Sales Training in South Africa Features & Benefits

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The Need for Specialised Sales Training in South Africa

Technology has given businesses a global reach, which has increased competition and intensified the need for specialised sales training in South Africa. A survey of manufacturing by country conducted earlier this year revealed that the Chinese now lead the world in the export of manufactured goods. The People’s Republic of China now accounts for just under 25% of world exports. That’s well ahead of the manufacturing industry in the United States, which contributes only 16,6%.

Furthermore, the quality of Chinese goods has improved vastly in recent years, even encouraging companies like Mini to trust the manufacture of its electric vehicles to the new Asian powerhouse. Lower labour costs and a well-trained, disciplined workforce have meant China’s exports are substantially cheaper than locally-made counterparts, posing challenges to those who must sell them.

Fortunately, those who undergo specialised sales training in South Africa can learn several effective ways to overcome objections about price points and acquire valuable additional skills that will boost their performance.

The key elements of sales training in South Africa

There are some common fallacies about the nature of selling. Some people believe that success lies in possessing the “gift of the gab”. However, in practice, it is the good listeners who close the most deals, not the smooth talkers. Others claim that some are born salespeople when, in practice, effective sales techniques must be learned and honed by experience.

There are many books on the subject, but they are no substitute for a course of live sales training presented by an expert. Course content varies but should cover most of the following elements:

Prospecting: This is a type of screening process in which salespeople employ online research, telephone calls, questionnaires or interviews to help identify those people who may be interested in a given product or service.
Preparation: This step involves arming oneself with all the relevant information a customer may need to make an informed decision, which could include product descriptions, performance specifications, special features, and competing products and prices.
Approach: Establishing an initial rapport with a prospective buyer with a few introductory questions helps gather information that may be leveraged later during the sales pitch.
Presentation: Some features may be awe-inspiring. However, only establishing prospects’ needs through open questions and demonstrating or describing how these will satisfy their needs will generate the desire to buy.

Overcoming objections: Listening to a prospect’s concerns, understanding their nature and addressing them seals deals.

Closing: Once all objections have been dealt with, this step involves understanding and applying proven sales techniques to obtain a firm commitment to purchase.

Following up: Reinforcing the commitment to prevent buyer remorse and establish an ongoing relationship with the customer that could lead to future business and referrals.

The above points are merely a brief outline. While theoretical aspects like the psychology of selling are valuable, quality sales training in South Africa should be a practical exercise with opportunities for role-play and expert feedback.

Finding quality sales training in South Africa

Orgro offers SETA-accredited, outcome-based sales training courses, so participating companies will be eligible for tax incentives. Please contact us for more information about our range of specialised training and development courses.