Even for the most talented and successful sales people, developing the necessary skills to be successful does not happen by magic.

For those just getting started or veterans who have gotten a little rusty, sales training is a necessary component of success. It teaches you the basics of your role as a salesperson, as well as the necessary thought process and mindset needed to be a successful sales professional.

But, as with taking any class, it can make some people a little nervous while others do not know where to even start. Before undertaking a sales training program, whether it is something being integrated into your schedule by your employer or something that you are doing by your own volition, it is good to know what preparations you need to take. Read on to know how to be prepared for sales training.

Stay Organized

The very first thing you need to do to be prepared for whatever sales training program you are going to take is to keep yourself put together and professional.

You are going there to learn how to be a salesperson, thus you should carry yourself like one. This means knowing what the program’s dress code is and making sure that you are presentable. This means knowing what to bring and having it with you and arriving on time if not ahead of time.

Knowing what the rules of the program are and what you need will often be offered to you ahead of time, whether it be through an email, the class description, a rule book or syllabus, what have you. If you have any other questions about the program, often they will be happy to answer your questions. If your sales training is being provided directly in your working environment, often your work attire and supplies are enough unless stated otherwise.

That said, do should try to arrive in a relaxed frame of mind so you can focus on the program and understand that this is not a hard and fast rule. Some programs are more relaxed than others and often, as long as you are polite, arrive on time, have all your supplies, and wear something decent, you will be fine. Try not to overthink it.

Keep an Open Mind

When going into sales training, your main goal is to learn. But it can be tempting to only half-listen, thinking that you know more than you actually do, especially if you already have experience in sales. While you should not disregard what you know about sales, you should go into sales training with an open mind.

This means being willing to learn new concepts and possibly unlearning misconceptions you have accumulated about sales. It means learning the more difficult processes of sales and being willing to shift your mindset and attitude in order to be more successful as a sales person. This can even mean learning new sales techniques and being willing to forgo obsolete techniques.

If you go into any learning environment believing that you know everything that you need to know, then you will not get anything out of the class, and it will be a waste of time. But understanding that you still have a lot to learn, even as a sales veteran, being willing to learn and absorbing the knowledge being presented will ensure you get the most out of sales training.

Listen and Take Notes

Even if you are willing to learn, you also need to be prepared to listen. While it may sound easy to say, “just listen,” with what we know nowadays about the different kinds of learning styles and those on the neurodivergent spectrum, it has become a far more complicated topic. But, in broad strokes, when it comes to being prepared to learn, do what you need to do to be able to learn best.

For some, they will be able to watch and listen. For others, they may have difficulty just listening and may need to do something with their hands. This may involve taking notes while they listen. In this instance, it may be a good thing to do in general as it will give you something to go back to, especially if the program provides worksheets for you to write notes on. However, this may involve having to doodle in class or play with a fidget toy, something that is slowly getting destigmatized as we learn more about how people learn. You may also want to consider recording the lecture if you are an auditory learner.

Overall, know what your learning style is and do your best to use it when you are taking sales training.

Review What You Have Learned

As said by Mathew Pollard, author of The Introvert’s Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone: “Listen, not to answer, but to understand.” If you are taking sales training, you are not just there out of academic obligation to get enough credits to graduate high school, you are learning a skill and how to be successful in your career. Your focus when it comes to learning should be to understand what you are being taught.

Thus, when you are done with a session of sales training, try to review what you have learned and see if you understand what you were taught. If you were taking notes or recording the class, review them and see if you understand the subject or topic you learned. Go over it and talk to other classmates. If you feel you do not understand, it may be something you may want to do some personal research, or it could be a question you can ask during the next session. Either way, whether you understand the subject initially or not, prepare yourself to discuss it either to get a better understanding of it or to demonstrate your understanding of it.

Practice Being Proficient

Finally, practice what you were taught. This is simple if you are already a salesperson since you will be practicing the lessons you were taught every day. However, if you are working up to be a salesperson, then you need to go out of your way to practice. Practice these skills with your peers, try to imagine yourself in the kinds of situations you will be in as a salesperson, act out a scenario in front of a mirror, write down and go over notecards to practice a demonstration, et cetera.

Do whatever you need to do in order to practice the skills you have learned until you are proficient in them. That way, during the next session, you will be more prepared to demonstrate and discuss them, along with being prepared to learn the next skill.