Sales training … sitting in a room for hours listening to a PowerPoint-based presentation that you will have forgotten a week later... at best.
Traditional sales training certainly doesn’t have sales reps sitting at the edge of their seats, and it’s no secret that it has its pitfalls... lack of engagement, costly, non-scalable, and unsustainable... to name a few.
Now more than ever, with buying behaviors dramatically shifting over the past year and a half, sales training has never needed more attention. In 2017 alone, organizations worldwide spent over $2.54 billion on sales training. That number is only growing as we’re seeing more reluctant buyers due to increased decision friction leading to longer than usual deal cycles.
It’s safe to say that selling isn’t as easy as before, meaning current sales strategies and tools may not be adequate enough if companies want to gain a competitive edge in this challenging post-Covid business environment. Sales teams need to change their approach and improve their soft skills to engage potential clients better.
One thing is clear - traditional sales enablement is no longer enough if companies want to close deals successfully in the new world.
So how can organizations win sales training in the new world? How can they develop a winning soft skill training course?
People do business with people they like; we buy from those we connect with. The bottom line is, that sales is essentially a battle of connecting with the prospect.
"The proportion of companies addressing empathy and interpersonal skills has doubled since the pandemic."
And if we boil things down, the key to that lies in soft skills training. That’s right. It’s not about how big the companies were that they worked for in the past, or about how long they’ve been in the industry. A good sales rep has the ability to empathize with the prospect, build a relationship of trust and communicate effectively - they carry A-game soft skills.
In fact, a Deloitte Access Economics Study predicts that two-thirds of all jobs in Australia will rely on soft skills by 2030. That’s why organizations are investing in soft skills training to stay competitive, alongside diversity efforts to empower teams and continue delivering ongoing value for the business.
Hard Skills |
Soft Skills |
| > Technical knowledge | > Relationship-building skills |
| > Job-specific skills | > Ability to collaborate well |
| > Presentation skills | > Active listening |
As learning and development (L&D) leaders have recognized the need to grow their training initiatives, many organizations have invested in various e-learning platforms as well as increased budgets for soft skill training methods.
More employers plan to increase learning and development investments in 2022 despite the pandemic, continuing an upward trend, according to a survey of nearly 300 HR professionals by software marketplace Capterra.
However, both e-learning platforms and more traditional, in-person training methods aren't without their limitations, particularly when it comes to soft skills training.
The post-pandemic business environment has instilled in us that we cannot rely on old, known methods to survive in the new, unpredictable environment - this includes new ways of training those vital soft skills we previously talked about, with soft skills training.
So how are L&D leaders keeping up the pace of self-development for sales reps, and establishing soft skills training courses to develop their sales reps' capabilities to thrive in the 'new world'?
According to the 2022 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report, L&D leaders are doing this by embracing transformation and understanding the opportunities that we have, particularly as the pandemic has sped up digital transformation so dramatically. So it’s no surprise that L&D experts are turning to recent AI simulation technology which focuses heavily on agent skill mastery to elevate their soft skills training programs.
So, how exactly is AI-based soft skills training effective?
Innovative approaches, such as AI coaching, are proving to be highly effective in enhancing soft skills. These digital solutions provide tailored feedback and measurable outcomes:
For instance, a global retail brand recently integrated AI coaching into their onboarding process. New employees not only adapted more quickly to the company culture but also demonstrated marked improvements in customer interactions. The result? Higher customer satisfaction—a 16% increase—directly attributed to the enhanced soft skills of the team.
Many organizations are already reaping the benefits of investing in soft skills training:
The landscape for L&D leaders is rapidly evolving. With economic constraints pressing down on budgets, it might seem counterintuitive to invest in programs that aren’t directly tied to the bottom line. However, the numbers tell a compelling story:
The shifting work environment is keeping up the pace of self-development for individuals in the pursuit to thrive in the competitive ‘new world’. These areas of training all have one overarching foundation, which is that they all require high levels of soft skills - essentially soft skills training.
That is why more and more companies are turning to AI-based soft skills training platforms, such as Retorio, to help their sales staff train and grow their soft skills without limitations.
Retorio's AI platform combines video analysis with role-plays of client simulations to offer interactive soft skills training solutions for customer-facing roles, such as sales and consulting., etc. Their clients, including one of Germany's biggest automotive manufacturers, use Retorio to scale up their soft skills training programs, as well as coach their sales teams.
Want to learn more about how Retorio's AI training platform can change the game in soft skill training your sales reps? Click the button below!
1. Sales is essentially a battle of connecting with the prospect