Check out this blog to know the advantages simulations can bring to your online sales training.
It is common sense that practice makes perfect, and this applies to sales training as well. The more your salespeople get an opportunity to practice their sales skills, the better they will be at selling. The objective of any sales training initiative should be to provide opportunities for practice.
In online sales training, the best way to do this would be through dialogue simulations. Simulations help learners practice their skills and are based on the premise that learning happens best through experience.
Sales simulations offer a set of scenarios ranging from how to respond when a client asks about a product, making a less interested client a lifelong customer, or pacifying an angry customer. These scenarios provide an interactive and stimulating learning experience while providing your salespeople the option of making mistakes and learning from them. Simulations will invigorate your sales training. To understand the changes simulations can bring to your sales training, it is important to know its advantages. We will discuss five of them here.
1. Provides learning through experience
As we mentioned earlier, simulations provide learning through experience. They comprise a set of scenarios which the learner may encounter in his job. The trainee has to use his critical thinking and problem-solving skills to successfully complete the activity. He can respond to the scenario without the fear of making mistakes.
Simulations help your trainees experience the consequences of their mistakes. Trainees will learn to identify areas of improvement on their own and will remember to apply it in real life sales situations.
Simulations create a realistic environment where learners can experiment with ‘what if’ scenarios and have the liberty of making mistakes and learning from them. Since this is basically learning by doing, simulations provide a kinesthetic learning experience because the learner immediately receives feedback for his response; he is able to quickly evaluate his decisions and reactions.
2. Helps create a personalized learning experience
Your sales team will usually be a diverse set of people in terms of experience. While some of the sales staff will already have experience, others may be new to the field. Employees with experience will already have been through some of the training which the new hires need to take. Simulation training allows learners to undertake only that training they need to. Have a set of simulations form the simple to the complex, and individuals can access them based on their learning needs.
Simulation scenarios can also be designed to be delivered through mobile phones which will make it easier for trainees to access the training that they require.
3. Brings unity in the team
When all salespersons undergo the same training, they share a common sense of purpose which creates a sense of co-operation and a willingness to help each other. Your employees are more likely to co-operate if they work toward a common goal. Training with simulations enables the sales team discuss and analyze scenarios with each other. This collaborative learning allows them to see the situation from a different viewpoint and helps deepen understanding.
4. Motivates staff to learn new techniques
Simulation training can be an eye-opener for your senior sales staff who are often set in their ways of doing work. This will open their eyes to new and innovative ways to approach customers and alternative ways to reach their performance targets. Training through simulations conveys this in a non-confrontational way and seeing actual scenarios that work can convince them to adopt new ways.
5. Makes it easy to assess the abilities of your sales team
This training allows sales managers to assess the abilities of team members. Simulations make it easy to assess the competency of individual members. This will help them understand what kind of training is required for the sales team and the gaps that need to be filled. It becomes easy to identify what each member of the team is good at and what he needs help with, and then tailor a suitable training program.
Training with simulations is an effective way to provide online training to your sales team. With the growth in technology and competent authoring tools, it has become easy to create simulations. A well-trained sales team is the backbone of your business; the result will be an increase in sales and the growth of your business.
