Re: Sales Training Strategy LO1663

David E. Birren, MB/5, 608.267.2442 (BIRRED@dnr.state.wi.us)
Fri, 16 Jun 1995 15:01 CST

Replying to Dale Arseneault: Sales Training Strategy Development LO1658

Dale, you have indeed presented a challenge.

Sounds like you need to do some benchmarking, but quick. There's a lot of
information out there on how to do that, and not much in here, so I'll
leave that to others.

I have an idea about how to determine "ways of removing various prejudices
and barriers to learning and trying to help many of them from product
selling to solution/consultative selling." I'm thinking about the
scenario method of training where a small group is presented with a
situation - in this case a "selling" or consultative situation - and the
members take on the different roles in the scenario. Several members of
the group act as observers instead of playing roles within the scenario;
these folks take the perspective of the customer and the supplier (or of
the dyadic system, if they can think that broadly) and reflect on whether
the supplier and the customer are contributing to a mutually beneficial
relationship. After the scenario is played out, the observers feed back
to the group their observations. Then the group discusses its experience
with the help of a facilitator in order to identify and "set" the
learning.

This process could be repeated for different scenarios with the purpose of
providing a variety of circumstances and giving all members an opportunity
to play customer, supplier and observer roles. The scenarios should be as
realistic as possible in order to engage the trainees' interest as well as
to make the learning relevant.

I'm not a professional trainer. The suggestion above is an adaptation of
a learning tool that I've benefited greatly from myself. I hope the idea
has merit. Good luck in your search!

--
David E. Birren						Phone: (608)267-2442
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources			Fax:   (608)267-3579
Bureau of Management & Budget		    Internet: birred@dnr.state.wi.us
  .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   
"To know, and not to act, is to not know."
--Wang Yang Ming, 9th-century Chinese general