Your buyers are more knowledgeable than ever. According to Sirius Decisions, 67% of the buyer’s journey is done digitally, before needing the support of a salesperson. This fact raises the stakes for your sales reps. They need to be better prepared and more knowledgeable to succeed when face-to-face. They need training, and your organization needs a field sales trainer.
Modern-day sales are more flexible and consultative, integrating situational awareness and adaptability. These skills are hard to come by without having feet-on-the-ground experience. Your sales reps need a seasoned expert who can share valuable experiences.
Is a Field Sales Trainer the Same as a Sales Manager?
In many organizations, a front-line sales manager does have the responsibilities of the field sales trainer. The problem is that a front-line manager must balance training responsibilities with a host of other tasks. As a result, development time is sacrificed for near-term sales performance reviews, budgeting, or other tasks. A field trainer is dedicated solely to the training, motivation, and coaching of sales reps.
Integrating a Field Sales Trainer into Your Team
So, if field sales trainers can provide so much value, how do you fit one into your sales team? Before answering this question, let us explore their three primary functions.
- Consistent Reinforcement
Harvard Business Review has reported that annual turnover among U.S. salespeople runs as high as 27%. That is twice the rate of the overall labor force! One of the primary reasons for this rampant churn is burnout.
Sales is a competitive job, and it can be difficult for your reps, especially new ones. A good field sales trainer will be a resource of consistent reinforcement and reassurance for your reps. Whether through group sessions or one-on-one talks, a field trainer is a dedicated resource that monitor’s the well-being of your reps and helps them recharge their batteries when necessary.
- Sales Innovation
Sales is a highly dynamic field and, if your reps are not engaged, they risk falling behind. This is where your field sales trainer can be impact your company.
A trainer’s job is to observe the market at large, to identify new methods, strategies, and tactics, and introduce them to your team. This process should include going on field rides with your reps and soliciting feedback from both sellers and customers. Your trainer is your expert on the marketplace. And, if utilized properly, they will be crucial to the development of your entire sales methodology.
- Training Front-line Managers
Field trainers should act as an integrator for your staff, translating cutting-edge methods and tactics to your front-line managers at the head of your sales teams. Instead of dividing their attention between the day-to-day performance of their reps and big-picture ideas for improving processes and developing personnel, your front-line managers will be more productive.
Conclusion
A qualified field sales trainer will prove how the right people, serving the right function within your team, can make all the difference when it comes to sales results!
Check out What is Sales Enablement? To get more ideas for combining people, processes, and technologies to turn your sales/marketing teams into a powerful sales enablement machine.
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