Tools of the Trade

The company shares their approach to sales training.

submitted by Sheridan Lifts Ltd.

At Sheridan Lifts Ltd., we have a strong focus on our people. When it comes to sales, we nurture members of our sales team depending on their existing skillsets and levels of industry experience. In some instances, our in-house processes are more in-depth and nuanced than others, with all support provided being high-impact to equip each team member to confidently develop his or her own, personal approach.

Managing time, finding and qualifying new prospective clients and opportunities and successfully reaching out to those prospective clients are all on our teaching radar.

Our sales training programme covers skills that include creating the desire to learn about our various products and sell according to customer needs. As we operate in the lift industry, most client requirements are of a bespoke nature, so we need to be flexible in our approach when addressing these requirements. We also help staff members learn basic commercial/business awareness, as well as impart the ability to make a technical sale.

At this company, we place a good deal of emphasis on clarifying the person’s value in terms of their own contribution to the business and the impact of their work on the rest of the team. This helps create a more rounded view of company operations and, as a result, helps boost team members morale/self-worth.

Whilst we don’t operate from any manuals or set routines, other, more basic help and support are available to staff depending on individual needs. Managing time, finding and qualifying new prospective clients and opportunities and successfully reaching out to those prospective clients are all on our teaching radar.

When it comes to speaking to prospective or existing customers for the first time, we guide our staff on knowing what kind of questions to ask and how to ask them. Diplomacy, too, plays an important part in the makeup of our business. We tend to discourage staff from commenting on the actions of other lift companies, for example.

Problem-solving in collaboration with the decisionmaker and how to influence with integrity are also covered by our in-house training. We equip staff with the tools to present solutions that create a decision for the customer.

Finally, we teach how to close sales professionally. As we are a family-run company built on a strong moral ethos, we encourage all employees to make themselves personally available to our customers, should they wish for after-sales support, as well as equipping customers with phone numbers for relevant departments. Our people make us who we are, so we invest in them.