5 recommendations for training in-store salespeople

Training in-store salespeople can pose a huge challenge, due to their jobsite mobility and lack of time to set aside for training. Teach on Mars gives you 5 recommendations for training salespeople effectively.

1. Focus on the most sought-after courses 

Your courses should be directly connected with the sales person’s needs. Making product training accessible on a daily basis, particularly through mobile learning, is an added advantage.

This is not sufficient however. To complement product training, offer courses which enable salespeople to become more efficient and to progress. Courses about sales techniques, the customer experience or active listening, to help learners develop skills and sell more as a result.

2. Provide short, practical content with a strong added value

To retain learners, it is crucial to understand their work environment. Sales professions face specific challenges related in particular to the situation and time available for training, which is very scarce.

You should prioritise content which is accessible on-site on all types of devices and offline.

Similarly, content should be short and practical in order to meet every day needs. Provide content which can be worked through in just a few minutes: 2-10 minutes on average according to the subject area and the educational goal.

3. Incorporate learning as part of a playful approach 

Gaming mechanisms enable you to challenge salespeople, who often have a heightened sense of competition. By integrating rankings into your course, you can be sure that it will gain in popularity (word of mouth, challenges between colleagues and so on). Activities enabling colleagues to challenge one another will also be a hit.

Apart from the competitive aspect, salespeople will enjoy socialising and interacting with peers as part of the course; combine discussion areas with courses so users can comment on and like their endeavours. 

4. Promote in-store salespeople’s learning efforts 

In general, salespeople prioritise operational activity over training. This is understandable, after all, operational activities yield the most visible results.

This is why companies must promote training and objectify learning efforts. Certification is an indispensable tool, providing formal recognition for time spent on a course, until sales results become observable. 

5. Communicate about your training programmes 

Avail yourself of varied communication formats: from engaging posters to publications on your in-house social networks.

A whole host of tools are available to you. You could opt for a simple QR Code to provide access to your content via posters. Or use web links to your social networks.

Communicating about your training courses is key to developing a culture of learning among in-store salespeople.

Our longstanding clients have boosted their sales and retained in-store sales teams thanks to their mobile learning platform, which offers easy access to the brand and the industry’s most relevant courses.