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Sales training programs are structured to help beginners and experienced sales reps perfect their craft. They cover different aspects of the sales pipeline and include communication skills to build long-term customer relationships.
Today, the vast majority of sales are conducted digitally. The boardrooms have been replaced with Zoom meetings, and the Rolodex is your CRM. While traditional classroom workshops and on-demand courses used to be sufficient, this approach to training is laborious and often ineffective for today’s fast-paced work environments.
Some sales training software is replacing the traditional long courses altogether with just-in-time learning, to enable sales teams with precisely what they need to know, when and where they need to know it.
In this blog post, we will cover key elements of effective sales training programs, an in-depth list of training programs & courses, and commonly asked questions regarding sales training.
Let’s get started.
Sales Training Defined
Sales training is the process of improving the skills, knowledge, and techniques of sales teams so they can engage better with customers, identify their needs, and close deals. It also provides salespeople with the strategies to overcome objections and deliver compelling sales pitches. Sales training is usually delivered through interactive sessions, role-playing exercises, and real-world simulations that help participants practice and refine key skills.
The process focuses on product knowledge, market analysis, and competitive positioning. When sales teams stay updated on industry trends and understand the features and benefits of their products, they gain the confidence of customers and can address concerns effectively.
Sales training also helps teams refocus their lens on the customer, encouraging them to build long-lasting relationships rather than just completing transactions. This is important because communication skills like active listening help salespeople connect with customers on a deeper level and tailor their pitches to specific needs.
Sales Training Example
A great example of a platform that is embracing the future of sales training is Spekit. Spekit provides just-in-time enablement throughout every step of the sales funnel, ensuring reps can access crucial training and resources when needed. The platform frees sales teams from looking for scattered content across different locations by centralizing the resources in a single platform. Immediate access to FAQs, up-to-date decks, and sales playbooks minimizes interruptions, allowing teams to concentrate on selling.
Spekit’s sales training also integrates directly with other tools in their workflow, like HubSpot and Salesforce, so that no matter where a sales rep is working, they have access to the knowledge they need to be successful.
Spekit also ensures training is always ongoing through a concept called Everboarding. Everboarding acknowledges that our professional growth is a journey and enables employees to learn as they go. The platform provides in-app alerts for important updates like new processes, policies, and changes, keeping your team always aware. And, because training cannot be complete without analytics.
Spekit offers real-time analytics that helps you understand what content your sales reps engage with, where they struggle, and where gaps exist to make targeted improvements. It also allows for quick knowledge checks without disrupting productivity, helping your team retain information better.
The Spekit platform enables cross-functional productivity by fueling collaboration between sales and marketing teams. This connection increases revenue growth by streamlining operations and implementing effective strategies to drive sales success.
Book a call with the Spekit team to see how it works.
Key Elements of an Effective Sales Training Program
Sales training is important for your team to excel in their roles. Today, training methods have evolved beyond just day-long or week-long seminars. You must now adapt your training methods to align with modern work trends.
Here are the key elements of an effective sales training program and why they matter:
Sales Training Courses
Sales training courses provide foundational knowledge and techniques that help sales professionals understand their role better. However, how we work has evolved, especially with remote work becoming the norm, so learning needs to become more agile today. The National Education Association has suggested that new methods that reinforce better learning include spaced learning over time, linking concepts, and including visuals. This is why just-in-time learning aligns with the demands of today’s workforce.
Sales Training Software
Post-pandemic, budgets have become more constrained for many organizations, and leaders are looking to enhance productivity without overwhelming employees. Modern sales training software like Spekit helps reinforce learning within the sales flow of work, making it easy to access knowledge and resources on time. With the ability to integrate learning into daily tasks, sales teams can apply what they’ve learned in real-life scenarios. This approach ensures that training isn’t a one-time thing but a continuous practice that creates the right sales process for your organization.
Sales Training Coaches
A skilled sales training coach can transform a good salesperson into a great one. They can help uncover why your sales team is failing and help hone their skills, overcome challenges, and improve their performance. A great coach understands the unique challenges salespeople face and provides guidance and constructive feedback that helps nurture individual strengths and address weaknesses. This makes them a valuable asset in any training program.
