KLA Group adheres to a formal sales training development process that includes 5 phases:

  1. Definition
  2. Research and Information Gathering
  3. Design and development
  4. Walkthrough
  5. Pilot

The size and scope of your sales training development project determines if we engage in all five phases of the process or condense it.

Definition

In the definition phase of the development process, a KLA project manager and a client project owner from your company are assigned and subject matter experts are named. The KLA project manager conducts a project kick-off meeting to ensure all participants who will be involved in the development process clearly understand the goals and objectives of the process.

  • The learning objectives for the program are identified and defined.
  • Sales training program metrics are established and agreed upon.
  • The timeline is established and critical milestones identified. 
  • A list of Client resources required for the completion of the project is compiled.
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Research and Information Gathering

During this phase, the sales training development focus is on gathering information to support the program goals, objectives and individual elements. The information uncovered here is used to create the sales training design and as core content elements in the training development.

Information shared in this phase impacts:

  • the training delivery format, for example: web-based over a period of time, on-site, or simulation
  • class size
  • duration
  • reinforcement
  • executive and manager involvement
  • exercises, practice assignments, field work and homework

There are three types of research that may occur in the Research and Information Gathering phase of the sales training development process.

  • Interviews with subject matter experts. We spend significant time with your subject matter experts to fully understand your:
    • sales organization,
    • sales process and systems,
    • customers,
    • offerings,
    • and other information that will enhance the success of your program.

Your subject matter experts’ insights are a critical source of information. We typically work with a number of subject matter experts to gather multiple points of view and gain their support for your sales training program.

  • Company information. In our experience, sales training that integrates your sales processes and systems will be adopted faster and achieve a higher ROI than sales training that does not. As such, we research your current training programs, sales process, sales presentations and product and solutions information to identify critical information that will speed time to adoption when incorporated into the sales training design.
  • Outside research.  Depending on the sales training topic we may also recommend additional research to incorporate into the sales training program. For example, competitive information and industry analyst research included in product sales training provides sales reps with information that helps them to better cold call, identify customer needs, position new offerings, present sales proposals, address customer sales objections and close sales faster.
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Design and Development

Once the research is complete, we begin the design and development phase.

In this phase, the sales training program design is developed.

For sales training programs larger in scope, we create a formal sales training program design for you to approve. The design includes:

  • Modules and learning objectives
  • Key content and sales learning exercises
  • Timing
  • Reinforcement recommendations

Some training programs, such as simulations, learning aids, and podcasts may require an outline instead of a formal design.

Once the design or outline is in place, development begins. We take all the information compiled during the Research and Information Gathering phase and create all program materials.

For instructor-led sales training programs development includes:

  • Instructor and student manuals
  • Presentation slides with full speakers’ notes
  • Sales exercises and role plays with delivery instructions and answer keys
  • Homework and fieldwork exercises
  • On-line learning aids

Development may also include any of the following in addition to other materials you might require:

  • Reinforcement programs and materials
  • Introductory emails to send participants
  • Audio or video scripts and / or clips
  • Supporting podcasts with additional sales training content
  • Graphic design of a new sales training program brand
  • Manager sales tools
  • Train-the-trainer materials
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Walkthrough

Once the sales training program is developed, we conduct a walkthrough to review all program content and sales exercises with the sponsors of the training prior to piloting it.

We conduct walkthroughs for every sales training development project regardless of the size.

This allows us to quickly find possible delivery bumps and content changes before conducting the pilot or going live with your program. It’s your opportunity to review exercises, speakers’ notes, slides and other materials before working with a “live” sales audience.

The complete program is reviewed, and changes are made to all training materials prior to delivering the pilot or going live with your sales training program.

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Pilot

With sales training development programs that are instructor-led and larger in scope, we typically conduct a pilot.

Inclusion of a Pilot is recommended if:

  • The sales training program will be delivered multiple times,
  • The scope of the program is complex, or
  • The desired impact of the program is significant to the company’s strategic direction.

The instructor-led sales training program is delivered to a small group of people who are representative of the target audience. The program sponsors attend to observe sales reps’ and managers’ reactions and comments first hand.

This is a critical time to note the types of objections, questions, and comments to expect from future participant sales reps and managers. It allows us to plan as a team for those objections, questions, and comments related to participating in the sales training program. We then incorporate this information in the materials as appropriate to speed acceptance and adoption of the topic. 

At the end of the sales training program, sales reps and managers provide input on their experience and effectiveness of the learning. Changes to the sales training program materials are made and all materials are finalized.