Sales Training Activities are essential for raising the performance of your sales team. But it’s not just about conveying information; it’s also about how interesting the training is. Despite the fact that there are numerous sales training programs available, they may not be successful in producing the desired results if they cannot keep your team engaged. In fact, it may be a warning sign that the sales trainer lacks the ability to sell and engage clients if they are unable to make the training interesting. To ensure the best outcomes, it is crucial to implement sales training activities that are both informative and engaging. This article will examine some of the top and most interesting sales training exercises that can improve retention and performance.
Importance of Sales Training Activities
Sales Training Activities are the base of sales training programs.
In sales training programs, a sales trainer teaches the practices and essential sales skills to a sales team.
However, these are theoretical.
So, Sales Training Activities are the practical part of it.
They make the sales team participate and learn what the sales trainer is really trying to teach.
Furthermore, the main aim of activities in sales training is to make salespeople easily comprehend the lessons.
Finally, these activities also make the salespeople learn new things from different perspectives which help them climb the corporate ladder and get leadership skills.
Here are some effective sales training activities that can help your sales team improve their skills and close more deals:
- Use the Game Sales Sleuth
- Objection Handling Practices
- Role-Play Champions
- Lead Inspector
- Tenacity Target
- Pitch-O-Rama
- Play What do you hear?
- Training Exercise: Understanding the Buyer’s Journey
- Elevator Pitching
- Using Pop Quizzes to Enhance Sales Training
Activity 1: Use the Game Sales Sleuth
There’s a story regarding the game sales sleuth.
The story is about a sales rep who called a crane consortium.
He called because he was pitching for sales machinery.
He pitched with all the efforts but all the efforts went into vain.
As the company he was pitching to was about saving the cranes(birds) and not machines.
So, considering this your sales team also must learn to research about the clients.
Rather than pitching directly, the sales rep must use SPIN Sales Technique.
More on it at: SPIN Sales Training: Techniques and Benefits
You can incorporate this activity through making sales reps detectives.
They will have to observe each other and then determine their needs and wants.
Activity 2: Objection Handling Practices
Objection is almost common in every business.
Sales reps face it daily.
Therefore, it is important that your sales reps are able to handle objections effectively.
You can ask your sales reps to come up with new ideas each day on why the customers would reject the product or service they are trying to sell.
Then, make them participate in groups and come up with counter reasons.
This way they will be able to understand the sales objection management and eventually increase the sales.
Activity 3: Role-Play Champions
This is similar to the Jordan Belfort (played by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street) training.
Here, he teaches his team cold calling and different scenarios of calling.
Similarly, the sales reps can do role playing and call each other.
Or there can also be an inbound call.
The sales reps can interchange their roles and also try to sell different products and services.
You can also add an observer role.
The observer can be a sales trainer from a reputed sales training company.
He or she will guide the sales reps about soft skills after the roleplay is over.
Activity 4: Lead Inspector
To enhance your sales team’s performance, divide them into groups of 3-5 individuals and allocate one name from your company’s list of potential clients to each group.
It’s recommended that you select prospects who have never made a purchase before, allowing teams to apply the game’s results directly to their real-world sales processes.
The teams should utilize all possible resources to acquire as much information as possible about their target.
This may include LinkedIn, Facebook, CrunchBase, Glassdoor, professional listings, directories, and any other available resources. Conduct research on the prospect’s interests, background, memberships, and any points of similarity.
The team that uncovers the most thrilling and comprehensive data on the target will emerge victorious in the game.
This game is very essential for B2B Sales Training.
Activity 5: Tenacity Target
The game called “Tenacity Target” involves participants sitting in a circle and taking turns naming a product or service from their company’s portfolio.
The person sitting next to them then needs to list positive qualities or attributes of that product or service.
This continues until a participant can no longer come up with positive aspects, and they are eliminated from the game.
The game proceeds until only one person is left standing, who is declared the winner.
As an example, a participant may start with a vacuum cleaner, and others would mention its superior suction power, cost-effectiveness compared to a Roomba, highly effective filtration system, and extended warranty period.
Using this game, you can sharpen the sales team’s sales negotiation skills.
Activity 6: Pitch-O-Rama
To start a game, a neutral party such as a team leader should decide on the roles that will be played.
These could include a sales representative, a critic, a grump, an idealist, and a smart aleck, and each team member should be randomly assigned one of these characters.
The sales representative’s role is to persuade the rest of the team to purchase a product or service, which can be either a random object from the room or a product from their portfolio.
The sales rep must utilize their sales skills to make a compelling pitch.
As the sales rep presents the product’s features and benefits, the other team members take on their assigned roles and ask questions or offer objections.