Sales Training Certifications
Sales training certifications formally recognize an individual’s expertise and proficiency in sales. Earning a certification shows a commitment to continuous learning and mastery of sales techniques. Certifications improve a salesperson’s credibility with customers and prospects and open doors to career advancements. They prove their dedication to staying updated with industry best practices. Some popular sales certifications include; Inbound Sales Certification by HubSpot, B2B Phone Skills Training by SalesBuzz, and Full MEDDIC Courses by MEDDIC Academy.
Best Sales Training Programs & Courses
Below is a comprehensive list of 27 of the best training programs and courses today:
1. B2B Phone Skills Improvement Program by SalesBuzz
The B2B Phone Skills Improvement Program by SalesBuzz offers a phone sales training course designed to enable sales development representatives (SDRs), business development representatives (BDRs), and account executives (AEs) with courses on overcoming call reluctance, enhancing confidence, and improving sales performance. Comprising eight one-hour sessions, the program delves into essential topics such as crafting compelling opening value statements, navigating gatekeepers, formulating engaging questions, qualifying prospects, delivering impactful presentations, handling objections, and honing closing skills.
Delivery Method: Self-paced online course
Duration: Eight weeks
Pricing: SalesBuzz requires users to contact them for a quote to access pricing information
2. Consultative Selling Skills by Richardson
Consultative Selling Skills focuses on the structure of sales conversations, offering a template for engaging in buyer-centered dialogues. Central to this program is the Consultative Selling Framework, which equips sales professionals with a replicable process to improve the effectiveness of sales interactions. The program is designed to enable sales professionals to understand the challenges faced by customers, enabling them to present their solutions in a more impactful manner. Consultative Selling Skills trains sales teams on six selling skills, including; prospecting, discovery, positioning, resolving objections, closing, and growing accounts.
Delivery Method: Virtual instructor-led sessions, traditional workshops, blended learning approaches, and digital learning modules.
Duration: 1 or 2-day ILT workshops, two or four 4-hour VILT workshops, pre and post-digital learning.
Pricing: Richardson Sales Performance requires users to contact them to access pricing information
3. Critical Selling Skills by Janek Performance Group
Critical Selling Skills equips sales professionals with the skills to engage customers. The program is designed to enable sales teams with tailored sales training and consulting solutions, offering courses to pique customer interest, establish trust, convey the value of their offerings, close deals, and improve their efficiency in dealing with customers. The program also guides sales professionals in differentiating themselves from competitors through a value-centric sales approach. Learners acquire skills in planning sales calls, setting objectives, and utilizing pre-call planning tools.
Delivery Method: Onsite instructor-led training, virtual instructor-led training, on-demand blended learning, train-the-trainer.
Duration: Self-paced online learning
Pricing: Janek Performance Group requires users to contact them to access pricing information.
4. Enterprise Selling Training by Sandler
Sandler‘s Enterprise Selling (SES) Training is a program tailored for large enterprises, decentralized sales teams, franchisors, and national or multinational sales organizations. The program offers a systematic approach to sales training using a cross-functional language for the different teams and departments involved. Participants also undergo leadership training, gaining insights for career advancement. Sandler uses trainers experienced in the Sandler sales methodology to conduct the program. (SES) enables organizations dealing with complex accounts with an enterprise selling system, which can be initiated, monitored, and tested at any phase of the sales process.
Delivery Method: Book
Duration: Self-paced
Pricing: Sandler requires users to contact them to access pricing information
5. Foundations of Consultative Selling by RAIN Group
Foundations of Consultative Selling is a training program that equips sellers with skills throughout the sales process. The program introduces strategies and tactics designed for guiding sales conversations, starting from greetings to securing commitment. The program offers a curriculum spanning the entire sales cycle, covering prospecting, advanced consultative selling, virtual selling, winning major sales, effective account management, and proficient sales management. In addition, the program is tailored for adult learners, and each module is a self-contained topic comprising pre-course work, classroom sessions, practical assignments, and coaching for application.
