With a more than ample amount of experience in training and management of sales forces for various companies, we have seen all types and styles of training. As complicated as someone makes it, the truth is, there are only two types of trainings that can ever be given to a sales team to improve closing ratios (the number of presentations made vs. the number of sales made). The first is product (or service) training and the second is self-improvement training.

The first type of training is relatively straight forward and easy to implement. You can have an intricate product that has thousands of moving parts or you could provide a complex service involving finance, real estate, taxation, or legal matters but no matter the product or service, it is simple to mold a training program.

To do this, you simply need to understand what the product or service is, what is important to the customer when making their decisions, and what information the sales person will want to have in order to fulfill the customers’ needs. This is very clear in terms of ‘need to know’ information. You can create a book, manual, or straight forward training system to get all parties up to speed in short order.

Now we move on to the “self-improvement training” of a sales force which is the most overlooked, under-utilized, and most valuable training of all. There are sales-specific subjects in this category such as how to sell, how to get prospects to buy from you, how to get customers to like you, how to increase your sales, how to attract your customer, how to move prospects to action… basically, how to do EVERYTHING having to do with sales. There are also non-sales-specific subjects in this category like building rapport, communicating effectively, being a good listener, and how to ask action-empowering questions.

These are the kinds of trainings that companies overlook. However, we’ll let you in on a secret. The top salespeople in your company know about them and have sought out this training and it has led directly to their success. If you’re the owner of a company, get on board and incorporate this type of training for your team… But this particular article is for the sales person who is seeking greater success in spite of their company’s training.

If you are a sales person, you may recognize the need for additional training. If not, ask yourself, “Am I an expert in all of the topics mentioned above?” If you aren’t, then take advantage of additional training. If you already recognize why it’s beneficial then the next question is, “Where do I start?”

There are numerous sales techniques and sales training systems out there. You can’t really go wrong if you simply start anywhere. The point is that you start. Nonetheless, we have a great tip for you, which has magnified our success. It’s been invaluable.

Early in our careers, we were taught that there was a difference between being a “powerful” sales person and one that relies on a “forceful” approach to make his/her sales. Power vs. Force. At first glance it may seem as though they are the same, but in reality, they aren’t. They are very different. Mastering the difference, will jumpstart your sales career in a HUGE way.

An inward-focused sales person is focused on their sales results. It could be said that this is common to new people in sales, but unfortunately, the newbies eventually become career sales people and get stuck in old habits. The key here is that they learn about what they are selling, they learn the sales script, and off they go. They “pitch” the same script to every customer that walks through the door. These men and women “force” their point of view about the product on every customer. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but most often it provides them with enough of an income that they are satisfied with the results. Have you experienced that? Have you done it yourself?

The other approach is the utilization of power. By choosing this technique, the salesperson listens, asks clarifying questions, and fulfills the needs of the customer, not themselves. The “powerful” salesperson is more inclined to pay attention to what the customer wants, and the goal is to focus on the customer. Insure that they are satisfied, that your product is well-suited to them, and to satisfy their requirements. This sales person can identify the personality type of the customer, and adjust their approach to suit the person in front of them. They are outward focused.

There is no way for us to cover all of the details on how you do this here. Instead, our goal in this post is to make you aware of the difference between using POWER in your sales approach rather than FORCE. It is crucial to your success.

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