Connecting with salespeople during an onsite sales workshop as a B2B sales consultant and trainer can be a bit of a challenge. Let’s face this fact; salespeople would rather be selling than learning even if they could benefit from a workshop. This dilemma becomes even more intense because the sellers attending a training workshop are all a bit different.
Personality Types
Here are the types of salespeople who attend the B2B sales workshops I’ve facilitated over the years—check out the list see if you’ve met any of these folks during your career as a sales trainer or B2B sales consultant:
Joe Bag of Donuts
This guy does not follow any type of sales process so a sales training workshop means little to him except an opportunity to have some fun! By the way, Joe sells 90% using his strong relationship skills and 10% on his ability to deliver donuts or other food items to his customers.
Walter When Does the Bar Open
Unlike Joe, instead of food Walter conducts business involving cocktails. By the way, having Joe and Walter in the room during a training workshop usually adds some fun to the event! Be prepared for Joe to show up for day two of a multi-day workshop a few minutes late with a great story from the previous evening.
Fran the Frequent Contributor
Unlike Joe and Walter, Fran attends a workshop to let everyone in the room know how much she knows. Not a bad person to have at a workshop since you can always count on Fran to contribute; however, her thoughts may not always be aligned with the topic of the workshop.
Pensive Pete
Quiet as a church mouse Pete contributes little during a workshop, but his wheels are always turning.
Eddy Engaged
A trainer’s dream! Eddy shows up on time, prepared and ready to learn and participate.
Martin Middle of the Road
Not happy or unhappy about attending a workshop, Martin simply goes with the flow.
Norma a Couple of Nuggets
She merely hopes to walk away from the workshop with couple of nuggets that she can add to her sales toolbox.
Connecting with All These Folks is Your Job!
Your job as a sales trainer is to connect with all of these characters and get your B2B sales training expertise utilized. The bottom line is the bottom line and your future engagement depends on the ROI of a workshop. Simply put, the organization that hired you will continue to work with you if they realize a return on their investment—also known as cash delivered to the sales organization.
Here are some things you can do to connect with everyone from Joe to Norma during a sales training workshop:
- Connect with all participants prior to the workshop on LinkedIn. Make sure your profile communicates your brand and tells people how you deliver value!
- Create name badges and name table tents for each participant and have them ready for the workshop. Make sure the first name of each participant is in large type ALL CAPS at least three inches.
- Conduct some pre-learning prior to the workshop via a distance meeting or an online course.
- Send out a pre-assignment to each participant a couple weeks prior to the workshop—do this via an email that also serves as an introduction to you and the workshop.
- Have the room set and be prepared for the participants—this includes the following:
- Seating and room arrangement
- Have materials in place for each participant including name badges, a pen and name table tents
- Make sure AV needs are set up and functioning properly
- Prepare all handouts
- Have some flipcharts and markers handy
- Greet people as they enter the workshop.
- Deliver a workshop that involves your B2B sales training resources and involves the following:
- Lecture
- PowerPoint presentations (keep them to less than thirty minutes at a time)
- Flipchart posting
- Handouts and worksheets
- Energizers
- Activities
- Games
- Role playing or simulation
- Sharing (group, one-on-one or triad).
Don’t forget to have some fun during the workshop!