Delivery Method: Onsite instructor-led training, virtual instructor-led training, hybrid training, Self-study sales training
Duration: Self-paced
Pricing: RAIN Group requires users to contact them for a consultation
6. Full MEDDPICC by MEDDIC Academy
The MEDDIC Academy combines the Full MEDDIC courses with an interactive workshop. The program comprises ten modules. These modules include the original MEDDIC fundamentals practiced at PTC, quiz, certificate of completion, 90-minute cumulated videos, and 60 slides. Additionally, it incorporates the extra MEDDPICC add-on, expanding its scope. Upon completing the program, participants join the MEDDIC Academy Alumni on LinkedIn.
Delivery Method: Online
Duration: Typically completed in approximately 2 hours by learners
Pricing:
- Full MEDDPICC: $297 for the first year, then $97/year
- Advanced MEDDPICC: $597 for the first year, then $197/year
- MEDDPICC for Managers: $797 for the first year, then $247/year
- MEDDPICC for Trainers: $3970 one-time purchase
7. High-Impact Sales Management Training by Sales Readiness Group
The High-Impact Sales Management Training equips sales managers with skills and tools to nurture, guide, and lead sales teams. The program is tailored to enhance coaching abilities, manage sales performance, and improve top-line outcomes. The High-Impact Sales Manager program offers courses on five skill areas within sales management: Sales Coaching, Performance Management, Recruitment and Selection, Territory Oversight, and Sales Projection. The program also incorporates scenario-based exercises, business-specific simulations, and role-playing activities.
Delivery Method: Virtual instructor-led training, instructor-led training, digital blended learning
Duration: Two days onsite or seven 2-hour VILT sessions
Pricing: Sales Readiness Group requires users to contact them for a consultation
8. IMPACT Sales Team Training by The Brooks Group
IMPACT Sales Team Training offers a sales process to boost deal closures for sales teams. The program revolves around the IMPACT Selling® approach, characterized by a buyer-centric focus, and is delineated by six steps in the sales cycle: Investigate, Meet, Probe, Apply, Convince, and Tie-it-up. This approach aims to improve sales funnel predictability and foster dialogues that drive the sale forward. Through this training program, sales teams gain tools to research and connect with target corporate businesses and buyer personas.
Delivery Method: In-person, virtual
Duration:
- In-person: 2 days, 8 and a half hours
- Virtual: 2hr sessions 3 days a week in 6 sessions
Pricing:
- In-person: $2,495 per seat
- Virtual: 2,195 per seat
9. Inbound Sales Training by HubSpot
HubSpot’s Inbound Sales Training is a program offered by HubSpot Academy. The course is designed to enable individuals with the skills to execute inbound sales strategies. It is tailored for a diverse audience, including; small business owners, sales professionals, sales managers, and individuals. Participants will also be trained on; understanding how inbound sales can change their approach to diverse buying behaviors, identifying and targeting the right buyers, and developing conversation techniques that guide prospects and lead to more deals.
Delivery Method: Online
Duration: Three hours and twelve minutes
Pricing: Free
10. Insight Selling by RAIN Group
Insight Selling is a consultative selling program that equips sales professionals with the skills to create sales opportunities. The program covers two aspects of insight selling: interaction insight and opportunity insight. Interaction insight focuses on generating value by creating insights during conversations between buyers and sellers. Opportunity insight centers on initiating and winning sales opportunities by driving change through ideas. Participants also learn how to motivate buyers, act as catalysts for change, and distinguish themselves based on the value they offer.
Delivery Method: Onsite instructor-led training, virtual instructor-led training, hybrid training, Self-study sales training
Duration: Self-paced
11. Introduction to MEDDIC by MEDDIC Academy
Introduction to MEDDIC is a complementary course offered by MEDDIC Academy. It provides an overview of the MEDDIC and MEDDPICC® sales methodology within a brief session. The course emphasizes the importance of the MEDDIC checklist, enabling an objective assessment of sales campaign qualification levels and forecasting confidence. Unchecked items on the checklist guide the sales team toward appropriate actions in the account, facilitating the path to closing more deals.
Delivery Method: Online
Duration: Fifteen minutes
Pricing: Free
12. JB Sales by John Barrows
JB Sales provides sales training solutions for both teams and individuals. They offer team training programs, individual courses, live training sessions, an OnDemand Library, and 1:1 coaching. JB Sales also delivers keynote presentations that provide execution tools. Spekit, in collaboration with John Barrows, offers accessible training content templates that ensure sales knowledge is readily available within various sales tools, closing the sales productivity gap and growing revenue.
