Sales Training Programs

AE: “After 3x President Club wins, my CRO is threatening to cut my commission by 50% for any deal that doesn’t include a MAP, Business Case, Executive Sponsor, and all MEDDPICC fields in CRM”. (This is an actual DM I received - and it's not all...) AE: “Despite my success over the last 3yrs, I feel like I’m being singled out." AE: “I got demoted due to gaps in my compliance with the ‘sales standards’.” AE: “Of course. I believe in all these selling tools, and use them.” AE: “But all the creativity and intuition is being sucked out.” AE: “All for the sake of box-checking.” AE: “I feel I should be celebrated and instead feel disrespected.” AE: “Any piece of advice you’d offer someone in my shoes?” My response? Speechless. I just couldn’t find anything helpful to say. So, I’ll say it again here in the hopes that it reaches more leaders: Standardization? Yes - Enforce the must-haves (Qualification, Discovery, CRM hygiene) - Provide simple 1-2-3 playbooks—but trust reps to adapt - Show ‘what good looks like’: replicate your top performers - Let frontline coaches guide outcomes, not step-by-step compliance - Optimizes for agility, feedback loops, and the buying experience Rigid Enforcement? No. - Every move is scripted, CRM-gated, closely monitored, and scored - The ‘playbook is bible’—break it and you’re penalized - “Here’s what we decided. Ignore everything else.” - Frontline managers should work to enforce everything - Optimizes for trackability, repeatability, and managerial control I was a CRO myself, so I get it. I am a process geek, so I get it. But I also believe top GTM orgs have two key engines: Winning CULTURE and BUYER-CENTRIC mentality. Here’s where hyper-enforcement breaks everything: 1. Your team hates being put in a box 2. Your modern buyer simply can’t be put in a box You will lose top talent. You will lose deals. Why? Deals are imperfect by nature. Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Sales can’t be over-engineered. Sales is a science, but also an art. Buying is a spaghetti bowl, not a neat flowchart. Top reps thrive because they get that—and adapt. And if you lock them down, they will leave. Not because they’re prima donnas. But because they know the rules and when to break them. They dance. E.g. 1 - Highly competitive deal that's moving fast and has budget approved? Probably worry less about the business case, and more about relationship, differentiation, strategic moves, and showing you’re the best partner. E.g. 2 - 15 people joined the first call, after meeting 7 vendors, with a decision timeline of weeks? Probably skip MEDDIC, run situational, and the basic discovery needed to give enough during the call to make the shortlist. —— We all want clean data and predictable forecasts. But going hard on enforcement kills morale. And buyer experiences. Don’t put handcuffs on your sellers’ brains. A sales process is an anchor, not a cage.

🛑 Stop Blaming Your Sales Team. (It’s Not Their Fault.) A sales leader recently told me, visibly frustrated, “Most of my salespeople just don’t perform!” If I had a dollar or Euro for every time I heard that, I could retire tomorrow. 😉 The truth is, salespeople aren't failing because they lack skills or motivation. They fail because leadership often hands them the steering wheel but forgets to give them a map, fuel, or driving lessons. The actual performance gap isn’t in the sales seats—it’s in the coaching box. The Unhelpful “Coaching” Checklist 📝 You cannot develop a professional sales team by merely instructing them to do these things: - Attract new customers. - "Pick up the phone and make appointments." - Begin mailing prospects. - "Do something..." That's the sales equivalent of telling a marathon runner, "Just run faster!" It’s management by wishful thinking, not strategy. The Shift: From Manager to Master Coach 🚀 The issue isn't malice; it's a lack of a clear, actionable system. As leaders, our role is to transition from being mere administrators to becoming Strategic Developers who equip others with the tools for consistent success. Here's what your sales team truly needs to transform into a high-performing engine: ✅ The Blueprint: a customised sales playbook and a consistent, measurable sales process. (Without a process, dependable results are unlikely.) ✅ The Edge: Training in successfully prospecting for new business and creating a competitive advantage against major rivals. ✅ The Drill: Well-organised, near-real-life role-play sessions designed to refine skills, improve attitude, and boost confidence under pressure. ✅ The "Why": Grasping and leveraging the genuine motivation of your salespeople to enhance both new business acquisition and customer growth. ✅ The Retention Strategy: Identifying what is essential for your existing customers so your team can keep them long-term and enhance their value. 🔥 The Urgency of Investment Neglecting sales development isn't "saving money." It's the most costly strategy you can choose. Every day you postpone investing in a strong sales structure is a day you leave high-value revenue on the table. Break the cycle of blame and start the cycle of growth. You have talented people. Provide them with a system that enables them to succeed. With 40 years in sales and management, I specialise in transforming vague goals into tangible, high-impact performance systems. If you're ready to stop blaming your team and start building a Killer Sales Engine that provides predictable, sustainable results, let's have a chat. Send me a DM and we'll meet and talk! P.S. What is the most common, unhelpful advice you've heard a sales leader give their team? Share your story below! 👇

