B2B Sales Training
Problem
A senior executive overseeing the B2B sales arm of a rapidly growing telecommunications organization was struggling to efficiently and effectively onboard new employees. They needed help creating a program that was structured yet flexible enough to be delivered by an instructor or completed in a self-directed manner by the employee.
Solution
I started by immersing myself in the organization’s product and service offerings. It became clear to me that they had a great product, and it would be easy to develop training content for new hires. However, I also realized that the sales process was bogged down by engineering reviews and other challenges that often hindered a sale.
Next, I spent time with representatives from the B2B sales team to better understand their challenges. I was surprised to learn that they didn’t have a consistent sales process across the organization. Furthermore, the “sales training” consisted of observing two to three sales calls with more seasoned account managers and then the new employees were expected to begin prospecting on their own.
Another critical pain-point was their systems. Training was extremely limited on these systems and as a result, leads were often entered incorrectly. Important steps in the sales order workflow were also skipped. This led to delays in the engineering review phase and lost prospects.
Using these insights, I developed a robust multi-phased new hire training strategy. The first phase focused on product knowledge. The second phase focused on the customer journey, highlighting the various touch points with each team (marketing, sales, engineering, etc.). The third phase introduced a new sales process that I tailor-made for their organization. The fourth phase added additional layers to the sales process (cold-calling tactics, common objections, effective recommendations, etc.) and a customer objection-handling framework. The final phase of the training focused on systems with several strategic callbacks to prior learning (products, customer journey, and the sales process).
Macon Method
Organizations often rush employees through their onboarding. This leads to a weak foundation, that leaves employee underprepared and underequipped. A structured onboarding process leads to consistent result.
Core Element: People
Strategic Element: Train
Overview: Facilitate a robust onboarding program that combines blended learning, equipping employees with a firm foundation to build upon.
Outcome
I delivered two versions of the training to the executive (facilitator-led and self-paced). I also conducted a train-the-trainer course to certify the facilitators in the program. From start to finish, I was able to conduct a rapid needs analysis, develop all assets (including several custom components), facilitate the train-the-trainer and deploy the new model in under 30 days.
