PSL sales training means gaining the tools to achieve competitive advantage.

Foundation Sales Training

Course Title: "Mastering the Basics of Sales: Building a Strong Foundation"

Introduction to Sales

Objective: Understand the fundamentals of sales and the role of a sales professional.

1. What is Sales?
   • Definition: The process of enabling rather than persuading someone to buy a product or service. The process of creating and keeping customers.
   • Importance of Sales: Driving revenue, building relationships and solving customer problems.
2. The Sales Process
   • Overview of the sales cycle: Prospecting, Qualifying, Presenting, Handling Objections, Closing, and Follow-Up.
   • Discussion: Why each stage is critical to success.
3. Traits of a Successful Salesperson
   • Key qualities: Communication skills, empathy, persistence and adaptability.
   • Self-Assessment: Reflect on your strengths and areas for improvement.

Understanding Your Product and Market

Objective: Learn how to effectively sell by understanding your product and target audience.

1. Product Knowledge
   • Why it matters: Confidence and credibility in sales conversations.
   • Activity: Create a product fact sheet highlighting key features, benefits, and unique selling points.
2. Market Research
   • Understanding your target audience: Demographics, pain points, and buying behaviour.
   • Activity: Analyze a competitor’s product and identify its strengths and weaknesses.
3. Value Proposition
   • How to articulate the value your product or service provides.
   • Activity: Craft a 30-second elevator pitch for your product.

Prospecting and Lead Generation

Objective: Learn how to identify and qualify potential customers.

1. What is Prospecting?
   • Definition: The process of finding potential customers who are likely to buy your product or service.
   • Sources of Leads: Referrals, social media, networking events, and cold outreach.
2. Qualifying Leads
   • The BANT Framework: Budget, Authority, Need, and Timing.
   • Activity: Role-play qualifying a lead using the BANT criteria.
3. Building a Prospect List
   • Tools and techniques for organising and tracking leads (e.g., CRM software).
   • Activity: Create a sample prospect list for your product or service.

Effective Communication

Objective: Develop communication skills to build rapport and trust with customers.

1. Active Listening
   • Why it matters: Understanding customer needs and building trust.
   • Techniques: Paraphrasing, reflecting feelings and asking open-started questions.
   • Activity: Practice active listening in a role-play scenario.
2. Asking the Right Questions
   • Types of questions: Open-ended, closed-ended, and probing questions.
   • Activity: Create a list of questions to uncover a customer’s pain points and needs.
3. Handling Objections
   • Common objections: Price, need, and trust.
   • Techniques: Acknowledge, clarify, and respond with value.
   • Activity: Role-play handling objections in a sales conversation.

Presenting and Demonstrating Value

Objective: Learn how to deliver compelling sales presentations.

1. Structuring Your Presentation
   • The AIDA Model: Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action.
   • Activity: Outline a sales presentation using the AIDA framework.
2. Tailoring Your Pitch
   • How to customise your presentation to address the customer’s specific needs.
   • Activity: Adapt your pitch for two different customer personas.
3. Using Storytelling in Sales
   • Why stories work: They create emotional connections and make your message memorable.
   • Activity: Craft a short story that highlights the benefits of your product.

Closing the Sale

Objective: Master techniques to confidently close deals.

1. Recognising Buying Signals
   • Verbal and non-verbal cues that indicate a customer is ready to buy.
   • Activity: Identify buying signals in a role-play scenario.
2. Closing Techniques
   • Common methods: Assumptive close, alternative close and urgency close.
   • Activity: Practice different closing techniques with a partner.
3. Handling Rejection
   • Why rejection is part of the process and how to stay motivated.
   • Tip: Use rejection as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Building Long-Term Customer Relationships

Objective: Learn how to retain customers and generate repeat business.

1. The Importance of Follow-Up
   • Why follow-up matters: Building trust and loyalty.
   • Activity: Create a follow-up plan for after a sale is closed.
2. Providing Exceptional Customer Service
   • How to exceed customer expectations and turn buyers into advocates.
   • Activity: Role-play resolving a customer complaint.
3. Upselling and Cross-Selling
   • Techniques for offering additional products or services.
   • Activity: Identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities for your product.

Sales Tools and Technology

Objective: Understand how to leverage tools and technology to enhance sales performance.

1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems
   • What is a CRM and why it’s essential for sales success.
   • Activity: Explore a CRM tool and input a sample lead.
2. Sales Automation Tools
   • How automation can save time and improve efficiency (e.g., email templates, scheduling tools).
   • Activity: Set up an automated email sequence for follow-ups.
3. Tracking and Analysing Performance
   • Key metrics: Conversion rates, average deal size, and sales cycle length.
   • Activity: Review a sample sales report and identify areas for improvement.

Course Features

• Interactive Elements: Role-playing, quizzes, and case studies.
• Resources: Sales scripts, templates, and tool recommendations.
• Certificate of Completion: Awarded to participants who complete all modules.

This foundation sales training course equips participants with the essential skills and knowledge to excel in sales, from prospecting to closing deals and building lasting customer relationships.

Advanced Sales Training

Course Title: "Mastering Advanced Sales Strategies: Closing Complex Deals and Driving Growth"

Strategic Selling

Objective: Learn how to approach complex sales with a strategic mindset.

