Sales Training

Why Your Sales Team Needs More Training

At KONA, we know that Sales is an ever-evolving field. What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow. Yet, we tend to see too many sales teams relying on outdated techniques, limited coaching, or a “figure it out” mentality. If you want your team to perform at its best, continuous training isn’t optional.

Sales training

The Hidden Cost of an Untrained Sales Team

Many businesses underestimate the impact of insufficient sales training. Here’s what happens when sales teams don’t receive ongoing development:

Missed Revenue Opportunities – Salespeople who don’t know how to handle objections, ask the right questions, or build relationships will struggle to close deals.


High Turnover Rates – Without proper guidance, salespeople can become frustrated and leave, costing your company time and money.


Inconsistent Performance – A lack of training leads to unpredictable results, making it harder to forecast and scale revenue.


Low Customer Trust – If your salespeople aren’t well-trained, customers will notice. They’ll turn to competitors who provide a better experience.

The Benefits of Regular Sales Training

Investing in ongoing sales training isn’t just about avoiding problems, it’s also about achieving new levels of success. Here’s what KONA’s Sales Training can do for your team:

✅ Boost Confidence & Performance – A well-trained salesperson knows their product, understands customer pain points, and can navigate objections smoothly.
✅ Increase Close Rates – Training sharpens prospecting, presentation, and negotiation skills, leading to more deals won.
✅ Improve Adaptability – Markets change. Training helps your team stay ahead of trends, competitors, and evolving customer needs.
✅ Strengthen Team Morale – When salespeople feel supported and equipped with the right skills, they’re more likely to stay engaged and motivated.

Keep calm and sell more

How to Build an Effective Sales Training Program

Not all sales training is effective. A one-time workshop won’t always cut it. Here’s how to create a training program that drives real results:

Make It Continuous – Sales Training should be an ongoing process, not a one-and-done event. Implement weekly coaching sessions, role-playing exercises, and refresher courses.

Tailor It to Individual Needs – Not every salesperson struggles with the same things. Use personalised assessments (like DISC) to customise training based on your team’s strengths and areas for improvement.

Use Real-World Scenarios – Theoretical knowledge is great, but nothing beats hands-on learning. Incorporate live sales calls, objection-handling exercises, and interactive workshops. KONA’s Power Hours are a great way to see results in real time. Learn more about KONA’s Power Hour Training by clicking here.

Encourage Peer Learning – Top sales performers can share their best practices with newer sales reps through things like mentorship programs.

Measure and Adjust – Track key performance metrics (e.g. close rates, average deal size, customer satisfaction) to see if training is making an impact. Adjust as needed.

Sales training meme

Your sales team is only as strong as the training you provide. In a competitive market, well-trained salespeople are a necessity. Investing in ongoing professional development for your team ensures they are always improving, closing more deals, and driving business growth.

So, when was the last time your team had real sales training? If it’s been a while, now’s the time to make it a priority. To learn why KONA’s sales training processes are preferred over more traditional sales training methodologies (such as the Miller Heiman sales process) – read more here.

Contact KONA today to discuss how we can help you build a tailored Sales Training Program for your team.
Call 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au


6 Traits Of A Successful Salesperson

Sales is a dynamic industry that requires a unique set of skills and qualities

While experience and product knowledge are valuable, the traits possessed by successful salespeople play a pivotal role in their achievements.

Here we will explore the six key traits that distinguish top-performing sales professionals.

Whether you’re an aspiring salesperson or looking to enhance your existing skills, understanding these traits can guide you on the path to success.

1. Empathy

One of the most crucial traits for salespeople is empathy.

The best Sales Trainers will tell you that successful sales professionals possess the ability to put themselves in their customers’ shoes and understand their needs, concerns, and desires.

By genuinely empathising with clients, salespeople can build trust and establish meaningful connections.

This allows them to:

  • Tailor their approach
  • Offer personalised solutions
  • Close more deals

Empathy is the foundation of effective communication and building lasting customer relationships.

2. Resilience

Sales can be a challenging and often rejection-filled environment.

Successful salespeople have a resilient mindset that enables them to persevere through setbacks and bounce back from rejection.

Successful salespeople view rejection as an opportunity to learn and grow, rather than a personal failure.

Resilience allows sales professionals to:

  • Maintain their motivation
  • Stay focused on their goals
  • Consistently put in the effort required to achieve success

3. Excellent Communication Skills

The ability to communicate effectively is a fundamental trait for a salesperson.

Successful sales professionals are exceptional communicators who can:

  • Articulate their ideas clearly
  • Actively listen to customers
  • Adapt their communication style to match the needs of different individuals

They ask relevant questions, address customer concerns, and present their product or service in a persuasive and compelling manner.

Strong communication skills are crucial for building trust, conveying value, and influencing buying decisions.

4. Confidence

Confidence is another trait commonly found in successful salespeople.

It instils trust in both the salesperson and the product they are promoting.

Confident sales professionals exude enthusiasm and conviction, which can be contagious.

Their self-assurance enables them to approach potential customers with ease, overcome objections, and handle challenging situations.

Confidence is a magnet that attracts customers, and gives customers confidence in the salesperson’s ability to deliver on promises.

5. Adaptability

In the rapidly evolving business landscape, adaptability is a trait that sets successful salespeople apart.

The most successful salespeople will:

  • Embrace change
  • Readily adapt to new technologies and market trends
  • Continuously seek opportunities for improvement

They are quick learners who can adjust their strategies and approaches to align with the ever-changing needs of customers.

Adaptability allows sales professionals to stay ahead of the competition and thrive in dynamic sales environments.

