How do you spot a good Sales Trainer?

Red flags when looking for a sales trainer.

We could write War and Peace on this, but here are a few that immediately spring to mind:

They've hidden behind a keyboard.

Rather than picking up the phone and doing what they expect your sales team to do, they've commented “I can help” on your LinkedIn post.

Worse still, they've hunted down your email address and sent you seventeen paragraphs explaining why you need their services.

They've quoted before they've qualified.

They've sent you a proposal without properly understanding your wants, needs, challenges, timescales or the commercial issues that could ultimately stop the deal happening.

Sound familiar?

They've sold you a course before understanding the problem.

They've sent you a brochure, course outline or list of training modules without first finding out where the actual skills gaps are in your team.

That's not consultancy. That's product pitching.

And finally, they haven't walked a mile in the shoes.

If your sales trainer has never actually done the job, how much real world context can they bring to the room?

Good sales training shouldn't just be theory.

It should be brought to life with real experiences, real situations, real mistakes and real anecdotes.

Because your salespeople don't need someone who can tell them what the textbook says, they need someone who understands what it's actually like to be out there doing it.

Choosing a sales trainer?

Don't just ask what they teach.

Ask them how they sell.