Delivery Method: Team training, individual training, keynotes, 1:1 coaching
Duration: Varies training method
Pricing: Varies by training method
13. Next Level Sales Team by Lori Richardson
Next Level Sales Team is a program designed to enable sales teams with interpersonal skills, process refinement techniques, and 21 core sales competencies.. The course also offers strategies for implementation, including five methods to improve team results and three approaches for improving sales velocity. With roots in sales traced back to her grandmother’s apparel store, Lori Richardson founded Score More Sales, aiding mid-sized companies in hiring and evaluating sales teams. In 2015, she founded Women Sales Pros, focusing on gender diversity in sales leadership.
Delivery Method: In person
Duration: Not specified
Pricing: Lori Richardson requires users to contact them for a consultation
14. Outbound Sales Training by Aslan
Outbound Sales Training is a program to train sales reps in making calls to cold or inactive clients. Their approach integrates sales coaching and training through a process that covers assessment, preparation, and transformation. It teaches 18 different skills for phone sales in the program called Telegence. Telegence is aimed at improving the way sales reps sell in an outbound environment and ensuring they develop the skills to bridge the revenue gap between them and unreceptive buyers.
Delivery Method: Virtual and instructor-led workshop
Duration: Two-day
Pricing: Aslan requires users to contact them to access pricing information
15. Sales Assembly Membership
Sales Assembly Membership provides a platform tailored for Go-to-Market (GTM) teams. They focus on skill development by offering personalized training for each team member. Their approach includes various learning formats and resources to bridge skill gaps, accelerate learning, improve confidence, and boost team performance. Sales Assembly emphasizes community-based learning, bringing sales professionals to share insights. The platform ensures accessible learning opportunities for revenue teams, by offering various training and certifications through their membership.
Pricing: Sales Assembly requires users to contact them to access pricing information
16. Sales Certification from Sandler
The Certified Sales Leadership Training Program by Sandler enables sales professionals to improve their sales expertise as they complete two certification levels; Bronze and Silver. The Bronze certification level incorporates metrics to assess participants’ understanding of Sandler principles, skills, and behaviors. The Silver certification level measures how well participants can apply the Sandler principles to their day-to-day sales activities. The program offers courses in 16 different skills and competency and role-play demonstrations monitored by the participant’s sales manager.
Delivery Method: Face-to-face instructor-led, online supported
Duration: Virtual sessions held over weeks
Pricing: Sandler requires users to contact them to access pricing information
17. Sales Negotiation Training by Negotiation Experts
Sales negotiation training by Negotiation Experts aims to improve sales professionals’ skills through interactive role plays, group discussions, and feedback coaching. The training uses a negotiation simulation game to provide personalized insights, which allows participants to practice negotiation techniques. The program focuses on key outcomes, including increasing margins, reducing risks and compromises, creating value, optimizing deal styles, and steering negotiations toward collaboration. Participants also undergo assessments, providing personalized reports and certificates, which aid knowledge retention and improve ROI.
Delivery Method: In-person and online
Duration: 32 hours
Pricing: Customized according to your organization’s needs
18. Sales Performance Training by Richardson
Sales Performance Training is a program designed to give sales professionals the skills and strategies to drive sales growth. The program is offered by Richardson Sales Performance, a company formed in 2020 through the merger of Richardson and Sales Performance International (SPI). The training offers a selling methodology that includes agile, analytical, and buyer-aligned skills grounded in behavioral science.
Delivery Method: Live, virtual and digitally enabled
Duration: Not specified
Pricing: Richardson requires interested parties to contact them to access pricing information
19. Sales Training by Aslan
Sales Training by Aslan includes three programs which are; Other-Centered® Selling, ACCESS™, and Strategic Account Management. The Other-Centered® Selling approach provides training on eliminating buyer resistance, emphasizing influence and service over traditional selling. The ACCESS™ program aids sellers to secure meetings and expand existing accounts. The Strategic Account Management program, designed for account managers, enables account managers to build account footprints and leverage the internal team to create strategies.