For example, the smart aleck may challenge the technical details, the grump may voice objections, and the idealist may offer optimistic conclusions.
The game becomes more entertaining as participants find ways to challenge the sales rep’s presentation.
The sales rep who delivers the most engaging presentation and responds best to objections is declared the winner.
Activity 7: Play What do you hear?
The sales training exercise known as “What did you hear?” involves reviewing recorded sales calls or meetings to evaluate their effectiveness.
During this exercise, you and your sales representative listen to the call together and take note of any areas that could have been improved, as well as any standout moments.
After listening to the call, you compare notes with your sales rep to see how closely they were paying attention and to gather their thoughts on the call’s overall performance.
This exercise helps reps to gain more confidence, improve their vocabulary, and have a clear direction for their future conversations.
By analysing past calls, sales representatives can identify their strengths and weaknesses, improve their sales techniques, and better understand how to approach future sales conversations.
Activity 8: Training Exercise: Understanding the Buyer’s Journey
As part of the training for new hires, it is recommended to have them give a presentation on the typical buyer’s journey for the company’s product or service.
The presentation should cover the journey of one of the company’s buyer personas as they identify a problem, search for solutions, discover the company, and ultimately choose to do business with them.
This exercise helps salespeople to better understand their future customers’ problems, gain a comprehensive understanding of the sales cycle, and recognize how the company’s product or service can be helpful.
By presenting this information, new hires gain a deeper insight into the customer’s perspective and become more equipped to provide effective solutions that meet their needs.
Activity 9: Elevator Pitching
An elevator pitch is a brief sales pitch that one can make in the time it takes to ride an elevator, usually 30-60 seconds.
Elevator pitch competitions are a popular tool for training new hires in sales, as they help reps quickly communicate the value of a product.
However, these competitions can also be used for continued sales training.
In such competitions, salespeople are challenged to pick random objects or ideas from a hat and create a pitch on the spot.
This exercise helps to improve public speaking, persuasion, and brevity skills.
Activity 10: Using Pop Quizzes to Enhance Sales Training
One effective way to help your sales representatives retain information during training is to reinforce it through pop quizzes.
These spontaneous quizzes can be incorporated into onboarding and training sessions and are especially engaging when they are gamified.
Mobile-based quiz platforms like Kahoot can be used to put the quiz right in the hands of trainees, ensuring everyone’s participation.
After the quiz, the data can be analyzed to identify gaps in knowledge and adjust the training as necessary.
Tips for Implementing Engaging Sales Training Activities
Engaging sales training activities can make a significant difference in the success of a sales team.
However, not all sales training activities are created equal.
Some may be dull and ineffective, while others may be exciting and engaging.
Here are some tips for implementing engaging sales training activities:
1. Use interactive activities
Interactive activities are essential for engaging sales training.
Instead of lecturing to your team, incorporate interactive elements such as role-playing exercises, group discussions, and quizzes.
These activities will keep your team engaged and interested in the training material.
2. Incorporate real-life scenarios
Using real-life scenarios can make training more relatable to your sales team.
Real-life scenarios can help your team to better understand how to apply their training in real-world situations.
Try to incorporate real-life scenarios that your team is likely to encounter in their day-to-day work.
3. Keep it relevant
When designing your training program, ensure that the material is relevant to your team’s needs.
Try to focus on topics that are important to your sales team and avoid irrelevant topics.
Relevance is key to keeping your team engaged and interested in the training.
4. Use visual aids
Visual aids can be very effective in engaging sales training.
Incorporate videos, infographics, and images to supplement your training material.
Visual aids can help to break up the monotony of a lecture-style training and keep your team engaged.
5. Encourage participation
Encourage your team to participate in the training.
Ask questions and seek feedback to keep your team engaged and involved in the training process.
Active participation can help your team to retain the information they learn during the training.
6. Keep it short
Attention spans are limited, so keep your training sessions short and to the point.
Try to break up longer training sessions into shorter segments to keep your team engaged.
7. Make it fun
Sales training doesn’t have to be boring.
Try to make your training sessions fun and engaging by incorporating games and competitions.
Gamification can be a great way to keep your team engaged and motivated during the training.
The Role of Sales Managers in Training Activities
Sales managers play a critical role in training their sales teams.
It is the responsibility of sales managers to ensure that their teams are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in their roles.
Here are some tips for sales managers to effectively participate in sales training activities:
Provide support
Sales managers should provide support to their team during training.
This could include answering questions, providing feedback, and offering guidance.
By providing support, sales managers can help their teams to better understand the training material and apply it in real-life scenarios.
Set expectations
Sales managers should set clear expectations for their teams before training begins.
This could include expectations around attendance, participation, and behaviour during the training sessions.
Setting expectations can help to ensure that the training is taken seriously and that team members are fully engaged.