7 proven ways to increase FMCG sales without discounts Discounts might seem like the easiest way to increase sales, but they’re also the fastest way to lose profits and damage your brand. There’s a better way. In 2013 when I started as a sales team lead in FMCG, I struggled. I relied on price discounts as the only way to increase my sales in stores, but this was unsustainable. Over time I learnt these 7 strategies and I’ve used them to double sales of established brands in retail outlets in 6 - 12 months. It is more sustainable for the company and your Bosses will love you. 1. Product visibility and placement. Shoppers buy what they see. Make sure your products are in the right place, such as eye-level shelves, hotspots, and checkout zones. 2. Strong retailer relationships. Retailers will champion your products if they feel valued and are incentivized. Offer quarterly rewards, better margins, or recognition programs to win their loyalty. 3. In-store communication. Your communication material in the store is your silent salesperson. Use clear, benefit-focused messages on materials like wobblers, banners, posters and shelf talkers to educate shoppers. 4. Right pricing. Help retailers stick to recommended prices. Educate them on their margins and how fair pricing improves volume and profits. 5. Product distribution. If it’s not on the shelf, it can’t sell. Fix stock outs, prioritize key outlets, and close distribution gaps to keep shelves full. 6. Shopper engagement through sampling. Sampling builds trust. Let shoppers experience your product firsthand through demos or activations in high-traffic stores. 7. Effective sales team execution. Your sales team is the engine. Train them, set clear KPIs, and give them juicy incentives to ensure great execution. Which strategy will you focus on first?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 “𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤. It was a Friday evening The sales floor was quiet Systems shut down, chairs empty, reports closed But here’s the truth: 👉 A sales team never really goes off work. Because their performance echoes in numbers, in client relationships, in revenue lines & even after office hours. Then why is it that Learning & Development is often treated as an afterthought? Why is training considered an “expense” instead of the same “investment” lens applied to hiring? 🔹 Hiring looks expensive. 🔹 Training looks cheap. Yet without training, even the most expensive hires struggle — and companies keep wondering why the numbers don’t move. Case in point: We recently worked with a CRM team in real estate. Pain points were clear: Long talk-time with clients High escalations Poor feedback scores Through a structured 6-week learning journey, we helped the team: ✔ Reduce average talk-time by 17% ✔ Cut escalation cases by 23% ✔ Improve feedback ratings from 3.2 to 4.5 That’s not “soft skills.” That’s ROI in action. 3 takeaways for trainers & brands: 1. Quantify impact — Always tie your program to numbers leaders care about. 2. Diagnose before you deliver — Pain areas first, modules later. 3. Sell transformation, not training — No one buys sessions. They buy outcomes. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐎𝐈 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐋&𝐃 , 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐱 ... 𝐥𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 We’ve done it across 1,100+ brands, and we’d love to do it for you.