Delivery Method: Virtual and in-person
Duration: Half-day, one day or two days
Pricing:
For up to 20 reps per workshop:
- Half day: $5,000 – $7,500
- 1-Day: $9,000 – $12,500
- 2-Day: $14,000 – $19,500
20. Scaling Sales Course by Spekit
The Scaling Sales Course by Spekit offers a comprehensive seven-hour program for sales enablement and RevOps professionals. This free course provides access to valuable lessons from the experiences of over a dozen contributors and seven industry experts from renowned companies. Spekit also offers a rich collection of free content templates, playbooks, and guides that cover various topics, including sales prospecting, CRM usage, sales processes, financial services, marketing, and specific tools like Salesforce Lightning, Outreach.io, ZoomInfo, LinkedIn, HubSpot, TaskRay, and more.
With Spekit’s templates, teams can enable their members in minutes, providing valuable insights into tools, revenue plays, and best practices. In addition, the scaling sales course covers essential topics, including designing a sales playbook, creating effective onboarding processes, managing change, selecting and maximizing sales tech, building growth models, and training and retaining sales representatives. Upon completion, learners receive a certificate to show their newly earned expertise in scaling sales operations.
With Spekit, your team is efficient, productive, and focused — and you have confidence that your data is accurate.
Delivery Method: Online
Duration: 7 hours stretch or over three weeks
Pricing: Free
Book a demo with Spekit
21. Salesforce Sales Operations by Salesforce
Salesforce Sales Operations (SSO) offers processes and tools to streamline sales team activities. This includes sales forecasting, pipeline management, territory planning, and performance analysis. The SSO is integrated into the Salesforce Customer 360 platform, offering a unified customer view across departments. By automating administrative duties and enabling insights, Salesforce Sales Operations strives to improve sales processes, drive business growth, and aids in achieving sales objectives within the Salesforce ecosystem.
Delivery Method: Online
Duration: Not specified
Pricing: Salesforce offers a free trial but requests for users to contact them to access pricing information.
22. Selling for Impact by Winning by Design
The Selling for Impact course by Winning by Design enables Account Executives, Sales Managers, and transitioning Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) with skills to improve communication, discovery, and closing techniques. Participants, limited to 25 per session, engage in experiential learning with role plays and real-world applications. The curriculum covers sales methodologies, communication strategies, discovery processes, storytelling, demo techniques, and negotiation skills.
Delivery Method: Live instruction/ Zoom video conference
Duration: 4 weeks. 8 hours total. 2-hour session each week
Pricing: $1,500 per seat
23. Show Me You Know Me by Sam Sales Consulting
The Sam Sales Consulting masterclass, Show Me You Know Me, is a program where participants learn to understand their buyers by conducting research, meeting them on their terms, and establishing connections based on the buyer’s interests and needs. Through the Show Me You Know Me approach, sales professionals can improve their sales performance and build stronger customer relationships.
Delivery Method: Online course
Duration: Self-paced
Pricing: $39
24. SPIN Selling by Miller Heiman Group
SPIN Selling is a sales strategy book written by Neil Rackham and popularized by Miller Heiman Group (now Korn Ferry). It emphasizes the role of asking questions in sales processes. The acronym SPIN stands for Situation, Problem, Implication, and Need-Payoff. This method involves posing inquiries that identify the customer’s specific situation, issues, and requirements. Using this gathered information, sales professionals can tailor solutions to meet those needs precisely.
Delivery Method: Virtual
Duration: 8 to 10 hours
25. Training & Consulting by Corporate Visions
Corporate Vision’s sales training program, the Customer Conversation System, tailors strategies for different stages in the Customer Deciding Journey. It incorporates research from decision science, enabling sales teams to initiate, create, elevate, capture, and expand value, in different aspects of the sales process. Corporate Vision’s approach is grounded in behavioral research, which offers scientifically tested sales techniques to navigate the complexities of B2B sales interactions.
