Only 10% of companies prioritize sales in their Learning and Development (L&D) plans. According to our internal statistics, that trend might be short-lived.
Our 2019 L&D Report revealed that there is an oversight in the training world. Fifty-seven percent of the L&D professionals surveyed reported leadership and management training as their organization’s primary training concern, while only ten percent of respondents prioritize sales training. This surprising discrepancy inspired us to look into our internal statistics to find out more.
We found that while sales training may be on the low-end of many organization’s training priority lists, that trend is by no means here to stay. Increasing traffic and interaction with our sales training and certification offerings suggests that training buyers consider sales an important area for development. Our findings indicate that companies with growing revenue are 3x more likely to predict an increase in their L&D budgets. If site activity is any indication, a good portion of that budget will be directed towards sales training.
Over the past 3 months, the interest in sales training has more than doubled, but why?
Technological developments may be one explanation. Constant developments in sales technologies like customer relationship management tools or sales automation software mean that salespeople need to train with the latest tech innovations in the industry to ensure their success. Furthermore, technological advances have also changed the way sellers need to learn and update their soft skills, and they may be looking to training to stay relevant in today’s market.
Sales teams have a specific role in cementing an organization’s success over the long term. Sales is not only a revenue generator. A successful sales department can also influence your organization’s brand recognition, brand reputation, and help foster long-term customer relationships. Digging a little deeper into interactions with our site, companies may very well be be recognizing the sales oversight for what it is.
More professional training buyers are considering sales training and browsing the sales training courses on offer. The data over the past 15 months suggests that organizations are beginning to recognize the value of sales training and professional development as key strategies in staying competitive, relevant, and innovative in their respective industries.