Structuring Short Sales Training Modules

Your 20-hour training program has 12% completion rates. And you're trying to figure out what went wrong with the content. Actually, NOTHING went wrong with the content. You just designed an engineering curriculum for people who aren't engineers. :) Salespeople are not precept learners. They don't want three hours of foundational knowledge so they can access the thing they actually need in week four. They're just-in-time learners. They need the answer now. When the deal is stalling. When the prospect asks a question they can't answer. THAT'S when they learn. In the moment. Under pressure. With immediate application. But enablement keeps designing programs like we're teaching computer science. Module 1 builds to Module 2. Module 2 unlocks Module 3. Precept upon precept. Which works great for marketing teams. For engineers. For finance people. But salespeople? Most of them weren't straight-A students. I know for damned sure that I wasn't. 🕺 They didn't get technical degrees. They're not carving out three hours over the next 45 days to absorb information they might need eventually. They'll memorize enough to pass your assessment. Get their 80% completion certificate. And by Monday, they've forgotten everything because it was never presented in the context of actual need. I've seen companies require 22 hours of training after an acquisition. Everyone passes. Everyone gets certified. Three months later, nobody can actually sell the new product. Because they learned it the way you wanted to teach it, NOT the way they actually learn. Just-in-time content works instead. Searchable. Bite-sized. Delivered at the moment of need. - Stuck at discovery? Three questions that unstick it. - Pushback on price? The objection handling framework. - Need to explain a technical feature? Two-minute explainer. Not a 90-minute course on discovery methodology. Not a full certification program. The specific thing they need right now to move the deal forward. Your LMS should work like Google, not like graduate school. Low adoption rates might just mean you're asking folks to learn the way you learn instead of the way they actually work.

Not every sales rep needs a 90 minute workshop… Sometimes, they just need a kind of an espresso shot of insight. Strong, short, to get through the next call or presentation. A while back, I was rolling out a new sales training initiative and noticed something strange. The big workshops? Polished. Packed. Well received. But three weeks later, reps were still fumbling through product stories and dodging key objections. So I tried something smaller. Much smaller. I introduced Micro Tuesdays. Short, focused bursts of learning. One key insight, one tool, one example. Delivered in under 10 minutes. Sometimes it was a Slack voice note. Sometimes a quick video breakdown of a live call. Other times, just a one slide walkthrough on how to handle a common pricing objection. The difference? It stuck. Reps started asking for the next one. What I learned? In sales enablement, consistency beats complexity. Micro learnings don’t overwhelm. They meet people where they are, in the flow of their day and build momentum over time. Big training moments still matter, but let’s not underestimate the power of a well timed, well placed spark. Are you using micro learnings in your enablement strategy? I’d love to hear what’s working for you. #SalesEnablement #MicroLearning #L&D #CoachingInTheFlow #LearningThatSticks

My “new sales hire” training strategy for 2024. Hired a new salesperson for your agency? Here’s how you set them up for success. New salespeople have no idea what you think a good pitch looks like, or how to price it. Documenting is key to scaling sales. As a founder, your current sales process is likely in your head - or your sales lead's. To build a successful sales team, you need to: - Extract this - Put it into modules - Streamline it for consumption So that every salesperson you hire knows the exact process you use. The first 4 weeks are crucial. Each new salesperson should get hands-on experience from Day 1… or at least by the end of the first week. Having the right steps laid out for them will make this 100x smoother. Invest in an L&D platform (like Go1) or create a heavily documented wiki with bite-sized steps. This is what I recommend including on the platform of your choice: ----- Asset Templates: + Sales Deck + Cold Calling Email + Cold Calling Scripts + Discovery Call Questions + Outbound Prospecting Process + Sample pitch decks (various industries) + Pitch deck creation training (bite-sized videos). + Sample emails (for each stage of the sales process) ----- Week 1: → Setting up systems. Get them onboarded → Learning based on key assets → Sit in on 10 discovery calls → Make 10 outbound calls ----- Week 2 + 3: → Do 10 discovery calls for smaller leads (live manager feedback) → Create 2 pitch decks + manager feedback (for 2 live prospects) → Continue to work their way through assets ----- Week 4: → Pitch 2 small “real” pitches ($1-2k) + manager feedback → The manager asks them to re-pitch (internally) till they’re happy. → Sales rep does the follow-up, and keeps manager cc’d to get feedback. ----- Continue this process and - By month 3: ↪ Aim to have the sales rep closing a minimum of $10k MRR/month By month 6: ↪ Aim to have the sales rep closing minimum $15k MRR/month ----- Sounds like a lot of effort? It is, but 100% worth it. This is the only way you’ll scale and move the sales process away from you. Document the whole process. Make BETTER resources as you go. Focus on getting the first 4 weeks done. And then work towards the 6 months goal. Whilst you’re at it, always think about: If I had a new salesperson tomorrow... How can I make their learning experience easier? The more detail, the better. And as more salespeople go through the process, ask them for feedback. Over time, you’ll build a valuable resource that will be instrumental in scaling your sales team. The time and effort will be worth it. Trust me. — 👋 → Hey, I’m Wasif, an agency mentor & coach.  → Want to add another $1.5M ARR to your agency in a year? → Book a free 1:1 consultation on my profile. 

99% of sales kickoffs rely on lectures and powerpoint decks. The problem is that we forget most of what we don’t put into practice within the first 24 hours — it means by the flight home you’re more likely to remember the bar than the class. It’s a scary thought when you realize everything from a lecture to a sales kickoff rests on “learning now to use much later” Here’s what does work: 1 - Short, frequent bursts: Forget the day-long marathons. Give reps quick, focused insights—delivered over time. Think 10-minute chunks that actually stick. Real change happens with repetition. 2 - Use it or lose it: If reps aren’t putting what they learn into practice immediately, it’s gone. Live call reviews, role plays, real-world scenarios—get them using it fast. That’s how you build mastery. 3 - Tight feedback loops: Real growth needs fast feedback. Quick critiques, real-time coaching, continuous reinforcement—keep reps sharp and evolving. Old-school training doesn’t cut it anymore. Sales moves too fast. Training needs to keep pace.

Sales Training Content That Doesn’t Make You Sleepy Let’s be honest - Half the sales training out there feels like reading a 90s instruction manual. Too long, too dry, and somewhere between “quota math” and “call etiquette,” you’ve already lost the room. But here’s the catch: Salespeople are already pros at spotting boring content. If they wouldn’t sit through a dull pitch, why would they sit through a dull training? So what works? Make it snackable Think Netflix episodes, not 3-hour documentaries. Break it down into short, punchy modules. The goal isn’t to drown them, it’s to hook them. Roleplays > Slides Slides don’t win deals. Conversations do. Get them practicing real-world objections and watch the lightbulb moments pop. Stories Sell Instead of saying “build rapport,” tell the story of a rep who turned a “not interested” into a closed deal. That sticks way longer than bullet points. Add a splash of fun Quizzes, competitions, and even a leaderboard. If salespeople love anything, it’s a bit of healthy competition. At the end of the day, engaging training isn’t about teaching; it’s about making people want to learn. Give them content that feels like it could actually help them crush their next call, not something they’ll forget the second the Zoom ends. So here’s my question: If you had to sit through a sales training tomorrow, what’s one thing you’d want it to include (or absolutely avoid)? #SalesTraining #Enablement #LearningThatSticks #SalesLife #GrowthMindset