Sales planning for an FMCG salesperson: 1. Set Clear Sales Targets Based on company goals and past performance. Break targets into daily, weekly, and monthly. Focus on volume (units), value (revenue), and key products. 2. Market & Outlet Mapping Divide your area into routes or beats. List all retail outlets in each route. Classify outlets (A/B/C) based on size and sales potential. 3. Product Focus Identify priority SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) for the month. Push new launches, high-margin, or slow-moving items as per plan. 4. Journey Plan (Daily Route Plan) Plan daily visits: Which route, how many outlets. Use tools or apps if company provides. Ensure outlet coverage is 100% every week or month. 5. Order Booking & Execution Take orders properly, upsell where possible. Check stock levels, push refills before OOS (out of stock). Coordinate with distributor for delivery follow-up. 6. Scheme & Promotion Communication Clearly explain any running offers to retailers. Ensure they display POP (Point of Purchase) materials 7. Competitor Monitoring Track what competitors are doing: price, scheme, visibility. Share feedback with your manager. 8. Reporting & Review Submit daily reports. Track your performance vs target. Discuss challenges with ASM or team leader. #FMCG #sales #Planning #

I was just 23 and lacked experience. So how did I create a training program worth $1 million? My secret was working backward. I was the training supervisor for a call center. My task was to create a sales training program to help our customer service reps increase upselling. Most trainers work forward on projects like this: 1. Create content 2. Hope it gets used 3. Imagine it will lead to some result It's all very squishy. Working backward is more concrete. It focuses on the business goal and analyzes what it will take to get there. 1. Identify the business goal 2. Analyze what it takes to achieve it 3. Design specific training to close the gap Here's what that looked like for my upsell project: The business goal was a sales target. From there, I had to analyze what our customer service reps were doing (or not doing) that prevented us from selling more. I poured over the performance data. Then, I spent time with our top reps, our low-performing reps, and a few reps in the middle. This analysis allowed me to design a simple training program that targeted the reps' specific needs. It was just 30 minutes long, and was supported with tools and job aids that made it easier for reps to make sales. The customer service team did great! Our upsell program generated over $1 million in annual revenue. My training program wasn't cutting-edge. It didn't incorporate the latest learning theories or technology. It was actually pretty basic. It got results because I designed it by working backward.

The worst advice in sales training is also the most common "People buy from people they like." This feel-good sound bite has probably cost more deals than any other sales myth. Modern B2B buyers don't care if they like you. They care if you can solve their problems. Buyers are evaluating solutions, not salespeople. Look does it help to be both….10000% But most will take competence over charisma all day Here's what actually drives purchase decisions: ➡️ Understanding their business better than the competition. ➡️ Demonstrating clear ROI with specific, measurable outcomes. ➡️ Proving you can implement successfully with minimal risk. ➡️ Providing social proof from similar customers. ➡️ Making the buying process easier, not harder. The best sellers I track aren't the most likeable. They're the most helpful. They don't try to be your friend. They try to be your guide. They don't focus on building rapport. They focus on building confidence. Stop trying to make buyers like you. Start trying to make them trust you. Trust comes from competence, not connection.

I audited a 250 rep sales team last month. Only 7% were following the sales process. And leadership had no clue. Here's what I discovered when I dug into their "successful" sales operation: The company spent $250K on Challenger training. Built beautiful playbooks. Had detailed process documentation in Salesforce. Everyone talked about their "world class sales process." But when I listened to actual call recordings and analyzed their CRM data... → 47% skipped discovery entirely and went straight to demo → 73% never asked about budget or timeline → 91% couldn't articulate clear next steps after calls → Only 7% actually followed the process they were trained on The reps weren't broken. The system was invisible. Leadership measured activity metrics (calls, meetings, emails) but never measured behavior (did they do discovery? did they create urgency? did they build business cases?). You can't improve what you don't measure. Most sales leaders track vanity metrics: Number of calls made. Number of emails sent. Number of meetings booked. Elite sales leaders track conversion behaviors: ✅Percentage of deals with completed discovery ✅Percentage of opportunities with quantified pain ✅Percentage of proposals with business cases attached When you measure the right behaviors, you get the right results. Your team isn't ignoring your process because they don't care. They're ignoring it because there's no accountability for following it. Start measuring what matters. — Activity isn’t the problem. Your reps are busy.  The question is … are they effective? https://lnkd.in/ghh8VCaf

