Intermediate Sales Skills Course

This course is ideal for anyone seeking intermediate level sales training. The majority of participants attending our B2B sales training are either in full-time sales or business development roles, or are required to sell as part of their role.

The training is also useful for people wanting to improve their consultative selling skills and long-term customer relationships when selling business-to-business (B2B) services or high value consumer goods and services. In addition, the course can be adapted for professional selling skills, consultative and solution selling.

Training Approach

• To maximise results, we offer sales training tailored to your marketplace and industry sectors. We will also use your own examples of customers, clients and targets for discussion and role-play practise.
• Although the B2B sales course can be delivered as two consecutive days, it also works very well delivered over two separate days. This allows time for application in-between the training.
• We are also experienced at providing bespoke sales training courses, combined with coaching and longer-term programmes to meet your specific organisation goals and sales objectives.

Course objectives

By the end of this two-day sales training course, the participants will:

• Understand the consultative sales approach and the style of selling that is appropriate for their business and their clients
• Follow a sales process to guide their conversations and sales meetings
• Prepare thoroughly for a sales meeting/contact with a client to ensure they use their time efficiently and maximise results
• Create a great first impression and professional opening to a sales conversation
• Ask open questions and listen effectively in order to spot opportunities, understand needs and progress the sale
• Identify and understand buying and decision-making processes and criteria
• Skilfully and confidently handle questions and objections
• Sell the benefits of your products over those of your competitors
• Progress the sale by agreeing next steps and closing appropriately

Course methods

The sales training will be delivered in a highly engaging and interactive way, focused on the specific needs of the participants and the organisations’ sales model and targets. There will be:

• Trainer input and tips through short presentation, demonstration and discussion
• Individual and small group exercises with facilitated group review of learning
• Group discussion
• Practise sessions in pairs or trios with feedback and coaching

See course overview

Day One

Introduction to consultative selling

• What is selling?
• Who are you selling to?
• The buying experience
• What buyers want
• The B2B sales process
• Facilitator presentation, small group exercises

Preparation

• Preparing for a sales interaction
• Mental
• Physical
• Facilitator presentation and group discussion

Opening the sales relationship/sales meeting

• What potential customers are thinking
• Judging first impressions
• Creating positive first impressions
• Building rapport and creating interest and impact
• Earning the right
• Practise
• Facilitator presentation, small group exercises

Listening skills

• Barriers to listening
• Active listening
• Listening and rapport building practice
• Small group exercise, facilitated group discussion

Questioning skills

• Types of questions
• Questioning funnel
• Summarising
• Presentation, group exercise, practical activities in pairs

Understanding and identifying needs and opportunities

• Qualification part one
• Suspect/prospect/client
• Developing qualification questions
• Facilitator presentation, group exercise

Learning review and feedback

• Review workshop and personal objectives

Day Two

Recognising buying processes

• Qualification part two
• Developing a competitive edge
• Application to your customers
• Facilitated group discussion and exercise

Putting consultative selling into practise

• Goldfish bowl exercise
• Stepping into the shoes of the buyer
• Practising a first meeting

Introducing solutions

• Speaking the customer’s language
• Features and benefits
• Benefit cycle
• Application
• Small group exercise with facilitated group review, presentation

Handling objections and concerns

• Typical objections and concerns
• Objection-handling model
• Practice
• The price objection

First meeting practice – including objections

• Gaining commitment
• Checking
• Small C and big C
• Buying signals

Applying the learning and next steps

• Review of learning, current skills and action planning
• Final questions
• Course feedback

The training will be supported with:

• An optional participant pre-course questionnaire and/or reading
• A colour printed workbook with ‘how to sell’ tips, techniques and space for personal notes

Check pricing

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• Communication Skills
• NLP Sales
• Sales Negotiation