Communication for sales, could this be the deciding factor between the corner office or the exit door? Studies say yes.
Learn from the failures of others so you can shoot straight for success! Or at least weave towards success with more grace than those who came before.
Whether you’re the one receiving or sending someone to training, you understand the value of leadership and development programs for bringing up the leaders of today to carry the future success of tomorrow.
But many feel their experiences with leadership training simply wasn’t worth the time and money. Much of this frustration comes from what happens AFTER the class ends, though.
- Lack of support from higher up leaders
- Poor team development
- Poor communication skills across the board
- Lack of visible growth and progress
Lucky for you, you hold power to remedy these common issues!
Today we’re exploring reasons sales leadership training fails –and ways to fix them, so you can get –and be– a successful leader!
Failure #1: Excellence Doesn’t Happen In A Bubble
Many leadership training events create an isolated immersion experience.
While this is fantastic for shaking things up, if you don’t have a way to carry this into the daily workspace as well, the training won’t be very sticky and long-lasting.
Just think of the last time you attended a fun training experience with like-minded peers, all feeding off each other’s energy and excitement, sharing the same mission and direction like you’re all part of a new business revolution!
And then you come home, and daily life feels like a totally different reality.
You try sharing your favorite motivational piece with your neighbor, and they look at you like you’re a zealot. You ask your family to try this cool exercise you learned on goal setting as a group, and they all vote to pass on it.
That’s not to mention what it’s like trying to ignite and inspire your new team while trying to prove to your boss that you have what it takes to get the job done.
Little by little, your passion and inspiration are sucked dry by people and environments that simply don’t match and cultivate that which you experienced at the training, and before long, you’re right back into the normal flow of things.
The Solutions: Integration, Support, and Accountability
Your question as a leader (or leader of leaders) should be: How can I nurture and continue a positive professional environment where our training will be of use? Where they stay relevant, grow in proficiency, and become a habit instead of just being that thing you did.
- Create a peer group and stay in touch with some of your favorite fellow leaders from the training program to share experiences, tips, and support.
- Talk to your organizational leaders about their in-house support, integration, and continued training options they have available –or might be willing to invest in.
- Set time blocks in your schedule to review your training notes and areas you still feel need refreshing as it’s pretty much impossible to remember everything thrown at you during these immersion events.
- Keep a journal or start a file on areas you feel need additional support, practice, and integration –who knows, you may be writing the new leadership protocols as you advance in your company.
Failure #2: Thinking You’re Good To Go Once Training Is Complete
Whether you’re the one receiving the training or sending someone to training, understand that this is just the beginning.
You don’t take a class or two and suddenly have all the experience and qualities needed for excellent leadership.
Even Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, publicly states he values the proven abilities of a new hire over formal education. However, many people fall prey to believing they have everything they need to succeed after a training or two.
The fact is, you’re just getting started! Even if you’ve been in your industry for years, each new level of leadership and responsibility requires you to develop different parts of yourself you may not have needed before.
You need to get your team on board and have available resources, company backing, and genuine participation from all involved.
They say the crap rolls downhill, and in this case, it’s true! If you’re left high and dry to take on leadership in a company with no active support from leaders above and below you, you’re in for a rough ride.
No amount of training events can help a company that gives no support to their teams and leaders.
The Solutions:
- Find a mentor. Explore continuing opportunities for self and professional development, even if it’s listening to a podcast on the way to work, working with a respected mentor, or reading an article over your morning coffee.
- Invest in your team. Have meaningful and productive team and company meetings to ensure a vibrant company culture, unified cohesion, and rapid problem resolution.
- Track results and Master your craft. Don’t overlook cold, hard data! Make sure you have regular review sessions to spot areas needing more attention and recognizing what’s working really well.
Failure #3: Communicating Dreadfully Instead of Masterfully
This last part is glaringly obvious, but also horribly overlooked. Above everything else, masterful communication is the foundation all else rests on.
Can you listen as well as you talk? Effectively convey complex needs in a way everyone understands? Can you communicate professionally and personally at the same time? Are you consistent with powerful follow-through on your words? Do you know how to speak with gravity and warmth to ensure your words are received as are intended?
When you (or your team) lack these skills you’re destined to struggle in the areas that matter:
- Poor sales conversions
- Unhappy clients
- Unhappy staff
- Unhappy boss
- Inconsistent overall performance
If you have frequent misunderstandings, missed or delayed assignments, low conversions on sales calls, client complaints, and unproductive meetings, you need to look into your individual and collective communication trends.
Though communication is often covered in leadership training, they’re only so effective as they can’t take into account the entire workspace and multiple personalities and dynamics in play. They can only give generic suggestions, and while they matter, they aren’t the golden ticket.
It’s one thing to have communication basics, but what makes you masterful is understanding and communicating with a variety of styles as you find in everyday situations.
Are You Ready to Become a Communication Master?
One of the quickest and most effective ways of doing this is with my free Communication Assessment Style Quiz.
When you understand your Communication Style, you’re able to avoid many common issues and enjoy the multiple benefits of this powerful skill.
Benefits like:
- Greater team cohesion and performance as everyone is on the same page
- More confidence as you eliminate frequent misunderstandings and common communication barriers
- Greater client conversion and retention as they know when they reach out to you, good things happen
- More frequent advancement opportunities as your leaders recognize your skills and the value they hold in additional vital areas
If you’d like to have benefits like this and more, invest a few minutes towards taking the quiz, reviewing your profile, and you’ll be well on your way to mastery!
P.S. Feel free to share this link with your team members so you can know their style as well for better team communication and performance!
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