Attend training sessions
Sales managers should attend training sessions alongside their teams.
This shows that the manager values the training and is invested in the team’s success.
Attending training sessions also provides the opportunity for sales managers to observe their team members and identify areas for improvement.
Provide feedback
Sales managers should provide feedback to their teams after training sessions.
This could include highlighting areas of strength and identifying areas for improvement.
Providing feedback can help to reinforce the training material and ensure that team members are able to apply what they have learned.
Reinforce training
Sales managers should reinforce the training material after the training sessions are complete.
This could include incorporating the training material into team meetings or providing ongoing coaching to team members.
Reinforcing the training can help to ensure that team members retain the information and are able to apply it in their day-to-day work.
Lead by example
Sales managers should lead by example when it comes to training.
This means actively participating in training sessions, demonstrating a commitment to ongoing learning, and applying the training material in their own work.
Leading by example can help to create a culture of continuous learning within the sales team.
The Role of Sales Trainers in Training Activities
Sales trainers are responsible for designing and implementing effective sales training activities that enable sales teams to perform at their best.
The role of sales trainers is critical in ensuring that sales teams are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to succeed.
Here are some tips for sales trainers to effectively participate in sales training activities:
Understand the team’s needs
Sales trainers should work with sales managers to understand the specific needs of the team.
This includes understanding the current skill level of the team, the sales goals of the team, and the specific challenges that the team is facing.
By understanding the team’s needs, trainers can design training that is relevant and impactful.
Develop relevant and engaging content
Sales trainers should design training content that is relevant, engaging, and practical.
This could include using real-life scenarios, interactive activities, and visual aids to supplement the training material.
Engaging content is critical in ensuring that the team is fully engaged and able to retain the information learned during the training.
Tailor the training to different learning styles
Sales trainers should recognize that different team members have different learning styles.
Some team members may prefer visual aids, while others may prefer hands-on activities.
Trainers should tailor the training to different learning styles to ensure that all team members are able to fully engage and learn.
Provide ongoing support
Sales trainers should provide ongoing support to the team after the training is complete.
This could include follow-up coaching sessions, access to training materials, and ongoing communication with the team.
Ongoing support can help to reinforce the training and ensure that team members are able to apply what they have learned.
Continuously evaluate and improve
Sales trainers should continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the training and make improvements as needed.
This could include soliciting feedback from the team, analysing performance data, and making adjustments to the training content as needed.
Continuously evaluating and improving the training can help to ensure that the team is equipped with the most effective training possible.
Demonstrate expertise
Sales trainers should demonstrate their expertise in the sales field.
This includes staying up-to-date on industry trends and best practices, and being able to provide practical advice and guidance to the team.
Demonstrating expertise can help to build credibility and trust with the team.
Using Technology to Enhance Sales Training Activities
The use of technology in sales training activities can enhance the effectiveness of the training and improve the performance of sales teams.
Here are some tips for using technology to enhance sales training activities:
Use interactive e-learning platforms: Interactive e-learning platforms can provide an engaging and effective way to deliver training content.
These platforms often include multimedia elements, interactive activities, and assessments that can help to reinforce the training material.
Use video conferencing tools
Video conferencing tools can be used to facilitate remote training sessions, making it easier for geographically dispersed teams to participate in training activities.
These tools also provide the opportunity for trainers to incorporate live demonstrations and role-playing activities into the training.
Use mobile apps
Mobile apps can provide a convenient way for sales team members to access training materials on-the-go.
Mobile apps can also include interactive elements such as quizzes, assessments, and gamification, which can help to reinforce the training material and improve engagement.
Use virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
VR and AR can be used to create immersive and interactive training experiences.
These technologies can be particularly effective for training team members on complex products or processes.
VR and AR can help to simulate real-life scenarios, allowing team members to practice their skills in a safe and controlled environment.
Use analytics and data
Analytics and data can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training and identify areas for improvement.
Trainers can use analytics to track team members’ progress, identify areas of strength and weakness, and adjust the training content as needed.
Use social media
Social media can be used to create online communities where team members can share best practices, ask questions, and provide support to one another.
Trainers can use social media to provide ongoing support and communicate with team members after the training is complete.
Conclusion
In conclusion, incorporating engaging sales training activities can help maximize the results of your sales team. These activities not only improve their selling skills but also enhance their communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. By incorporating hands-on activities, simulations, and role-playing exercises, sales professionals can develop a better understanding of their customers’ needs, learn how to handle objections, and boost their confidence. It is crucial to choose activities that align with your team’s learning style and goals to make the training effective. Consistent training and development with the assistance of a sales training company can lead to a better-performing sales team and increased revenue for your business.
