Sales management · Sales training and development
Write what the training must change in numbers, and plan the programme around that line.
SMART training objectives are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and dated. A programme plan then fixes who is trained, by whom, in what form and how it will be judged. This page covers writing the objective, using brand-supplied training, and a one-page plan per programme.
Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.
In one paragraph
SMART training objectives are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and dated. A programme plan then fixes who is trained, by whom, in what form and how it will be judged. This page covers writing the objective, using brand-supplied training, and a one-page plan per programme.
A distributor of electrical goods in Vijayawada sat the dozen reps through a morning on a new switch range, given by the principal brand's trainer. Everyone thanked the trainer and went back to selling the old range. No one had written down what the morning was supposed to change.
Write the objective first: after the session, each rep can name the three features of the new range and quote it correctly, tested by the sales manager within a fortnight. Then plan the programme around it. The owner approves the budget; the sales manager owns the plan.
This sits after the needs assessment, which says what to train, and before the curriculum page, which says in what order. It replaces training as an event with training as a stated change.
Where this sits
Topic 5 of 14 in sales management: sales training and development. Planning, running and judging training for the sales team, from the manager's side.
- The topic before
- Recruitment and selection
- The topic after
- Motivation and coaching
If you want this done for you
My salespeople do not follow up, do not handle objections and do not close.
The work
What this is actually like.
“A good objective can fail”
If the sentence cannot be proved wrong, it is not an objective. 'Improve objection handling' cannot fail. 'Every rep handles the price objection in a recorded role play and scores 4 out of 5 on the manager's sheet by 30 November' can.
“Attainable depends on the person”
A target that suits your best rep will make the newest rep give up. Set one objective for the team and a lower step for anyone below the standard today. Rewrite the step when they pass it.
“The principal's trainer is free, so use them well”
Brands send product trainers at no charge. Ask in advance for the slides, the demo kit and a short test you can run afterwards. Their goal is to explain the product; your goal is to change what your reps do on Monday. Tell the trainer both.
“Budget includes the rep's day”
A training day costs the field time of everyone in the room. Work out what a normal day of visits brings in from your own order book and count it in the cost. That is the figure to compare with the benefit.
What we do
What you end up with.
The documents this topic produces, what each one is for, and how you know it is finished.
The objective sheet
For each programme: the gap it closes, the change in one sentence, the number or test that proves it, who is judged and by what date. Each of the five letters is ticked by the manager and checked by the owner.
Result: Finished when someone outside the sales team can tell whether the objective was met.
The one-page programme plan
Who attends, who trains, the format and place, the materials, the date, the cost including lost field time, and how the result will be judged. Signed by the owner.
Result: Finished when the plan can be handed to a stand-in manager who has never seen the programme.
The brand training request
A short note to the principal asking for the trainer's date, the material, a test and a demo kit. Sent with your objective so the content fits.
Result: Finished when the trainer's agenda matches the objective sheet.
The budget line
Fees, travel, food, and field time lost, totalled and set against one measurable result.
Result: Finished when the owner can say what result would make the spend worth it.
Why us
Why owners pick GullySales over an agency.
Marketing and sales, as one job
Most agencies stop at the enquiry. We also fix what happens after it: the reply, the follow-up, the quote and the CRM.
The person on the first call does the work
No account managers in between. You are never handed to someone you have not met.
A baseline before anything starts
Your numbers are written down on day one, so every later report compares against something honest.
The fee in writing, split three ways
Our time, your media spend and production on separate lines. You always see what goes to us.
No guarantees we cannot keep
The term is agreed in writing and never a default twelve months. We never promise a ranking or a lead count, because nobody controls those.
One office, and we say so
Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru. We work across India by call and WhatsApp and travel when a session needs to be in person.
#257, 3rd floor, Sri Nanjundeshwara Complex, Nagarbhavi 8th Block, Outer Ring Road. How we work.
Your brief
Tell us what you need, and we will read it before we call.
Eight short steps about your business, what you want and who decides. Most questions are a tap, and you can skip any you would rather answer on the call.
FAQ
Questions owners ask before they call.
Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.
What is the difference between an objective and a goal?
Who should write the objective?
How many objectives per programme?
Should training happen on a workday?
How much does it cost?
How long is the contract?
How soon will we see results?
Who will actually do the work?
What do you need from us?
What if we are not happy with the work?
Where to go next
The work that carries this topic further.
The rest of sales training and development
Or read all of sales management.
Your next practical step
Tell us what you are trying to grow, and we will read it before we call.
Eight short steps, mostly taps. Skip anything you would rather answer on the call.