Let’s start with some housekeeping.
In the March/April issue of Sales & Marketing Management, I looked at consolidation within the sales training industry, focusing on a recent conversation I had with Joe Terry of Corporate Visions, a company that is quickly growing through acquisitions.
In this issue, I had planned to speak with executives from the industry’s largest pure-play sales training provider. Unfortunately, after initially agreeing to discuss their company’s growth and what it means for clients, those executives decided (shortly before the deadline for this column) that now is not the right time to speak with the media on this topic. This remains an important subject area, and I intend to revisit it when the timing is right.
Instead, I’ll cover a topic that’s a little more personal for me.
Did you notice that my byline for this column has changed? On March 15, ES Research Group, Inc. closed its doors. Although I attempted to pass the company on to a new owner, I was unable to identify an individual or firm that could, without me, take the organization forward in a way that would build on what we had accomplished.
During our nine years in business, ESR:
- Published the industry’s first indepen-dent evaluations and comparisons of sales training providers. We eventually covered 40 firms, providing clarity and objectivity to sales training buyers faced with the challenging task of evaluating and selecting the right long-term training partner.
- Pressed many companies in the sales training community to measure the impact of what they deliver to clients. A number of firms now offer shared risk/shared reward agreements. You should be asking for one.
- Assumed a leadership role in social selling, employing LinkedIn and Twitter in particular to provide direction for sales leaders and their teams.
- Assessed challenges faced by buyers and sellers — both sides of the negotiating table — in a powerful and revealing research report that included no-nonsense recommendations.
- Delivered a dozen webinars to hundreds of members of the sales training community, advising them about what it takes to meet the significant selling challenges that they (or you, the reader) face every day. Over the years, many of those providers made significant changes to their products and services, so you have more of what you need to win.
- With respect to both sales training providers and buyers, ESR elevated the importance of assessments, customization, ongoing reinforcement, effective hiring, coaching, management training, technology-enabled learning and selling, financial acumen, and other critical capabilities. More companies now have a strategic approach to sales learning and development, which will support growth and increased performance for years to come.
To be clear, I am not leaving the sales performance improve-ment community. I will continue to be active through this column and my blog, and I have some industry-related interests and projects that I am excited about pursuing. You’ll hear more about those over the next few months. In the meantime, I will continue my work with growing Irish companies through the Dublin Institute of Technology and Enterprise Ireland in Dublin, and at Cambridge University in England.
As the ESR dust settles, I feel compelled to reiterate a key take-away from what I accomplished and learned through my ESR experience: When you’re evaluating and selecting your next sales performance improvement provider, don’t depend on Top 10 lists, popularity contests, brand recognition or “new” just for the sake of newness. Instead, assess how your customers buy. Identify the gaps where your salespeople don’t meet those customer requirements. Select a training provider with a proven approach and track record for closing those gaps through the use of hiring, training, reinforcement, coaching and measurement. Get your entire company behind what will be a business and behavioral transformation. Enjoy your success.
See you next time.
