RESET: Coaching vs. Sales Training

In this video, we talk about the difference between sales training and account development coaching.

We get asked all the time what’s the difference between sales training and what we do here at Wayne O’Neill and Associates, which is account development coaching. And I think it really boils down to a few fundamental differences, but a huge difference when we see– when we talk about and analyze sustainable results.

So sales training is really about a linear process that most the time involves individuals. You may pull them into a class. You may pull them into a training session. But it’s around how do you start the conversation with a customer, how do you develop that conversation with a customer, and continue to interact with a customer, as in how do I keep getting back in front of that client. Then how do you close and how do you bring that relationship that you started back here to result in, normally, a piece of scope or a project. And this is good. This can be effective, but it’s about individuals.

So the first big difference is account development coaching is about the team. What we see and we hear because we also coach customers and owners they don’t see just the sales force when they’re dealing with your company. They see leadership. They see technical people. So they’re looking for a connection process that involves technical people, that involves leadership, that also involves the sales team. And they see it as a tactical as well as a strategic process. And that many times makes it different from sales training.

In the middle part of the discussion, the facilitated part of the discussion, it’s about how do you really keep the conversation going around business and political issues. So you’re really talking about not just trying to keep in front of the client, but how do you deal with the kind of winding conversation that’s going to involve diverse members of your team and the client’s team. But the biggest punchline is how do you build and rebuild, during that connections process, a solution. A solution that obviously involves your service or your product, but how do you build that solution? Because what you really want that you start back here with multiple connection points is not just one piece of scope, but multiple projects– multiple profitable projects that keep a sustainable relationship going with the client.

So what’s the punchline? The punchline is about sustainability. Sales training can be effective, but what we’re telling you is the skill development of identifying a smart client, understanding how to leverage business and political issues, how to leverage project delivery partners or scope delivery partners gives you sustainable results.

Thanks for listening and be safe.