1. Understanding Complex Sales
   • Characteristics of complex sales: Multiple stakeholders, long sales cycles and high-value deals.
   • Discussion: Reflect on a complex sale you’ve been involved in and the challenges you faced.
2. The Strategic Selling Framework
   • Key components: Identifying decision-makers, understanding buying motives, and aligning solutions with business goals.
   • Activity: Map out a strategic plan for a hypothetical complex sale.
3. Account-Based Selling (ABS)
   • Definition: A focused approach to targeting high-value accounts.
   • Steps: Research, personalised outreach and tailored solutions.
   • Activity: Create an account-based selling plan for a target client.

Advanced Prospecting and Lead Generation

Objective: Master advanced techniques for identifying and engaging high-value prospects.

1. Data-Driven Prospecting
   • Using data and analytics to identify high-potential leads.
   • Tools: LinkedIn Sales Navigator, CRM analytics, and predictive lead scoring.
   • Activity: Analyze a dataset to identify top prospects.
2. Social Selling
   • Leveraging social media to build relationships and generate leads.
   • Best practices: Engaging with content, sharing insights, and connecting with decision-makers.
   • Activity: Develop a social selling strategy for your LinkedIn profile.
3. Cold Outreach Mastery
   • Crafting personalised and compelling cold emails and calls.
   • Techniques: Attention-grabbing subject lines, value-driven messaging and follow-up strategies.
   • Activity: Write a cold email sequence for a target prospect.

Consultative Selling

Objective: Develop the skills to sell through consultation and problem-solving.

1. The Consultative Selling Approach
   • Definition: Focusing on the customer’s needs and providing tailored solutions.
   • Key skills: Active listening, asking insightful questions, and building trust.
2. Needs Analysis
   • Techniques for uncovering hidden needs and pain points.
   • Activity: Conduct a mock needs analysis with a partner.
3. Solution Selling
   • How to position your product or service as the ideal solution.
   • Activity: Create a customised solution proposal for a client scenario.

Negotiation Mastery

Objective: Learn advanced negotiation techniques to close high-stakes deals.

1. Principles of Effective Negotiation
   • Key concepts: Win-win outcomes, BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement), and ZOPA (Zone of Possible Agreement).
   • Activity: Identify your BATNA in a hypothetical negotiation.
2. Advanced Negotiation Tactics
   • Techniques: Anchoring, framing, and concession management.
   • Activity: Role-play a negotiation using advanced tactics.
3. Handling Price Objections
   • Strategies for justifying value and overcoming price resistance.
   • Activity: Practice responding to price objections in a role-play scenario.

Selling to Executives

Objective: Develop the skills to engage and sell to C-level executives.

1. Understanding the Executive Mindset
   • What executives care about: ROI, strategic impact and risk mitigation.
   • Discussion: Reflect on a past interaction with an executive and what you learned.
2. Crafting Executive-Level Presentations
   • How to deliver concise, impactful presentations that resonate with executives.
   • Activity: Create and deliver a 5-minute executive pitch.
3. Building Credibility with Executives
   • Techniques: Demonstrating industry knowledge, aligning with business goals and showing confidence.
   • Activity: Role-play a meeting with an executive and practice building credibility.

Managing Complex Sales Cycles

Objective: Learn how to navigate and manage long, complex sales cycles.

1. Stages of a Complex Sales Cycle
   • Key stages: Prospecting, discovery, proposal, negotiation and closing.
   • Activity: Map out the sales cycle for a current or hypothetical deal.
2. Managing Multiple Stakeholders
   • Identifying and engaging all decision-makers and influencers.
   • Activity: Create a stakeholder map for a complex sale.
3. Overcoming Stalls and Delays
   • Strategies for keeping the deal moving forward.
   • Activity: Develop a plan to address a stalled deal.

Leveraging Technology in Sales

Objective: Understand how to use advanced tools and technology to enhance sales performance.

1. Advanced CRM Techniques
   • Using CRM for pipeline management, forecasting, and reporting.
   • Activity: Analyse a CRM dashboard and identify key insights.
2. Sales Enablement Tools
   • Tools for content management, sales training, and performance tracking.
   • Activity: Explore a sales enablement platform and create a sales playbook.
3. AI and Automation in Sales
   • How AI and automation can enhance prospecting, lead scoring, and customer engagement.
   • Activity: Set up an automated email campaign using AI tools.

Driving Sales Growth and Leadership

Objective: Learn strategies for driving sales growth and leading high-performing teams.

1. Sales Growth Strategies
   • Techniques: Upselling, cross-selling, and expanding into new markets.
   • Activity: Develop a growth strategy for your product or service.
2. Coaching and Mentoring
   • How to coach and mentor junior sales team members.
   • Activity: Role-play a coaching session with a team member.
3. Leading a High-Performing Sales Team
   • Key leadership skills: Communication, motivation, and performance management.
   • Activity: Create a plan to improve team performance and morale.

Course Features

• Interactive Elements: Role-playing, case studies, and real-world simulations.
• Resources: Advanced sales templates, recommendations and industry focused tools.
• Certificate of Completion: Awarded to participants who complete all modules.

This advanced sales training course equips participants with the skills and strategies to excel in complex sales environments, close high-stakes deals, and drive sustained sales growth.

Build your flywheel for growth

In business, the flywheel concept is used as a metaphor for creating self-reinforcing loops of positive momentum. It was popularised by Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great.”

A service and value approach to sales will help you to drive growth.