Diagnosis
A well-designed training program doesn't guarantee everyone is on the same page.
Prescription
Clearly translate goals into objectives for success all around.
Have you ever been asked to design a training program to meet a sales goal only to get more push back than buy-in when you
presented your plans? Turning sales goals into learning objectives is a critical part of the sales trainer's job. While this
conversion may seem natural, even the most well-designed training program can spawn endless meetings, heated discussions and
lots of head scratching.
When sales leadership told Jennifer that they were losing market share, she listened carefully. Then she performed a needs
assessment and outlined a program summary that included specific learning objectives. Her needs assessment revealed a training
gap that was largely impacting market share. The sales professionals were having trouble selling against the competition.
She determined that they knew the evidence in the competitive product package inserts, but did not know how to highlight specific
sections of the PIs to compare features and benefits of their products with the competition. Her program on comparative selling
included these learning objectives:
- Explain the purpose and impact of comparative selling.
- Compare features and benefits with the competition, as seen in the PI.
- Buffer, search, answer and confirm physician objections to the PI.
When Jennifer shared her plans with sales leadership, she expected quick approval. Her research had turned up the training
gap, she knew how to fill it and the result would be increased market share. She was surprised when the meeting went longer
than expected and ended without the green light to proceed or even the consensus she needed to change direction. What seemed
like the answer to lost market share was now a slide deck that might never make it into a training room.
Whats what
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Jennifer was understandably frustrated and unclear on what to do next. Was she wrong about the objectives? Was sales leadership
wrong? What should she do to ensure that the sales professionals received the training they needed to impact market share?
There was a meeting scheduled in three days to determine the next steps, and Jennifer was determined that they would include
constructive input from sales leadership, as well as approval of her program.
Jennifer's challenges are global to pharmaceutical sales trainers. Sales leadership has a goal, and sales trainers provide
the learning objectives to meet that goal. But what was once so clear to everyone involved can sometimes turn into something
that makes no one happy. While the push and pull between sales training and sales leadership may be ubiquitous, it is almost
always unnecessary. The disconnect between the two groups is often a simple matter of semantics.
When trainers translate sales goals into learning objectives, they often lose buy-in from sales leadership. That may seem
strange given both groups have the same goal, but here is what happens: Sales leaders don't recognize their goals after they've
been converted to learning objectives. You might hear them say, "We don't use learning objectives here." But you know that
effective training programs need solid learning objectives. The learning objectives spell out the skills required to achieve
sales goals. They are the foundation of the training program around which you design the content and activities. How can you
possibly design training that does not include learning objectives? Well, you can't. But what you can do is translate the learning objectives into words that resonate with sales leadership.
The language of sales leaders tends to revolve around the business of selling – numbers, volume and market share that can
be represented on a spreadsheet. They use phrases like confidence, impact, strategies, agenda, purpose, know the science and understand the competition. You can tell whether or not sales goals have been met by looking at numbers and examining market data.
Sometimes their goals do not specifically mention market share, but instead focus on a broad area of concern that they believe
limits market share. For example, you may hear these common goals:
