I believe the number one responsibility of every sales leader is to help their salespeople reach their potential. The success of every sales leader is measured by the success of the people on their team. No sales leader is successful on their own. It takes the success of the individuals on the team to achieve the goals the sales leader sets, which are typically based on past performance and the growth expectations of the company.

Beginning a new year means new goals as well as new challenges, such as a change in the economy, a shift in supply and demand, and a pandemic that many of us thought, or at least hoped, would be gone by now. As a sales leader, you must ask yourself, “what training is needed to take our team to the next level?”

I believe that sales training needs to be personalized for each individual on the team as each salesperson likely has a different level of experience as well as varying strengths and weaknesses. Evaluating each salesperson’s performance and coaching them on the recommended training needed throughout the year will improve their chances of meeting their goals.

Twenty-five years ago, training was done for the entire team. Unfortunately, not everyone received the same value because they had different needs. Today it’s different. With the increased use of online training and training on demand, we now can make training customized for each person on the team.

You may be wondering, “How do I determine what each salesperson needs?”

It starts with a conversation with each of your team members. What are their personal goals? Where would they like to improve and would you as the leader agree? Where else would you like them to improve?

Another factor to consider is the salesperson’s personality style.

In my Four People Personality Style Assessment, we identified four styles that each have different strengths and also different areas of focus. A Blue personality is called the Relator. Their strength and priority is on relationship building. That is natural and easy for a Blue to do. Blue’s will focus on building a trusting relationship, but sometimes will not have a sense of urgency on moving the sales forward.

A Gold personality is the Director. They are highly organized, and goal driven, but sometimes they can be too aggressive on closing the deal without building the relationship that the Blue can.

A Green personality is the Detective. They are great at problem solving and problem finding by asking the detailed questions that can differentiate them from the competition. But the Green is like the Blue and might not be as adept at closing a sale.

And finally, an Orange personality is the Activator. They love the thrill of the hunt, beating the competition and building the relationship, but can lack in providing important details.

I bring up these differences in the personality styles not just to highlight their strengths and areas where they can improve, but to help sales leaders be aware of what sales training might be the best for each style. For one if might be prospecting skills, while for another it can be closing skills. As we move into the new year, let’s start to plan our training for each person and what would best maximize their performance.

Throughout the year I will highlight different trainings and discuss how each personality style can benefit from the training based on what matters most to that style.

We wish you a successful new year in all your sales endeavors!

Good selling!

©2022 Stu Schlackman