In many organizations, the sales force is on the front lines of bringing in revenue. But how does learning develop the most effective sales talent? Below, we highlight some of ATD Research’s recent investigations into sales training, as well as share exciting news about ATD’s World-Class Sales Competency Model, which forms the foundation of much of our research on sales training. 

What Does Sales Training Look Like? 

A little over two years ago, ATD Research set out to establish the state of sales training efforts in organizations, including the areas training was devoted to, and how training was delivered. The State of Sales Training, 2012 found that the most training hours were spent on selling skills and product information, and instructor-led training (both in-person and online) was, unsurprisingly, the most common delivery method. 

One finding in that study was that sales management skills were only 9 percent of sales training content hours, and one key recommendation was that organizations should focus on making sure that sales managers, who directly oversee representative teams, were prepared to be strong team leaders.

Research on Developing Sales Managers 

Last fall, ATD Research undertook a project to examine sales managers and their training. Results from the findings were reported in Developing Sales Managers: Activating Sales Performance Through Learning, 

ATD polled 162 learning and sales leaders, and we found that sales managers were much more likely to have mastered areas of expertise related to selling and maintaining accounts than those related to managing and coaching. The expertise areas we asked about were those established in the ATD World-Class Sales Competency Model, which is discussed below. 

The shortfall in people management skills could be explained by the typical recruitment channel for sales managers. The most popular source of new sales managers is internal promotion from a sales representative position, and management experience was not high on the list of characteristics hiring managers looked for when promoting representatives to managers. 

The findings suggest that organizations should have training programs aimed specifically at building incoming sales managers’ management and coaching skills. However, the research found that there is a long way to go: 52 percent of organizations don’t have learning offerings targeted specifically for new sales managers, meaning that sales managers may be ill-prepared to supervise and motivate teams. 

ATD’s World-Class Sales Competency Model 

The ATD World-Class Sales Competency Model defines roles, areas of expertise, competencies, key actions, and outputs for anyone in a sales organization who is directly or indirectly responsible for generating revenue. Our research team relies upon these definitions when assessing the skills and the training needs of sales professionals. 

However, it’s no secret that the sales profession, and the business landscape as a whole, has experienced major changes in recent years, and sales professionals face new challenges. Recognizing this, ATD is releasing an all-new World-Class Sales Competency Model at the 2015 ATD International Conference and Exposition.

Learn More 

Keep up with the latest sales training news, including news on the new Sales Competency Model, at ATD’s Sales Enablement Community of Practice. You can also join the Sales Enablement Community of Practice Group at LinkedIn, and follow on twitter at @atdsalesenable. 

In addition, The State of Sales Training, 2012 can be downloaded in full online. Members have complimentary access to a whitepaper version of the report. Developing Sales Managers: Activating Sales Performance Through Learning also can be downloaded in full online. Members have complimentary access to a whitepaper version of the report, and the infographic is free to everyone.