49 min
8. Let's build muscle memory in sales! Dr. Stefanie Boyer shares her research and recommendations! The Thoughts on Selling™ Podcast
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- Management
Stefanie Boyer, Ph.D is an author, TEDx and keynote speaker, sales trainer and named Forbes Next 1,000. Stefanie speaks and writes about how businesses can create growth while keeping their teams happy and loyal. Cited by AMA as the Sales Professor of the Year and recognized as a sales innovation expert, Dr. Boyer runs the sales program at Bryant University and is co-founder of RNMKRS, a technology company using AI to bring unbiased sales training to students around the world.
Stefanie has carried a bag, worked as a firefighter and held the javelin-throwing record.
We dive into the topic of sales training and its link to sales performance. You probably know that the typical sales person might do one or two role plays a month; motivated sales people will do more. Stefanie's research suggests that a sales rep must go through thirty or more role plays to get good at a particular selling skill. In fact, after just one or two their skill level may temporarily decrease!
Our current process of sales training is out of step with what we know about adult learning theory. Typical training asks the learner to parse a lengthy, detail heavy content module and then take a "review" test to determine whether they've retained that knowledge. There frequently no feedback as to why an answer is incorrect, and seldom is that knowledge tested in context.
Compare this with how a child learns to ride a bike. First the child watches others actually ride a bike, and then, with help, learns what balance feels like. Feedback is immediate. Then, the child may try a few pedal strokes on their own, again with support and immediate feedback.
Adult learning theory isn't that different. You just don't want people going too far without coaching and feedback, or "incorrect" muscle memory and learning is planted along with everything else (and then must be unlearned.)
We discuss the role of the sales person as the initial and primary point of contact with prospects. Why do we leave their success up to chance?
This is not a new conversation...James Knox covered this in his excellent book, The Science and Art of Selling, published in 1921, which you can find on Amazon.
We need more science in the preparation of selling...and Stefanie and I take a deep dive into how to go about it!
Stefanie introduces https://www.rnmkrs.org/https://www.rnmkrs.org/, a company she co-founded, which has helped train more than 20,000 students worldwide and thousands of sales people at companies including Dell, Forrester, Gartner, Allstate, Bitsight, Cintas and more.
Based on her years of experience in the field, Stefanie recently co-authored a book, 9 Ways to Develop Highly Effective Salespeople, which you can find on Amazon. She's pretty passionate about the power of social media and also recently co-authored a book, The Little Black Book of Social Media, about building an online brand using social.
Key takeaways of our conversation:
Executive and alignment, along with accountability measures, are critical for the success of any sales training initiative
Creating a safe environment promotes effective learning
When people feel supported, they perform better
To follow up with Stefanie, you can reach her on LinkedIn.
To provide feedback on this podcast or to suggest additional topics or guests, please visit The Thoughts On Selling™ podcast website.
I would appreciate your sharing this podcast with one or two coworkers or peers. And I would very much appreciate positive reviews on the Apple podcast site or wherever you get your podcasts. Positive reviews help others to find this podcast!
Thank you!
Lee Levitt
Stefanie Boyer, Ph.D is an author, TEDx and keynote speaker, sales trainer and named Forbes Next 1,000. Stefanie speaks and writes about how businesses can create growth while keeping their teams happy and loyal. Cited by AMA as the Sales Professor of the Year and recognized as a sales innovation expert, Dr. Boyer runs the sales program at Bryant University and is co-founder of RNMKRS, a technology company using AI to bring unbiased sales training to students around the world.
Stefanie has carried a bag, worked as a firefighter and held the javelin-throwing record.
We dive into the topic of sales training and its link to sales performance. You probably know that the typical sales person might do one or two role plays a month; motivated sales people will do more. Stefanie's research suggests that a sales rep must go through thirty or more role plays to get good at a particular selling skill. In fact, after just one or two their skill level may temporarily decrease!
Our current process of sales training is out of step with what we know about adult learning theory. Typical training asks the learner to parse a lengthy, detail heavy content module and then take a "review" test to determine whether they've retained that knowledge. There frequently no feedback as to why an answer is incorrect, and seldom is that knowledge tested in context.
Compare this with how a child learns to ride a bike. First the child watches others actually ride a bike, and then, with help, learns what balance feels like. Feedback is immediate. Then, the child may try a few pedal strokes on their own, again with support and immediate feedback.
Adult learning theory isn't that different. You just don't want people going too far without coaching and feedback, or "incorrect" muscle memory and learning is planted along with everything else (and then must be unlearned.)
We discuss the role of the sales person as the initial and primary point of contact with prospects. Why do we leave their success up to chance?
This is not a new conversation...James Knox covered this in his excellent book, The Science and Art of Selling, published in 1921, which you can find on Amazon.
We need more science in the preparation of selling...and Stefanie and I take a deep dive into how to go about it!
Stefanie introduces https://www.rnmkrs.org/https://www.rnmkrs.org/, a company she co-founded, which has helped train more than 20,000 students worldwide and thousands of sales people at companies including Dell, Forrester, Gartner, Allstate, Bitsight, Cintas and more.
Based on her years of experience in the field, Stefanie recently co-authored a book, 9 Ways to Develop Highly Effective Salespeople, which you can find on Amazon. She's pretty passionate about the power of social media and also recently co-authored a book, The Little Black Book of Social Media, about building an online brand using social.
Key takeaways of our conversation:
Executive and alignment, along with accountability measures, are critical for the success of any sales training initiative
Creating a safe environment promotes effective learning
When people feel supported, they perform better
To follow up with Stefanie, you can reach her on LinkedIn.
To provide feedback on this podcast or to suggest additional topics or guests, please visit The Thoughts On Selling™ podcast website.
I would appreciate your sharing this podcast with one or two coworkers or peers. And I would very much appreciate positive reviews on the Apple podcast site or wherever you get your podcasts. Positive reviews help others to find this podcast!
Thank you!
Lee Levitt
49 min