The Great Sales and

Training Divide
The Great Sales and Training Divide
2007, 2012 Huthwaite, Inc.
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901 North Glebe Road Suite 200 Arlington, VA 22203 P 703 467 3800 F 703 467 3801 www.huthwaite.com
2007, 2012 Huthwaite, Inc.
1
The Great Sales and Training Divide
The Great Sales
and Training Divide
Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or
house divided against itself will stand
Is your house divided? Inherent in the DNA of most companies is a fundamental
disconnect between sales and training. This disconnect stems largely from differing
areas of focus, unaligned goals, andperhaps most importantlyinconsistent
metrics to drive and measure results.
In the mind of the sales manager, training equates to time out of the feld and time
away from customersnever a good thing. Training, in their experience, is a waste
of time, rarely producing any sustained skill improvement or measurable results.
As such, sales managersrightly or wronglyperceive little value in the training
function.
And, unfortunately, the skepticism of sales for training is basically justifed.
Huthwaites research demonstrates that sellers typically suffer an 87% loss of skills
within one month of training unless there is immediate and ongoing coaching
1

which, if it exists to begin with, generally loses momentum as the pressure for short
term results cannibalizes the investment in skill development.
Professionals responsible for learning and development
(OD, HR, corporate university staff, etc.)hereinafter
referred to as L&Dconsider training an unmitigated
good in and of itself. They believe resolutely that great
organizations are ones that invest in their people.
Employee development is vital to the health of the
company. From their perspective, hostility from the
sales department is misdirected.
1 Rackham, Neil and Ruff, Richard, Managing Major Sales, 1991, p.129.
Sales generates the
revenue, and as a
wit once said
of the Golden Rule:
He who has the gold
makes the rules.
2007, 2012 Huthwaite, Inc. 2
The Great Sales and Training Divide
So, there is a cold war standoff which slowly escalates with occasional moments
of open hostility. But such battles are usually brief as the fght isnt between equals.
Sales generates the revenue, and as a wit once said of the Golden Rule: He who has
the gold makes the rules. In other words, L&Dwhich is a cost centeris dependent
on the success of Sales. So, Sales generally sets the course, while L&D struggles to
justify its budget and rationale for taking sellers out of the feld.
What is to be done about this disconnect? How can cooperation, respect and mutual
support be fostered between the two sides of the house? The answer, while simple,
is not easy. It lies in the alignment of L&Ds defnition of success with that of the
sales function.
Defnition of Success: SALES
Success is often defned as higher performance from sellers. But, performance
improvement may not be just selling more product; it might include a better
return on effort, higher margins, more proftable deals, shorter sales cycles,
greater market share, or improved competitive presence. Whatever defnes great
performance in a particular company, there will be some number of metrics by
which the sales force and sales leaders are judged.
Defnition of Success: LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT
L&D metrics tend to be internally focused. Success is providing a certain number of
days of training, high ratings on workshop evaluations, the variety of courses offered
or the introduction of fresh thinking, concepts and intellectual property.
If Sales and L&D stay focused on the usual
metrics, never the twain shall meet.
THE ALIGNMENT
It is in the best interest of the training side of the house to make the frst move.
Sales is entrenched. L&D needs to be assertive, proactive and courageous in opening
the dialogue about defnitions of success. The purpose is to develop a line of sight
between the objectives of Sales and the objectives of the training department.
What do sales leaders need from their sales force? What kind of success is desirable,
but not inevitable? How can L&Ds desire to train people, align with the wants of
sales leadership?
Line of sight is in the best interest of all concerned.
If L&D can facilitate the alignment of vision, either
with outside assistance or internally, everyone wins. To
start this alignment L&D needs to:
(1) demonstrate how x number of training hours leads
to y behavior change and (2) quantify this behavior
change in terms of the outcomes Sales is seeking.
L&D needs to be
assertive, proactive
and courageous in
opening the dialogue
about definitions
of success.
2007, 2012 Huthwaite, Inc.
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The Great Sales and Training Divide
L&D also needs to recognize and communicate, that
performance improvement extends beyond classroom
training. What occurs before and after is as important
as the training itself. Successas defned by Sales
requires upfront agreement on goals, expectations,
metrics and, most importantly, a plan for post-training
coaching, reinforcement and measurementthe process
of expecting and empowering salespeople to revisit,
practice and master the skills introduced in training.
And the entire initiative has to be driven with metricsobjective, empirical and
quantifed measures. L&D needs to understand and communicate the behaviors that
result in sales excellencethe skills that separate average from superior sellers.
Training professionals must provide sales leaders with leading indicators to assess
their people in a timely mannerbeginning right after training. In order to drive
outcomes, Sales and L&D need to be able to assess the skills of the salespeople post-
training against the skills empirically associated with world class sales performance.
By recognizing and reinforcing effective behaviors and addressing remaining skill
gaps, sales leaders can be assured of achieving their desired outcomes.
The line of sight between the objectives of Sales and the objectives of L&D is an
imperative. There is no shortcut.
Make it worth it, or keep em out of class!
If L&D cannot provide this alignment of vision, they
really ought not try to implement any sales training. It
will be a waste of time and resented. They will have
to resign themselves to fghting an uphill battle that
cannot be wonnor perhaps should be. Remember,
without the proper coaching and reinforcement, only
13% of learning is retained thirty days after training
takes place.
The historical and natural animosity between Sales and L&D runs deep. But it
doesnt need to. Both are seeking, ultimately, to improve sales effectiveness.
Perhaps for different reasons each nevertheless has the same endgame. In order to
overcome the hostility, L&D needs to reach out and establish a line of sight between
training efforts and business outcomes.
L&D needs to
understand and
communicate the
behaviors that result
in sales excellence
the skills that
separate average
from superior sellers.
The historical and
natural animosity
between Sales
and L&D runs deep.
But it doesnt need to.
2007, 2012 Huthwaite, Inc. 4
The Great Sales and Training Divide
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Selling, guarantee sales success.
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901 North Glebe Road Suite 200 Arlington, VA 22203 P 703 467 3800 F 703 467 3801 www.huthwaite.com