Sales Research Papers
View Additional Sales Research Papers
A Human Performance Improvement Approach to Sales Effectiveness
High-performing sales organizations have long used well-targeted training to close skill or knowledge gaps critical to their sales force effectiveness, and there have been several studies showing the impact of salesperson training on sales performance. There is also a strong belief that salesperson training alone is not as effective as training combined with changes in the work processes and management of salespeople. learn more
Determining the Consultant Skills Required of Salespeople
In many industries, it is a given that salespeople need business consultant skills to be effective. However, little has been done to try to define the level of consultant skills required. Some consider strategic-level discovery skills the definition of consultant skill. For others, understanding core operational strategy is required and, for others, the ability to conduct an executive-level sales call is the heart of being a consultative salesperson. learn more
Enhancing Sales Performance Through Business Consulting Skills
For many organizations, salespeople need to be effective business consultants, experts who can deal with complex systems issues, and can help facilitate change in their clients' organizations. learn more
Enhancing Sales Performance Through Negotiation Skills
In today's business era, it is a given that to be effective, salespeople need to embrace the art of negotiation. However, there have been few studies that demonstrate the impact of negotiation skills development on sales performance and business results. learn more
For Increased Sales Performance: Invest in Manager Training
While the concept of training sales managers to coach to the specific skills their salespeople are learning is not new, many organizations are reluctant to make the investment. This has largely been due to the difficulty of justifying the expense. The studies reported here provide clear and convincing evidence that sales manager training produces a positive ROI. That is, the costs of sales manager training added only about 20% to the costs of sales training, but produced a 59% (59:1) ROI for the organization. learn more
Impact of Manager Coaching on Learning Transfer
We reviewed literature from the past several years in search of rigorous studies that compared the impact of training seminars alone to training plus different forms of manager coaching. Overall, we found that if organizations fully prepared their managers by providing them with (a) the same training that their employees received and (b) training in an effective coaching process, the organization could increase the effectiveness of their learning transfer by more than 40%. learn more
Sales as a Source of Competitive Advantage: How Salespeople Differentiate Their Offering
New competitive realities are forcing organizations to reexamine how their sales force contributes to their competitive advantage. This paper reports on research Wilson Learning has done with five separate organizations to define the role of salespeople in creating differentiation and competitive advantage. learn more
Sales Management as a Source of Competitive Advantage
Creating effective sales managers has been a long-term problem for many organizations. Promoting highly effective salespeople to the role of sales manager seems to fail as often as it succeeds, and there is little documented evidence of sales managers' independent contribution to organizational value. learn more
Versatility: The Key to Pharmaceutical Sales Performance
While having a salesforce that can deliver your company's message to physicians and other health care professionals is critical learn more
Versatility: The Key to Sales Performance
While having a salesforce that can deliver your company's message to the marketplace is critical to effective performance, the true key to success is having a salesforce that can adapt that message to the needs and preferences of the customer. Our research shows that versatile salespeople can be over 50% more successful than their less adaptable counterparts. learn more