Sales Training: Is There a Right Way?
By Dan Levitan, MIRM

What is the best way to train our sales staff?

While I am not certain that there is one single “best” way, certainly I would recommend that every sales team member enroll in NAHB’s CSP course as an essential introduction to the concepts of properly selling new homes in an onsite environment. And House Construction as a Selling Tool and Essential Closing Strategies provide wonderful additions to the basic knowledge and skills that every salesperson needs.

Our industry is fortunate to have several excellent professional sales trainers who will work with your staff in a number of ways — personally through off-site seminars, on-site presentations, and one-on-one training. A number of books, audiotapes, and videos also are available, and the NAHB convention and builder regional conferences usually offer several outstanding sales programs. These will help to further increase selling skills and motivation.

Each company must create a program that reflects its individual personality. The primary responsibility for regular sales training on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis for any company must rest with the sales manager. Following are programs I would recommend:

1. Pre-Opening Staff Meetings.
   Prior to opening a new development, have the architect and land planner meet with the sales staff to explain why they have designed the homes and community as they have and what special features they have included. Visit the homes under construction and walk through several with the construction manager to learn about special building techniques. The interior merchandiser also should walk through the models with the staff to explain the design concepts and demonstrate the livability of the homes and the unique benefits that will be provided to the purchasers.
   
   
2. Shop the Competition.
   Each sales team member must individually shop every competitive development and prepare a written analysis of each of the developments. This analysis should then be reviewed and discussed in a group meeting. This competitive survey process is repeated at least quarterly, providing updates on new products, sales performance, and traffic.
   
   
3. Create a List of Positives and Negatives. 
   Prior to opening, and with the benefit of the competitive analysis, have each salesperson walk the community and each home and prepare a written list of each positive and negative that he or she finds. The sales staff must learn to overcome these negatives. Several weeks after the opening, review these lists to ensure that we have changed each potential negative into a strong selling positive. 
   
   
4. Role-Play.
   And finally, still prior to opening, spend several days role-playing the selling process in the sales office and model homes. Sometimes this is painful for the sales staff as they feel pressure from performing in front of the sales manager or their peers. But if they cannot properly handle the process when the sale cannot be lost, how can we expect them to handle it with a customer when the sale is on the line?
   
   
5. Videotape the Sales Presentation.
   Videotape a sample sales presentation for each salesperson and give the tape to that person to take home and study, looking for opportunities to improve mannerisms, posture, expressions, and voice.
   
   
6. Weekly Sales Meetings.
   Hold weekly company-wide sales meetings. Ask each of the sales people, in rotation, to lead a meeting on alternate weeks and on the topic of their choice. The sales manager should lead meetings on the other weeks on motivation and/or training. These meetings should provide opportunities for personal improvement.
   
   
7. One-on-one Meetings.
   Hold weekly meetings in each sales office with that sales team (or person), reviewing the traffic and sales for that week and analyzing each visitor to plan the proper approach to generate a return visit and purchase. Work with each salesperson on an individual basis in ongoing role-playing.
   
   
8. Shop the Sales Staff.
   “Shopping” the sales staff is essential to maximizing their productivity. This “shopping” process should be used to give the salesperson the benefit of the buyer’s view of his or her performance. Give the shopping report to the salesperson to review and then discuss the results privately, concentrating on opportunities for improvement.
   
   
9. Training.
   Hold company-wide sales training meetings on a semi-annual basis, usually at an off-site location, featuring an outside sales trainer or motivational speaker. If your company budget will not allow for this, join together with other local builders and pool your resources to give your sales team exposure to the best.
   
   
10. Make SMC Connections.
    Require your salespeople to be active members of their local SMC, serving on committees and regularly attending its programs and functions. This is an excellent networking and referral opportunity as well as a great source of information on the market.
    
    
11. Make Realtor® Connections.
    Require your salespeople to be active members of their local Board of Realtors®, serving on committees and regularly attending their programs and functions. This is also a networking, referral, and information opportunity.

Please remember the performance of your sales staff will only be as good as the sales management they are provided. Proper sales management requires the sales manager to be in the field, at the communities on a regular basis, personally assisting the sales staff in making each of the sales, not sitting in the home office doing paperwork. 

Daniel Levitan, MIRM, CMP, CSP, SHMS, RAM, CPB, is president of Levitan & Associates, a Florida-based firm providing marketing and strategic consulting to builders, developers, and lenders throughout the country. He is a past president and multi-term Trustee of the Institute of Residential Marketing, a past three-term Trustee of the National Council on Seniors Housing and winner of the Bill Molster, John P. Hall, and IRM’s Excellence in Education awards. He can be contacted by phone at 954-473-4244 or by email at dlevitan@bellsouth.net.

Originally published in Sales + Marketing Ideas magazine. ©2004.

Stay tuned for a new NSMC member resource featuring exceptional sales and marketing content just like this! [ return to top ]