High-performing businesses recognize that company growth and success relies on the performance and efficiency of their sales team. However, the secret to a top-performing sales team isn’t just talent - it’s comprehensive training and strategic onboarding.
Without effective training and onboarding, sales teams face a range of preventable challenges, from high turnover to costly customer mistakes. Imagine a newly hired employee joining a sales team. They come onboard full of enthusiasm and a desire to make an impact within their new company. However, without effective guidance and training, they can easily become misaligned. This can lead to wasted time, lost opportunities, and potential mistakes that can cost the company.
Benefits of Investing in Sales Team Training & Onboarding
Effective training and onboarding not only improve the skills of sales teams, but also align employees with the company’s goals and culture. There’s a clear link between well-trained sales teams and results in the form of saved time, money, and increased performance. When sales teams are provided with the right tools and training from the beginning, they are prepared and effective in making an impact.
Effective Sales Onboarding Saves Time
As the saying goes, time is money - especially in the world of sales. The faster a sales representative can connect with a lead and close a deal, the more profitable they are for their company. Here’s some of the time-saving benefits of investing in training and onboarding:
• Reduced Ramp-Up Time for New Hires: On average, newly hired sales team employees spend 10 weeks in training and take 11.2 months to become productive. A well-structured onboarding program can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes for a new sales hire to become fully productive. Instead of spending months trying to understand the company’s products and sales processes, they can hit the ground running, translating into quicker returns on hiring investments.
• Quicker Integration Into the Company Culture: Understanding and adopting a company’s culture is critical for long-term success. Effective onboarding ensures that new team members understand the company’s values, mission, and expectations right from the start. This leads to fewer misunderstandings and smooth interactions with colleagues and customers.
• Efficient Use of Resources: Time wasted on ineffective training sessions, trial and error, and unclear processes is better spent on promoting the company. A well-trained sales team knows how to use tools, resources, and their time effectively.
The time saved through effective training and onboarding isn’t just about speed; it’s about efficiency, productivity, and optimizing the sales process from start to finish.
Investing in Sales Training Saves Money
Just as training and onboarding save valuable time, they also have a direct impact on a company’s finances. Here’s some of the ways effective training and onboarding of sales teams saves money:
• Lower Turnover Rates: It’s not a secret that hiring and training new employees is expensive. On average, it costs organizations $97,960 to replace a sales representative. Not only that - the opportunity cost of turnover averages over $100,000 per employee. It’s also clear that a poor onboarding process hurts employee retention: 47% of account executives have left a sales job due to poor onboarding or a lack of training. When sales teams are onboarded and trained properly, they are more likely to stay with the company. This reduces turnover-related costs and ensures that the company keeps its best talent.
• Reduced Mistakes and Inefficiencies: Mistakes can be costly, whether they are in customer communication or sales decks. With effective training, sales teams are more aligned and less likely to make these mistakes.
• Shorter Sales Cycles: A well-trained sales team knows how to handle customer concerns, present solutions, and speed up the sales process. This efficiency not only brings in revenue faster, but also reduces the resources spent in lengthy negotiations and multiple pitches.
Investing in sales training and onboarding offers a significant return on investment. By retaining top talent, reducing errors, and closing deals more quickly, well-trained sales teams increase their profitability.
Effective Training Increases Sales Performance
Beyond the savings in time and money, the true impact of comprehensive training and onboarding is in the increased performance of sales teams. This improved performance doesn’t just affect numbers - it shapes the company’s relationships with customers and its perception in the market. Here’s some of the ways sales team performance is increased through training:
• Current Sales Strategies: New sales tools, techniques, and trends are always emerging. Regular, effective training ensures that the sales team is up-to-date and equipped with the latest strategies.
• Culture of Continuous Learning and Growth: Companies that prioritize training foster a culture where continuous learning and organizational knowledge sharing are valued. This not only improves sales skills, but also boosts employee engagement, morale, and job satisfaction. That translates into real impact - a recent study found that sales teams with high morale were 17% more productive and 21% more profitable.
• Better Company Perception: A well-trained sales team doesn’t just sell a product or service; they represent the brand of their company. A positive sales experience can lead to increased business, referrals, and a strong company reputation.
The benefits of sales training and onboarding impact every part of the sales process, from the personal growth of each team member to the perception of a company’s offerings.
Engageli: The Solution for Effective Sales Training Anywhere
The benefits of effective training and onboarding for sales teams are clear, but how can companies ensure that their training is effective? The challenge lies in keeping teams connected and engaged so that they can absorb and apply information anywhere. With its innovative tools and features, Engageli is tailor-made to support training and onboarding for sales teams.
Optimized for Learning Success
Engageli is more than a video conferencing tool - it’s a purpose-built collaborative learning platform designed to boost outcomes. It addresses the specific needs of online and hybrid sales training and onboarding by promoting engagement, collaboration, and data-driven employee insights.
Global Collaboration
With global sales teams, effective training can’t be limited by location. Engageli ensures that location doesn’t compromise training quality. Sales teams can stay current with virtual learning sessions that can be hosted either in real-time or asynchronously. Engageli’s collaborative tools - including work tables that help groups communicate and connect - enable active learning that helps training concepts stick.
Simplicity and Integration
Engageli’s user-friendly platform lets both facilitators and team members focus on training and onboarding content over technology. With everything from video sharing, polls, and collaboration tools integrated directly into the platform, training is streamlined and consistent.
Analytics and Tracking
Understanding the effectiveness and impact of sales training and onboarding is essential. Engageli’s detailed analytics allow for monitoring attendance, engagement, and feedback. This data helps facilitators adjust and personalize their training approach. With Engageli’s analytics, companies can make data-driven decisions about training and onboarding that boost sales results.
Transforming Sales Teams Through Training
Success in today’s sales environment requires more than just a great product or service; it demands a sales team that’s equipped with the right tools and knowledge. Investing in comprehensive training and onboarding is a critical strategy in building a sales team that delivers results through saved time, money, and increased performance.
Interested in exploring how traditional video conferencing tools perform in sales training and onboarding? Download our free infographic to learn why video conferencing tools fall short.