U.S. companies spend over $70 billion annually on training their sales teams.
And yet, studies indicate that sales reps who take part in curriculum-based training forget eighty percent of what they learn and revert to old habits.
This tells me that eighty percent of curriculum-based sales training is forgettable and ineffective. If you want a positive return on sales training, you must keep your sales team engaged and provide them with sales training that promotes continual learning.
So how do you find the best sales training? Referrals are gold dust. If a trusted friend or colleague uses a sales training program, you’re probably on to a winner. The next best thing is to look at reviews and testimonials.
Luckily, I’ve pooled together reviews and testimonials for the five best sales training programs so you can make an informed choice for your company.
Sales Training Reviews: What Do We Know About the Top 5 Programs?
I’ve discussed how not all sales training programs are created equal. So, how can you separate the quality programs from the ones that will waste your time and fail to produce meaningful results?
You listen to what their customers say about them.
When examining reviews for a sales training program, you’ll want to look beyond a simple star rating. Read through testimonials and look for authenticity and transparency. Read the positives and negatives to see what results you can achieve and the challenges you may encounter.
Related Read: Top 10 Sales Training Tips for Success
If possible, try to ensure you’re considering reviews from customers in industries like yours or with similar-sized teams or organizations to your own. Once you find a solution with positive reviews, the right price, and the right training focus, you know you’ve found a match made in heaven.
5 Top Sales Training Programs
- Challenger - Sales Training and Development
- Rain Group - Insight Selling
- Sales Readiness Group - Sales Management Training for B2B Companies
- Richardson Sales Performance - Consultative Selling Training
- The Sales Blog - the Sales Accelerator
Challenger - Sales Training and Development
Challenger offers a wide range of training courses and packages. Your team can engage in training on topics such as:
- Negotiations
- Selling Foundations
- Sales Conversations
Challenger’s training programs are designed to help reps win complex B2B sales by giving them the right skills and messaging to connect with buyers. These programs are available in person, online, or in a hybrid format.
According to one customer:
“Challenger as an organization is extremely committed to working with their clients to help them meet their goals. Any time we begin a new project or start to work to implement a new challenger idea, they provide us with a variety of resources and consistent feedback to guide us through the process.”
RAIN Group - Insight Selling
RAIN Group’s training programs are designed in modular blocks, allowing your organization to mold your own curriculum to your team’s needs and goals. You can explore training programs on concepts like consultative selling, virtual selling, and account management through RAIN’s program.
RAIN offers specific training programs targeted toward various industries, including engineering, banking, and pharmaceutical.
Some of RAIN’s customers include Toyota Fleet Management, Chatham Financial, and WSP Global.
One customer says:
“The RAIN Group team spent the required time getting to know our organization and needs. They were able to craft and tailor, which is hard to find. Their Client Success, Operations, and Facilitation team are a pleasure to work with. Their content is digestible and aligns well with our company culture.”
Sales Readiness Group - Sales Management Training for B2B Companies
If you are looking for customized sales training geared explicitly toward sales managers, the Sales Readiness Group’s training programs may be one to consider for your organization. Sales Readiness Group offers private training and public workshops, all in a virtual setting.
You can explore courses targeted toward subjects including:
- Value-driven selling
- Prospecting
- Virtual selling
Sales Readiness Group specializes in the pharma and biotech industries and industries like credit unions, manufacturing, and professional services.
According to one customer:
“SRG spent a substantial amount of time learning about our business, our lingo, and our process. By the time the training was conducted, our trainer sounded like one of us. SRG also adapted their training to our clinical model, so moving forward, we could continue use OUR sales model that is essential to our business/core values.”
Richardson Sales Performance - Consultative Selling Training
Richardson’s goal is to help sales reps consistently succeed with every buyer. Their programs, recognized as some of the top sales training programs in the industry, are designed to teach critical selling skills and equip sales reps with the tools they need to produce positive results for their teams.
Richardson offers training programs across a wide variety of subjects. Their consultative selling program, in particular, is highly regarded among top sales training programs for its focus on a customer-centered sales approach. This program helps reps learn to plan and execute sales calls where the conversation and focus center around the customer and their needs.
One learner says:
“Their sales skills training plus way in which they deliver content on their platform with "ineffective" vs "effective" is what my reps rave about.”
The Sales Blog - The Sales Accelerator
My Sales Accelerator focuses on teaching reps a modern approach to sales. My programs are fully customizable, allowing you to build a curriculum that will work for your team and help you meet your specific goals and needs.
I actually consider it a bit of a misnomer to describe the Accelerator as “training,” since training is only part of the approach. In reality, the program is a platform designed to develop not only your reps' selling skills but their mindset, leadership skills, and productivity as well.
One strength of The Sales Accelerator is its ability to outfit high-growth teams with the exact language they need to advance the sale at every stage of the buying process. We also offer sales management training courses, giving sales leaders the tools they need to empower their teams.
According to Mike Yergin, VP of Sales at Slang Worldwide:
“The Sales Accelerator is a powerful tool that has had a positive impact on my sales team and sales culture from day one. Our team is able to deal with objections and has had a direct positive impact on our revenue.”
Sales Training Reviews: You Still Need to Pick the Best Program for You
These five programs are all excellent options for sales training for your organization, but this list is not comprehensive. Even within these programs, you have your pick of thousands of training courses and focuses.
Some of the courses offered by these programs are basic, some are advanced. Some courses are a better fit for certain industries than others. You should also ensure you consider the course material, the training style and delivery method, the price, and more.
Which is the best sales training program for your team? The answer to that question depends on your team's size and goals. I have the course for you if you want to give your reps the language and confidence to open, advance, and close sales and crush your targets.
Want to know more? Check out the Sales Accelerator today!
