How to Train & Make Believers Out of Your Reps

I know a woman who has sold everything from cosmetics to purses to kitchenware to cleaning products. And whatever she’s selling – and motivating others to hawk – really seems to excite her.

She’s a believer, or least she sure seems to be. And when you believe in your product – or, at least, convey belief in it – it’s a whole lot easier to convince other folks how great it is.

Getting sales reps and customer service agents onboard with your products and services takes some work. There are a few self-starters who will do their own research, and that’s wonderful. But, as an organization, you need to be proactive in explaining to your representatives what your products do, why they do it, and what you and your brand want to convey. That way they can understand the goals and important aspects of what you do, and they can help bring these messages and experiences to your customers and prospects.

That requires hiring people with good communications skills. These individuals should use clear, concise language. They should avoid using slang and negative words. And they should be upbeat and helpful.

In onboarding these individuals, explain your overall organizational goals and positioning, inform them about your procedures and the tools and technologies needed to carry them out, and educate them on the specific campaigns and products and services they’ll be selling and supporting. That training should map to the key performance indicators that are most important to the contact center and your business at large.

And to make sure they’re staying on message and hitting the KPIs, continue coaching them and providing feedback via personal training, online materials, agent scoring, and possibly even peer interactions.

When your agents and sales people need help, point them in the right direction; when they succeed, recognize it. And when they have a consistent record of excellent performance and/or go above and beyond the call of duty, reward that and encourage such behavior from others by offering them promotions, bonuses, and other perks.

If you do all that, you’ll make true believers out of your employees. And they will make true believers out of your customers and prospects.

Edited by Mandi Nowitz