If I were a sales leader leading a 10 person AE team trying to close deals at the end of the quarter while my buyers ghost every meeting request, here's the exact play I'd run. (Share this in your Slack channel) Step 1: Accept the New Reality Buying doesn't happen live as much anymore. Your buyers are researching at 11pm, sharing demos internally at 6am, and making decisions in Slack threads you'll never see. Instead of fighting it, we adjust to the reality and play that game. Which leads into the next point. Step 2: Build Async Momentum Don't have your team send links and pray something happens. Because most of the time that leads to nowhere fast. Here's what actually works: ↳ Use interactive demos that let buyers explore on their own time ↳ Track WHO is watching and WHAT sections they replay ↳ Set up automated follow-ups based on their actual behavior Tools like Consensus make this very simple. Imagine, you can see when Sarah from Procurement (we finally got you procurement) watched the pricing section 3 times at midnight. That's intel we can leverage in our sales cycle. Step 3: Let the Demo Do the Selling Unfortunately most buyers don't trust salespeople. (I know, it stings.) That's why your demos need trusted voices like customers, executives, etc proof that isn't just your reps pitching. Your buyers are sharing your demo internally without telling you. This is an opportunity to leverage that insight. Make sure your demo: ↳ Answers objections before they're raised ↳ Speaks to multiple personas (not just your main contact) ↳ Gives you visibility into who else is watching When the CFO watches your ROI section, you know the deal is moving. Even if no one replied to your email. Step 4: Follow Up With Context, Not Desperation Instead of "Just checking in..." or "touching base" these are the worst by the way. By the way, please stop doing this and whoever taught this I am coming after you. Anyways, try this: "Hey Sarah - looks like your team spent time on the integration section. Typically when people look at that section they have questions around x,y, and z. Opposed to me looping in our solutions engineer to answer any technical questions?" No guesses here. Just proactively solving the problems that are already in their head. The best sales teams in 2026 aren't chasing buyers. They're building momentum buyers can't ignore.... even at midnight. #ConsensusPartner

When the internal buying convo's happening about you, without you, go off script and your champion can't adapt... well, $50k - $100k+ of quota just evaporated into thin air. AND YET, most sales teams spend 80% of their time, tech spend, and training focused on live sales calls. (Which = ~10% of the buying process) That's whack. So here's an in-depth breakdown to fix that: → How to build champions, by building business cases together. In a way they've internalized the storyline (go read Michael Shields' latest post on what happens when they don't). 1/ Start light with a few sentences on 1 page + placeholders. Know the questions and gaps you need to fill in. → “Hey, if I plan to build out a recap before our call with [ next stakeholder ], Are you down to add a comment or two on waht I've missed before?” Gain agreement live, then drop your recap into a shared space. (Go look below my name on this for frameworks to start with) 2/ Co-sell the problem first. - At the start of the next call, pull up what you wrote. - Include your (potential) champion’s comments to showcase the collab. - The key is that THEIR name shows up in your doc. Not yours. Which is how you "rent" their track record to back the words on the screen. Then pull in the next contact’s point of view: → “Here’s where we left off after our last convo. What stands out, and what are we missing from your point of view?” 3/ Assign actions and track down customer data. Add some placeholder data inside and say: → “No doubt I’m off base here, this is based on our typical customer benchmark. So wondering who we could work with to update this?” People can’t help but correct what’s inaccurate. It’s a great way to test if you’re actually building a champion too. Do they follow through? Do they make time in a busy calendar? And, very important: can they get things done internally? 4/ Continue to update and develop async. Talk *specifically* about what you’ll both do between meetings. (People tend to follow through on verbal commitments.) It keeps momentum high, and it’s like this quote from Jeff Bezos: → "The great memos are written and re-written, shared with colleagues who are asked to improve the work, set aside for a couple days, then edited again with a fresh mind. They simply can't be done in a day or two." 5/ Show your work-in-progress to the exec sponsor. Ask them to weigh in early. They should see it long before they sign off. The big faux pas here is making the “big presentation” the first time they see it. (I like sharing in edit mode, with everyone’s comments in view. It changes the posture to a working session & listening. Not presentation & pitching.) The process works, and it’s way more fun to sell this way. Selling with buyers > selling to. What tips would you add in?