Jump-starting sales - how small business owners can find sales-training programs - Brief Article

Nation's Business, Oct, 1995 by Laurie M. Litvan

Experts answer our readers' questions about starting and running their businesses.

Our small company distributes hedge trimmers and other garden equipemtn to hardware stores, most of which are mom-and-pop operations. To build long-term relationships with these costomers, we want our four salesmen to be perceived not just as order takers but also as business consultants.

Where can we find a training program that can give our sales staff insight into the day-to-day challenges of running a small retail business?

S.B., Malvern Ark.

Since it's generally easier to keep a customer than to find a new one, many firms constantly strive to create closer relationships with clients.

Your company appears representative of the increasing number of small firms that want salespeople to be viewed by customers as problem solvers who can grapple with their big-picture concerns, says Peter Bonner, senior vice president of the American Society for Training and Development, in Alexandria, Va.

Bonner and other training experts say it's important that you find a program tailored closely to your business situation. The training program then will make a lasting impression on your sales force.

Companies that specialize in sales training are listed in the Yellow Pages of your telephone book under Sales Training.

The American Management Association, in New York, is another excellent source of customized sales-training seminars. You can call the group at (212) 586-8100.

College and university business schools also offer sales-training courses that could be useful. Some schools even design study programs to meet the needs of particular businesses, says Charles Hickman, director of projects and services at the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business, in St. Louis.

You can narrow your search for a sales-training program by using Bricker's International Directory of University-Based Executive Programs, published by Peterson's Guides Inc. This $325 publication is available at many business-school libraries.

Once you have identified what you think is a suitable training program, be sure to check references with other business owners who have used the program, Hickman suggests. "You don't want to jump at the first thing you hear about," he says.

While you're at it, you might want to contact Sales and Marketing Executives International. Last year, the Cleveland-based group began a certification program for sales representatives that might provide additional credibility with customers. The group can be reached at (216) 771-6650.

Also, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in Washington, D.C., has just launched the Small Business Institute, a training program that offers seven series of books tailored to various business situations, including sales. (See "A New Opportunity For Learning," on Page 51.)

Finally, Bonner suggests that your salespeople read The One-to-One Future, by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers (Currency Doubleday, $22). The book examines various approaches to building long-term ties to clients.