Overcoming 5 Common B2B Sales Training Mistakes

As a B2B sales trainer and trainee, I’ve been on both the giving and receiving end of some not-so-good training sessions. Either way, a lousy training session is a brutal experience that leaves scars on both the facilitator and the sellers.

Here are 5 common b2b sales training mistakes made by sales trainers far and wide:

1. Lack of preparation and understanding of the training material.
2. Death by PowerPoint.
3. Lecture… lecture… lecture.
4. Calling out a disobedient seller in the first 15 minutes of a workshop.
5. No breaks or infrequent breaks.

That’s why so many salespeople resist going to training workshops. The good news is trainers can avoid these common mistakes. Here’s the list including some tips designed to minimize each mistake.

1. Lack of preparation and understanding of the training material.

How to avoid: Practice makes perfect! There is really no way around mastering training material. Trainers need to practice the material prior to a workshop. If the workshop is a long format (multi-day) it is best for the trainer to co-facilitate the workshop with another trainer and master the program in small chunks.

Using sales training resources that include a leader’s guide—a guide or a script—helps improve a trainer’s understanding of a workshop.

2. Death by PowerPoint.

The best workshops and trainers utilize instructional design that includes various ways of communicating information. Utilizing PowerPoint to communicate a portion of the workshop is acceptable if these guidelines are followed:

• Keep presentations 30 minutes or less
• The PowerPoint presentation should be an accent piece—do not create a presentation packed with text and merely read each slide
• Use images (not words) to communicate a point
• Avoid using a PowerPoint presentation at the beginning of a workshop, immediately after lunch or at the end of the day
• Always follow-up a PowerPoint presentation with an activity that gets participants moving around, or doing some activity to apply the information communicated in the PowerPoint

3. Lecture… lecture… lecture.

Quality instructional design also varies the format of a workshop to avoid 100% lecture. Here are some alternatives to create a dynamic trainer experience for both the trainer and the participants:

• Games and competitions
• Case study simulations
• Large group activities and group sharing
• Small group or triad activities and sharing
• Presentations by the participants

4. Calling out a disobedient seller in the first 15 minutes of a workshop.

As tempting as this might be, calling out (making an example of) a seller that is causing a problem usually does more harm than good because it causes tension in the room. Tension naturally exists at the start of a workshop… adding to it is not a wise move. Here are some alternatives to dealing with troublemakers:

• Begin the workshop with an activity that is fun and allows participants to get into the flow
• Spend some time reviewing the ground rules for the workshop—do this as a preemptive move

5. No breaks or infrequent breaks.

Give ‘em a break! A 15 minute break for every 60 – 90 minutes of training plus an hour for lunch are good guidelines to follow. It is also a good idea to plan an energizer—an activity that gets people out of their seats—when participants return from a break or lunch.

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