Why Learn
by Dr. Robert DeGroot
- The half-life of a Sales Professional is 3-5 years. That means that in 3-5 years, half of what the person knows about selling is obsolete. Sales technology is advancing at a radical pace.
- Experience alone will not be enough to keep up with the changing market. What would you do if the physician said, "I haven't read a book or been to a seminar in medicine since I graduated from med school 20 years ago." Sales technology is helping professionals keep their skills state of the art.
- Why do the very best of every profession spend so much time in training?
- Top sales producers spend approximately two weeks per year in training.
- "The success of current business strategies and the development of innovations frequently hinge on the skills of the sales force. Customer Service strategies are impossible unless the sales force is well-trained in this arena."
- ASTD, Annual Research Report.
- A new salesperson's enthusiasm will carry them for the first 90 days, then selling skills must be in place or a dramatic drop (or total failure) in productivity will occur. Without skill reinforcement, in 12 to 18 months another drop (approximately 20%) will occur.
- 80% of first year sales people develop fears of selling and fail because they lack the basic skills of selling.
- Past experience and formal education have no correlation to success in selling.
- Make your sales calls count. "Companies with less than ten salespeople report an average sales call cost of $336.00."
- McGraw-Hill Research
- "Sales people completing a selling skills intensive training program show increases in productivity ranging from 35% to 1665%. Yet, an estimated 70% of companies provide no selling skills development at all."
- ASTD, Annual Research Report.
- Companies often lump product knowledge, motivational "rah rah" sessions and technical skills development under the heading of "sales training." Yet none of these actually help the person sell skillfully.
- We see training as insurance on our biggest asset - human resources. Find me a company without that insurance, that has stopped training its salespeople, and I'll target that market and that company and have its business by year's end. David Barcusee of Bergen-Brunswig.
- Sales & Marketing Management Magazine, January 1990.
- "95% of the training that's done on the job is done so poorly that the job suffers measurably. And both the trainer and the trainee agree that it's the trainee's fault, but it isn't."
- Training Magazine June 1993
- "Great salespeople have an edge because they are able to let go of obsolete ideas..."
- Donald Trump - Personal Selling Power, September, 1993
- After one year on the job, it costs approximately $125,000 to replace a Sales Professional.
- After the first 90 days, the enthusiasm of a new job wears off and reality sets in. Without skill development, 80% of "new to sales" people will wash out of selling within the year.
- How important is contact management? Industrial Distribution's study found that neglect and/or an attitude of indifference are the causes for 82% of customers to go over to the competition.
About Robert DeGroot, M.Ed., D.C.H. LPC, DAPA
Dr. Robert DeGroot, President of Sales Training International, is an author, consultant, Sales Professional and trainer with over 25 years experience in the fields of sales and psychology.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, Master of Education in School Psychology and a Doctorate in Clinical Hypnotherapy. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified Hypnotherapist and holds Diplomate status in the American Psychotherapy Association.
In addition to his book, Psychology for Successful Selling, (Branden Publishing Company, 1988), he has also written articles for Selling Power Magazine, Training Magazine, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine.
His company is a three-time recipient of the "Organization of the Year Award" from the Houston Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development. Robert has also presented three times at the ASTD International Conference and at the International Customer Service Association in 2000. He has been recognized for his accomplishments in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who Among Human Services Providers and Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America.
