Measuring Sales Training ROI

Companies spend thousands of dollars a year on sales training, yet rarely do they measure the return on the investment they make. Unlike most forms of training it is somewhat easier to measure the ROI of sales training. You simply look at your metrics before training and compare them to your sales metrics after training. Simple enough right? Not so fast. There are very specific things you need to do before you send your salespeople to training. Here are some tips for measuring the return on your sales training effectiveness:


1. Identify your sales metrics that you want to impact (i.e., increase sales of "green widgets" in "territory A" by x%" by "end of third quarter").

2. Qualify the "green widget" opportunities (i.e., who are potential "green widget" owners in "territory A?" "What do they know about "green widgets?" "Are they buying "green widgets" from a competitor?" "If so, what does the competitor have that I don't have (and vice versa?))

3. Match the opportunities with the capabilities of your sales force (i.e., In order to sell "green widgets" in "territory A" what capabilities must my sales force possess?). Keep in mind that selling skills is only one piece of the puzzle. Other pieces could include "green widget" expertise or product knowledge, training and demonstration capabilities, problem solving skills, competitor awareness, etc.

4. Assess the capabilities of your sales force. (i.e., who is capable of doing what? Who needs to be trained in what?)

5. Match the right training to the right individual. This doesn't necessarily mean that you need to create a separate workshop for each learner. It does mean, however, that each learner should come to the program prepared and empowered to integrate specific and targeted performance initiatives.

6. Individualized action plans. It is imperative that each learner prepare a 90-Day action plan that links directly to the metrics and capabilities he or she desires to improve upon. This then becomes the basis for measuring sales training ROI!