What do you like or dislike about sales training seminars and why?

I don't like the cheesy speaker types anymore than the next person. Beyond just cheesy speakers, is there anything that comes to mind that you really enjoy or dislike about sales training seminars?

If you've ever or plan on ever attending a sales seminar, what would you hope to get out of it in return for your investment of time and money?

If I attended a sales seminar I'd hope to come back with a new skill or understanding to help me be more productive that I could apply immediately.

Being reminded of knowledge you had and had forgotten through bad habits/lack or use and/or lack of study is another huge benefit from any skill review.

Habit forming is far easier than habit changing!

Learning is not an event, it is a process.

Don't plan on attending a sales training event, plan to continually work on skills, in other words plan many events and reviews. This is the only way to mastery ...

Repetition is the key to retention.

Immediate application of knowledge is the secret to forming good habits - sales practices.

Most important for me is that the training is tailored to my needs. It needs to be suitable for the type of products I sell and the type of customers I have. And it needs to be at the right level - I don't want to have to relearn the basics I learned 20 years ago.

Next, what is taught needs to be "solid". By that I mean the things being taught have to actually work. They must be based on strong research evidence or at least a lot of personal experience. Not just stuff someone thought sounded good or looked good in a book.

An interesting and entertaining presenter would be good too.

I agree with Mr Gold - learning is a lifelong process - but good training courses & seminars can be part of that.

I also like to see a good balance between practical tips I can use immediately - and longer term learning points that affect the way I look at the world and the way I think about sales. They may not be immediately impactful - but over the long term they're likely to be more valuable.

Ian

Sales Seminars are absolutely the best when motivation and technique are combined with UP-TO-DATE technology. Being brought up to speed with new techniques in lead generation and contact management is a must for all seminars/workshops.

Success,

Rory Wilfong
ProspectMX

Seminars tend to get me moving and remind me of things I should be doing but maybe have let slide or forgotten.

Sometimes seminar is boring. They forgot to entertain their spectators or just break the ice. They even talk and talk without knowing that the spectators are getting bored. They should some exercise to involve the spectators so that they will not get bored. That's the usual mistakes of having a seminar without giving activities to the spectators.

"is there anything that comes to mind that you really enjoy or dislike about sales training seminars?

If you've ever or plan on ever attending a sales seminar, what would you hope to get out of it in return for your investment of time and money?" -- Billiam

I dislike dishonesty, banal platitudes and glib double talk, hype and pretension. BUT when confronted with that I always learn something from it unintended by the speaker(s)

I like the opposite of those qualities.

When I want to get out of a sales training seminar is something specific to whatever I'm concerned with at the time and clear definitions of a sales process or strategy.

MitchM

I used to attend sales training every 3 months when i worked at my last job. I watched alot of different trainers and the one thing that I used to hate was when a trainer would go on about how good he used to be at doing my job. I know it is his way of trying to earn the respect of the class. But it just bothered me when the conversation would keep coming back to how he used to run a dealership or how people still try to hire him.
Living in portland, I also hated it when a trainer would come to my city and complain to me about the rain. I know it rains, or thats just what us oregonions want everyone else to think that way we can keep the best part of the country to ourselves...

enough of the negatives, I liked being reminded of the basics sometimes. I also liked the confidence boost it used to give me. Watching the other salespeople struggle in front of the class while we practiced, then going up front and nailing the process. not that i like to watch other people fail, but knowing that I knew the process was a confidence boost. as a salesperson you should know that you ARE THE BEST in your field, but also know that you can learn alot more. its a fine line

Yes, Jaron, a trainer should command respect through demonstration of skill ... not blowing their own horn.