Editorial-Sales training key to winning business
“Sales staff need to be trained and equipped with the latest selling tools in order to enable them to best interact with customers and win business in a recession. This is especially true for smaller printing and converting operations where the busy owner often has to take on the mantle of sales.”
When it comes to Sales Training, John Finlay, Managing Director of Onward Consultancy has his own ideas on sales strategy. As well as having a heavyweight sales career under his belt, he also has over 20 years experience in providing sales training programmes gained at Mars Drinks and Tyco international working with personnel from both the UK and abroad.
Based on his background and experience in the field, Finlay has developed a new sales training model that is robust enough to work successfully across cultures within manufacturing and service led industries. This model is available to small, medium and corporate enterprises looking to improve sales results. By adopting Onward Consultancy’s Six Step Model of improved performance for one or more sales people and managers, companies can, he says, win business opportunities from their competitors even in a recession. Unlike many training programmes that may or may not hit the spot, Finlay claims onward’s aim is to provide clients with a dedicated, rapid results course that gives a good return on investment and more competitive and confident sales people.
“Sales staff need to be trained and equipped with the latest selling tools in order to enable them to best interact with customers and win business in a recession.” says Finlay. “This is especially true for small printing and converting operations where the busy owner often has to take on the mantle of sales. If as owners, directors or general managers of businesses, print companies acknowledge the move from one of solely being a manufacturing industry to one that is becoming service led, then it only follows that the quality of sales people and the training they receive has to be reassessed. Having the right strategy that clearly establishes customer needs and providing the most cost effective solution that adds value or exceeds expectations will increase customer loyalty and have them coming back to you again and again – and not necessarily just on price.”
Finlay cites a recent study by the Sales Executive Council Solutions Group that demonstrated how top sales performers spend their time differently from the average ones. “Top sales performers prepare well, manage time effectively, spend more time on need development, create client value, build on relationships and work proactively towards future business opportunities. Onward’s Six Step Model has taken these values and turned them into an effective on or off site sales training programme that can be tailored to any industry or manufacturing operations.”
Onward’s programme comprises initial analysis and looks at the gap between a company’s current sales performance and what it wants to achieve. Exact performance metrics are established through individual assessment with selection and design of the most appropriate training. On-the-job coaching or classroom setting can include ongoing reinforcement in the field and post assessment of progress made.
“It’s very much about understanding customer behaviour and acknowledging that customers are different. Understanding what those differences are is critical in developing sales strategies to improve results.” concludes Finlay.
Based in Manchester United Kingdom, Onward Consultancy Ltd. offers tailored sales training solutions to both groups and privately owned companies throughout the UK. The company understands the challenges facing diverse types of businesses including print, FMCG, security, telecommunications and automobile and brings to market a robust return on investment, business case model of Analysis, Development, Intervention and Evaluation.
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