there was still a shift that occurred between failing and succeeding in his career. The shift came from learning that he could succeed if he followed a step-by-step process. He learned he didn’t have to be a natural salesperson to excel in what he is doing. 

John is invested in helping other salespeople find their way. His mission is to give them the process and to help business owners equip their teams to become more successful. His training not only helps salespeople find their way but it also helps their prospects get the help they truly need. 

The need for a compelling reason

It is normal to be knocked down and face challenges. Hurdles are expected in sales. Having a compelling reason to keep going helps to keep you grounded and it will propel you forward. This vision is important because it is capable of getting you through the tough times. Without a vision, it is much more difficult to stay motivated. Without a vision and a skillset, the chances of bail-out greatly increase.

Scripting is part of John’s process. John thinks of sales scripts as training wheels. New salespeople need to start somewhere and scripting is a good introduction. Once the basics are modeled, over time salespeople will find their own voice and develop their own conversations. John’s initial scripts help new trainees find their balance. He urges salespeople to read between the lines to find their own way. 

In John’s training, they script deal-breaker moments that could prevent closing well.  Compelling reasons why prospects may hesitate to work with the salesperson are also looked at. It’s this information that creates the foundation of questions that can help move through tougher conversations.   They prepare six-seven questions that will help connect the dots between the prospect’s problems and finding the answers through the products and services being offered. John then creates a sales playbook with 10-15 questions that can be used by his clients when working with their customers.  

Laying the foundations 

Having a strong foundation helps. If you give new salespeople too much information at one time, it can set them up for failure. Start small and slowly build the foundation. Once that’s established, you can add some strategies and build a skillset.  

Salespeople need to understand that it’s not just about reading a book and learning the process once, there is always room for improvement. No athlete became skilled immediately.  They continue to play and practice the basics. The same is true in sales.

Let your prospects know immediately and continuously, a no is okay and you’ll see your prospects open up to you. This gives you the window to talk about your products and services comfortably and will set you up for greater success.  

“How To Train Salespeople That Aren’t Natural Salespeople” episode resources

Check out his website, midwestrev.com. They do hundreds of free training in a day and more. You can also talk to Donald if you have more sales concerns. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We have a new semester beginning on February 14th and we would love to have you and your team join us. Follow this link to apply to the program. 

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Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

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