Page 117 - DMGT205_SALES_MANAGEMENT

Unit 8: Training of Sales Personnel

4. New selling aids. Notes
5. Overcoming the forgetting tendency of human brain.
Training programmes are held either at centralised or decentralised points. The centralised
programme generally provides better product training but higher costs are incurred in bringing
trainees to the central point. But decentralised training has even more serious defects. It cannot
be executed properly unless supervised by top management. Hence, an adhoc basis for centralised
and decentralised training should be adopted by top management.

Notes "The planning, direction and control of the personal selling activities of a business
unit, including recruiting, selection, training, equipping, assigning routing, supervising,
paying and motivating as these tasks apply to the salesforce.

8.6 Evaluation of Training Programmes

This is the last but not the least step of the training programme. Evaluation involves the comparing
of the training programme's aim with the results and measuring its impact on the sales person.
There is no direct method of measuring the impact of training but certain methods could provide
indications whether the results are positive or not. These are:
1. Market share percentages
2. Written Tests
3. Observers which work with sales personnel.
It is true that the training programme's effectiveness is widely dependent on trainers. Hence,
management reminds that "If the trainee hasn't learned, the trainer hasn't taught".

8.7 Summary

 Training of the sales person will never become obsolete.

 Informal training involves the continuous development of sales people.
 The initial training needs of sales training programme can be identified by the analysis of
three main factors.

 The content of training is not the same for all the sales training programmes.
 The company should essentially inform the sales person about the company's pricing
policy, product services, spare parts and repairs, credit extension and customer relations.

 Lecture is the method of learning through instructions from trainer to trainee.
 Programmed instruction involves a sequence of steps which are often set up through the
central panel of an electronic computer as a guide in the performance of a desired operation
or service of operation.
 Sales Training Staff: In large organisations the sales training director reports to the top
sale executive.

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