Focus Supplement 2 - Summer 2017 - 30

FEATURESTORY

consistently and even harder to
prompt the innovative problemsolving characteristic of team
collaboration. In sales training, the
book club model of reading and
reviewing new information
together and holding structured
meetings for discussion provides an
opportunity for an entire regional
sales force to share thoughts,
disseminate information and
generate out-of-the-box solutions.
In leading a regional discussion, a
field sales trainer grows team
knowledge, promotes team spirit
and encourages solution-finding.
* POA and Other Workshops:
Facilitating workshops at regional
and national sales meetings gives
your field sales trainers the
opportunity to get involved in the
execution of company goals,
preparing salespeople for new
initiatives and providing up-to-theminute overviews of an
ever-changing sales landscape.
POA workshops also oﬀer a chance
to gather salespeople from across
the region, building team cohesion
and providing additional problemsharing and -solving opportunities.
When given the right tools and
support, your field sales trainers can
deliver exceptional results. With this
in mind, make sure you're getting all
you can from them while also
providing the support they need. Now
that you've determined what your field
trainers can do for you, think about
their required skills and personality
traits, as having an objective checklist

of qualities will help you and the sales
leadership team find the most eﬀective
sales trainers and determine how to
capitalize on their talents.
To give your FST the best shot at
success:
* Train em from the Start. Hold a
train-the-trainer session
immediately aer a new field sales
training team is named.
* Communicate Frequently. Field
sales trainers are in the trenches
with their peers, which gives them
firsthand visibility into the needs of
the sales force. As such, they are a
tremendous resource. However,
they are also juggling priorities and
may need direction.

new hire class facilitation,
teleconferences and more. ese
eﬀorts are essential for developing
confident, competent salespeople
and should thus take priority over
other tasks.
Giving your field sales trainers the
support and attention they need to
succeed is a smart and eﬀective way to
improve your sales training process,
while simultaneously bolstering
selling success. ■

* Motivate em. Make sure field
sales trainers' eﬀorts are recognized
by sales leadership, and consider
providing a stipend for taking on
these additional - and very
important - responsibilities. is
may take the form of a blanket
quarterly amount or an amount per
new hire trained.
* Decrease eir Administrative
Duties. It can be tempting to
oﬄoad paperwork to your field
sales trainers, but think twice
before dropping too much on
them. Field sales trainers will
be much more eﬀective
when they can devote their
time to one-on-one
activities like ride-alongs,

When given the right tools and
support, your field sales trainers can
deliver exceptional results.

Shaun McMahon is president and founder of Illuminate. Email Shaun at shaunmcmahon@illuminate.net.

FOCUS | Field Sales Training 2017 | www.L-TEN.org

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Supplement 2 - Summer 2017