59% of companies reported that: The top barrier to delivering effective sales training is salespeople not being held accountable for applying the skills they have learned. 1
Is this surprising? Probably not. In today’s world, companies view the sales force as a single entity, to be directed and taught in a standardized way. Training interventions are prescribed in generic terms. It is assumed that every seller needs the same development help and should get it in the same way – often delivered in a classroom style. Can this be correct?
A second, and more alarming assumption is that it ignores adult sales learning theory. In 2007, two scholars, Artis and Harris, found that salespeople were the most effective self-directed learners in an organisation. In short, they found that salespeople can and will own their self-development in an environment where their leaders support them and recognise their efforts.
Why?
As sales leaders, we seldom create those environments nor recognise the different learning styles in sales organisations. Artis and Harris found there were four types of learners.
- Induced Learners. Typically junior sellers just starting out on their careers and seeking structured learning environments, such as universities, led by qualified coaches and teachers. These guides scaffold the learner, and conduct formative and summative assessments, and slowly remove support to pass them onto the next stage of learning. An example of this would be sales apprenticeships, which are growing in the UK higher education environment.
- Synergistic Learners. These sellers are typically 3 years into their careers and they like more freedom in learning. However, they still require support, yet not as formal as classrooms, and mixed delivery channels are preferred. An ideal programme to run for these people is curating pieces of content, all of which have to be completed. A synergistic learner appreciates the ability to prioritise based on their perceived priorities.
- Voluntary Leaners. It is more mature learner and has probably been selling for some ten years. They have a desire for one-to-one coaching, supporting individual development plans, centring around self-directed learning. Wishing to reflect and develop practice as part of a cognitive process, supported by specific materials that retune their knowledge and attain higher skills and behaviour.
- The Scanner. At the top of their game, they seek a network of similar-level professionals to share ideas and learn from each other. They look for ratified external content that readily available, to address specific situations.
- The Non-learner. Not in the original Artis and Harris (2007) work or subsequent literature has the concept of non-sales learners considered. How do you define a non-learner? It literally refers to any situation in which a salesperson has the possibility to learn but decides not to! Unfortunately, there are a lot of them who believe that experience, tenure and numerical outcomes are enough to stay relevant and skilled in a changing world.
So what can sales leaders do about this?
The critical first step in a seller being accountable for learning and then implementing their learning is to provide CHOICE.
Sales leaders need to create an environment where their own learning curiosity is visible. That naturally leads to the creation of a positive organisational learning culture. This, if reinforced by a culture of positive psychological safety that promotes positive individual learning orientation, results in self-directed learning engagement, which increases performance.
In conclusion all salespeople are adults (not the revelation of the year), and adults learn best by owning their own decisions; firstly, by choosing to learn and secondly, by implementing what they have learned. That is the foundation of how sales training, or more accurately sales-related learning, develops and leads to sales performance.
To find out more contact me at either Cranfield or the Institute of Sales Professionals to find out more.
www.the-isp.org www.cranfield.ac.uk Andrew.hough@the-isp.org
Reference:
1: BrainShark ideas blog – Sales Training Statistics. Item 16
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