Delivery Method: Online, instructor-led classroom and virtual, and ongoing training
Duration: Not specified
Pricing: Corporate Visions requires users to contact them to access pricing information
26. Value-Based Sales Training by ValueSelling Associates
ValueSelling Associates offers value-based sales training designed by salespeople, for salespeople. The process includes engaging leadership to understand sales challenges, diagnosing root causes, designing a tailored solution for each organization, and training sales teams collaboratively. The training cuts across various sales departments, including inside sales, major account sales, and channel sales.
Delivery Method: In-person, virtual and on-demand online courses.
Duration: Weekly sessions
Pricing: ValueSelling Associates requires users to book a consultation to access pricing information.
27. Winning with Relationship Selling by Dale Carnegie
The Dale Carnegie Sales Training: Winning with Relationship Selling course is aimed at professionals seeking to excel in sales and customer engagement. It focuses on a relationship-oriented approach that facilitates the buying process, identifies prospects and upselling opportunities, and leads to more sales. Key competencies include maintaining a positive attitude, taking the initiative, influencing outcomes, effective communication, professionalism, building relationships, and focusing on the customer experience.
Delivery Method: In-person
Duration: Once per week for 8 weeks or 3 consecutive days.
Pricing: Price varies by location and sessions
More About Sales Training
What should sales training include?
Sales training should include different basic elements like:
- Product Knowledge: Understanding the product or service, its features, benefits, unique selling points, and how it fulfills customer needs.
- Sales Techniques: Learning sales methodologies, negotiation skills, objection handling, and closing strategies.
- Market and Competitor Analysis: Understanding the market dynamics, competitor products, and industry trends to position products better.
- Customer Communication and Relationship Building: Effective communication skills like active listening and the ability to build and maintain relationships with customers.
- Understanding Buyer Behavior: Recognizing customer personas, decision-making processes, and the psychology of buying.
- Sales Tools and Technology: Mastery of modern sales training tools, CRMs, and other software used in the sales process.
- Role-Play and Practice: Hands-on experience through role-play scenarios and simulated sales situations.
- Sales Ethics and Compliance: Understanding ethics and regulations in sales.
How can I find sales training near me?
To find sales training near you, you should look at the following options:
- Local Training Providers: Check with local colleges, universities, or training institutions for in-person programs.
- Professional Associations: Industry-specific associations like the NASP and Sales Management Association often offer training programs, workshops, and events.
- Business Networking Groups: Attend local business networking events or groups where you can find recommendations.
- Online Search: Use search engines or online directories with location filters to find sales training providers near you.
- Social Media: Join professional networks like LinkedIn to connect with trainers and find local opportunities.
Which is the best sales training program for beginners?
The best sales training program for beginners may vary depending on your needs and industry requirements. But some of the most popular programs include:
- Scaling Sales Course by Spekit
- RAIN Selling: Foundations of Consultative Selling by RAIN Group
- The IMPACT Sales Team Training by Brooks Group
- SPIN Selling by Miller Heiman Group
- Winning with Relationship Selling by Dale Carnegie
- Sales Certification from Sandler
Bottom Line: Are Sales Training Programs Worth It?
The short answer is yes, they are valuable. Traditional courses have long been the go-to method for learning the ropes of sales and providing a solid foundation of knowledge for sales employees. However, with so many things fighting for our attention today, how we learn and absorb information has changed.
Just-in-time learning makes sales education more seamless by integrating directly into the tools that your sales teams already use. Instead of taking a lengthy course and hoping you remember all the crucial details later, just-in-time learning instantly can help you get sales tips, playbooks, and product information right when you’re about to make a pitch or handle a client’s query. This approach not only reinforces what you learn but also scales your sales skills more effectively.
This is precisely how Spekit does it for your revenue teams. In the traditional setup, marketing creates content, yet sales reps often struggle to access them. Spekit flips this by embedding resources like persona cards, case studies, campaign guidance, and event notifications directly into the workflow. This not only boosts sales and marketing effectiveness but also drives a significant increase in revenue. The platform is a centralized hub for all sales content, eliminating the chaos of scattered files and platforms.
The real-time accessibility of information reduces the time spent searching for resources, allowing reps to focus more on selling. Spekit also offers customizable training content, real-time analytics, and knowledge checks, ensuring every employee stays informed and engaged.
Ready to experience the Spekit difference? Schedule a demo today.
