Jul 07 2009
Why classroom sales seminars?
“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Let me do and I understand.” - Confucius (551 – 479 BC)
Research clearly illustrates that most people learn best by doing; by being in an environment that is conducive to what they are learning and by being able to actually put into practice whatever topic of interest is under discussion.
Sales seminars are dynamic tools that can educate; inspire; and enhance one’s knowledge of selling. Sales training, as in distance-learning courses and online training programs, may teach the basics of selling; about what selling is and about how to do it; but a sales seminar is an education that will lead to a greater understanding and appreciation for the science and the art of selling. This level of education is what leads to transformation within a team; it can revolutionize the way daily operations are carried out in a company. This kind of enhancement, in any business, will surely lead to more efficient strategies and more enthusiastic team members who are far more capable and confident in their own abilities thus contributing to greater successes and a broader bottom line. There is no substitute for the real thing.
Long-distance learning courses and online training seminars may seem to be the way of the future; especially in this day and age of modern technology. Yet they are no match for a sales seminar which is held in a classroom environment, where learners are challenged in person, in a charged and dynamic setting, surrounded by like-minded professionals who all share the same enthusiasm and who are gathered with the same purpose.
A seminar has a finite agenda. It has an achievable target with a rewarding outcome that is set for the end of that same day. The success of this course is reliant upon the active participation of each attendee and is an opportunity to network and make new connections from near and far.
Training individually when actually working as part of a larger team almost seems futile. It would be impossible to expect a team to move forward and become successful when only select members of the group are intent on advancing their technique or improving their skill. A team is only as strong as their weakest link. Rather, focus on the headway that could be made; the breakthroughs in change and advancement, when entire sales teams, from the support staff to the reps and managers, are able to train together, just for one day, and walk away on an even footing with a mutual understanding and respect for their new and improved team. This could never be achieved separately, as individuals with differing goals and different learning capacities, while making use of isolated distance-learning courses.
Great changes can come from training as a group with the same goal in mind; as a unified body moving in sync as it grows from strength to strength. Here is where the role of each team player is realized and recognized; where the importance of understanding each person’s function is the key to success in harmony; and where taking cognizance of each person’s responsibilities while being accountable to the team will ensure that higher standards of service are maintained. Greater expectations – greater change.
A session of group training must be seen as an investment in a firm’s greatest asset – the sales team. They are the fundamental core of the business. They play an important functional role in the business and investing in their expertise and improvement is a logical decision that should be easily made.
Research shows that the greatest learning successes come from “on-the-job” experience. Most people learn best by doing, as opposed to reading, listening and making notes. There is a classroom environment that is set up to enrich with a “hands-on” approach; guided by our sales experts who are specialists in their field. This situation replicates the working environment so closely where participants are additionally guided by experts while gaining real hands-on experience and presents the opportunity for sales teams to learn together; all the while networking and making new contacts who share a passion for selling.
In times of recession, it is expected that people would protect their assets and be less willing, perhaps, to make any unnecessary spending decisions. However, even in such recessive times, the benefit far outweighs the cost of attending a sales seminar – which is an investment in its own right.
True to course, it is the survival of the fittest that will determine who stays afloat during the down times. There is a natural tendency for those who are stronger and better equipped to be able to endure and triumph over a recessive period. Those who have adequately invested in their education and their dedication to being successful in their calling will surely survive and will prevail in spite of financial down times. Such seminars, where professionals encourage one another and learn from each other, actually equip people to think out of the box and enable them to get creative when the rest of the world doesn’t really want to part with its hard-earned cash.
A basic sales course may teach the fundamentals of selling, in terms of what selling is about and how best to do it. But a sales seminar is a practical procedure where everyone gets involved and contributes to a process of evolution and transformation. It is not about “teaching”. It is about evolving with a greater understanding; enriched with a more determined course of action; and set to take on the toughest markets in such severely challenging times.
This is the right time to go back to the fundamentals of training, where great thinkers can gather and thrive on participating and engaging in productive deliberation. There is no substitute for the real thing.
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