Increasing Sales Training ROI Effectiveness

JRC Training Solutions

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Today there is increased demand by management for accountability in sales training. But if sales training is to be taken seriously … that is, seen as a significant investment in human capital rather than as a major expense … the evaluation of sales training has to become a serious business too.

Everyone knows the old adage, ‘‘The squeaky wheel gets the grease.’’ Since we always seem to be fighting fires, there’s a tendency to see only what’s in our direct line of sight … the pressing problem, the obvious cost. But when it comes to determining sales training ROI, it’s essential to focus on what’s truly important and not just on what has been done in the past or what may be most readily apparent.

Traditionally sales training ROI evaluation has concentrated on cost factors and potential cost savings. Things like travel and living expenses for workshop attendees, sales trainer salaries, and program development expenditures. However, this is really just the first level or tier of sales training ROI.

To maximize the effectiveness of sales training ROI, focus your metrics on what are, for your organization, truly the most significant indicators. At the same time, be open to non-traditional success measures.

Below are just a few examples of bottom-line attainment measures that reflect the true impact of sales training. Use them to help jump start your own thinking.

Return on perceived competency. This is the time it takes employees to feel comfortable about their abilities to perform.
Return on achieved competency. This is the time it takes employees to directly contribute to corporate profits.
Return on competitive advantage. These are ways in which effective sales training can help an organization stay ahead of the pack.

There are other useful measures too, like return on stakeholder expectations or impact on customer loyalty.

At the same time, don’t cast your net too wide. Don’t get bogged down trying to evaluate everything. For example, while it may be advantageous to know the average amount or value of resources required to close a typical sale, it may not be something you want to track as part of your sales training metrics.

And finally, don’t evaluate what isn’t critical to the attainment of your strategic sales training program goals. Continually ask yourself the key relevant question, ‘‘How can sales training improve the overall performance of our sales force and bring greater value to our customers?’’

For a broader/deeper perspective on these and related topics, check out:

	Using Sales Training Best Practices To Increase Sales
	Developing Performance-Based Sales Training To Increase Sales