Sales training can be seen as an expense rather than an investment. More so of time then money. Even more so, when you are an established business that is no longer in survival mode. There is always a juggle of when to find the right time to have team members away from their busy work life.

But what if the real cost lies in not training your team? As a sales manager, leader or business owner, your role includes driving performance, fostering strong team culture and maintain solid customer relationships. So, the big question for you…is sales training worth it. Let’s look at why sales training is crucial and the some of the negative of neglecting it.

Bonus: You’ll find questions at the end of each section to help you assess your team’s readiness for additional development or click HERE to take our free in depth assessment.

1. Revenue Impact
Investing in sales training directly impacts your revenue. A trained team is methodical in closing deals and capitalising on opportunities. They understand a clear sales process and have a planned approach to ensure they are consistent at hit targets. If they are not hitting targets, the team knows how to measure its effectiveness and on what sales activities they need to double down on if they are behind. So, what happens when training is neglected or delayed? - Missed opportunities. As an example, these could be leads that your marketing team has worked hard to generate yet an untrained team often struggles to convert leads into sales. They might fall into the trap of using outdated product-centric selling techniques (think how greasy salespeople get their reputation), leading to lost sales and revenue.

Consider: How much are these missed opportunities costing your company? (check these from your sales pipeline tool where deals are marked as “Lost”)

2. Adaptability and Market Changes
The sales environment is dynamic, constantly influenced by new trends and customer behaviours. A well-trained team is adaptable, capable of shifting their sales strategies to meet market demands. They notice when customer responses have changed or new buying behaviour starts to emerge. Without training, your team might continue repeating obsolete sales approaches, unsure as to why clients no longer respond to such methods. They might blame the market for becoming tougher or keep referring to the “good old days” of selling. You might even change spending money of marketing, events and other techniques without the right level of ROI.

Consider: How well have your salespeople pivoted their selling style in the past when the market shifts?

3. Culture and Morale
A strong sales culture is the backbone of a high-performing team. Peter Drucker is known to have said something along the lines of “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. His meaning that without the right company culture, the execution of strategic plans are challenging. Training fosters a culture of continuous improvement and resiliency. It builds a winning attitude where challenges are seen as opportunities for growth rather than roadblocks. Without it, teams can feel stuck when times are tough, leading to low morale and disengagement impacting your customers. The level of passion customer's experience from your team is reduced leading to lower levels of customer service impacting customer experience. This can create a vicious cycle.

Consider: How well are your teams aligned to the company goals, value and reputation?

4. Customer Relationships and Retention
Training is essential for nurturing customer relationships. It equips your team with hard and soft skills to build trust and rapport. They learn how to handle objections with empathy, articulate the value of your company well and this fosters long-term loyalty and advocacy. Without this foundation, customer relations can suffer.  Client relations that are surface level deep leads to sales conversations where price is everything. You can quickly become a fulfilment business or just a transactor leading to low repeat business and a tarnished reputation in your market.

Consider: Are your customers receiving the level of service they expect to keep coming back repeatedly even if you are not the cheapest?

5. Consistency and Onboarding
Sales training ensures consistency of sales engagement across your team. This is especially important when onboarding new employees. A structured training program provides clarity and direction to new recruits. It helps set the standard for performance across your team. Inconsistent sales approaches on the other hand, can lead to confusion on sales direction. It creates inefficiency as time which is already scarce for salespeople is wasted on the wrong steps. Many times, your most experienced and valuable salesperson is made responsible for the training of a recruit. All this can create misalignment with company goals and revenue targets.

Consider: How clear is your new team member on a consistent logical approach to your sales process?

6. Resilience and Long-Term Success
Sales is a tough field, filled with highs when the market is buoyant and we win. Lows when we don’t. Training helps your team build resiliency, giving your team the tools to recover from setbacks. Good sales training enables your team to keep pushing forward. It’s not just about closing the next deal; it’s about sustaining success over the long term.

Consider: How resilient is your team? Do they have the support and training needed to thrive in challenging times?

So, is training worth the time and money?
The value of sales training extends far beyond immediate performance improvements. It’s an investment in your team’s ability to adapt, thrive, and drive long-term success. The consequences of not training—missed opportunities, low morale, strained customer relationships, and inconsistent performance—can far outweigh the costs.

As a leader, you have the power to shape your team’s future. Will you choose to invest in their growth, or will you let the cost of inaction hold them back?