6. Goal-Oriented

Highly successful salespeople are driven by goals. An important aspect of training that sales trainers should implement into their programs is goal setting for salespeople.

They set ambitious but achievable targets – both short-term and long-term – and develop clear action plans to reach them.

They are motivated, self-disciplined, and consistently monitor their progress.

Goal-oriented sales professionals focus on results and constantly strive to exceed their own expectations.

They use their goals as a compass to guide their efforts, stay motivated, and maintain a sense of purpose in their sales activities.

While there is no one-size-fits-all formula for sales success, these six traits are often found in highly accomplished sales professionals.

  • Empathy
  • Resilience
  • Excellent communication skills
  • Confidence
  • Adaptability, and a goal-oriented mindset form the foundation of their achievements.

By nurturing these traits and continuously honing their sales skills, salespeople can position themselves for greater success in a highly competitive field.

Contact the team at KONA and speak to our experienced Sales Trainers to discuss a tailored Sales Training Program for your sales team!

 

6 Ways To Lessen The Effects of Inflation Impacting Sales

As inflation continues to affect various sectors of the economy, businesses are looking for ways to lessen its effects on sales.

Here we will discuss six ways that businesses can mitigate the effects of inflation on their sales.

Upsell & Cross Sell

Upselling and cross-selling increases the overall revenue generated from each customer transaction.

Upselling – encourages customers to purchase a higher-priced item or a more expensive version of a product they are already interested in.

By persuading customers to spend more money, upselling can increase the average sale value and the overall revenue generated per transaction.

This increased revenue can help offset the impact of inflation on the cost of goods sold.

Cross-selling – involves recommending related products to customers to encourage them to make additional purchases.

Cross-selling can help increase the total amount customers spend on their purchases, and can help offset the impact of inflation by increasing revenue generated per customer.

Combining these two strategies can help businesses mitigate the impact of inflation on sales.

Upselling and cross-selling can help businesses build stronger relationships with customers by providing them with a better shopping experience and meeting more of their needs.

Ultimately this can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat purchases.

Upselling and cross-selling

Increase Prices Strategically

A common response to inflation is to increase prices – but businesses need to be strategic about how they do this.

Consider the cost of goods sold, the competition, and the impact on customer demand.

A small price increase might be more effective than a large one.

It could also be phased in over time to minimise the impact on customers.

Implement Cost-Cutting Measures

Businesses can look for ways to reduce their expenses by:

  • Negotiating with suppliers
  • Reducing waste
  • Finding more efficient processes

By cutting costs, businesses can maintain their profit margins despite rising prices.

Offer Discounts and Promotions

Offering discounts and promotions is another way to mitigate the effects of inflation.

Customers are more likely to buy when they feel they are getting a good deal.

Businesses can offer sales, coupons, or other promotions to incentivise customers to buy despite rising prices.

It’s important to note that discounts should be strategic and well-timed, or they could hurt profit margins.

Diversify Your Product Line

Expanding your product line can help to lessen the effects of inflation.

If prices are rising for a particular product, businesses can offer alternative products or services that are less affected by inflation.

This way, they can still generate sales – even if customers are cutting back on spending for certain items.

Focus On Customer Service

Focusing on customer service can help mitigate the effects of inflation.

When customers feel valued and appreciated, they are more likely to continue doing business with a company, even if prices are rising.

By providing excellent customer service, businesses can retain customers and maintain sales despite inflation.

By providing excellent customer service, businesses can retain customers and maintain sales despite inflation.

Inflation is an economic reality that businesses need to address.

By implementing these strategies, businesses can ease the effects of inflation on their sales and remain competitive in their industries.

Contact KONA today to discuss a tailored Sales Training Program for your business!

4 Reasons Why Sales Training Should Be A Component Of Your Recruitment Strategy

When recruiting new team members for your business, there are many considerable factors to ensure your offer is most appealing to your target recruit. Generally, companies will hire established salespeople with the assumption that they won’t need further training. In doing so, you could be missing out on the opportunity to grow and develop the next top salesperson.

Here are 4 reasons why you should implement an offer of sales training into your recruitment process:

1. You Are More Likely To Retain Staff When You Offer Ongoing Training


Offering ongoing training to employees will make them feel valued. It attracts the right type of person to the role, someone who is eager to enhance their skills and wants career progression. Going into a new job knowing you will have opportunities to learn and develop new skills naturally boosts enthusiasm. Not to mention your business’ recruitment costs will reduce when you have a high staff retention rate.

2. Be Proactive, Not Reactive


It is common for businesses to only consider training their sales team when there are problems emerging. A more effective strategy is to offer staff training regularly. This will prevent problems before they occur and ensures any issues are stamped out early on. Incorporating Sales Training into your recruitment process will ensure any new staff that come on board are trained in the same way as your current salespeople.

3. Attract A Quality Candidate To The Position


Proposing a training program in your employment offer is attractive to prospective employees as it eases tension related to taking on a new job. It opens the doors to people who may not have a lot of experience in the field, but they are eager to learn and with the right training, could be the next best salesperson on your team.

4. Promotes An Encouraging And Supportive Work Environment

Sales Training has a positive influence on staff enthusiasm, engagement, and fulfilment. Offering training opportunities at the recruitment stage promotes your business as being supportive. It shows you have intent for employee growth within the company. Offering sales training from the beginning of a salesperson’s career demonstrates that your company is willing to invest in their team.

You can achieve these benefits and more by offering effective training as part of your recruitment process.

Find out how you can incorporate Sales Training into your recruitment strategy by contacting KONA!

Phone 1300 611 288 or email info@kona.com.au

5 Tips From Australian Sales Training Courses

When your sales reps’ motivation and activity has started to flatline and plateau; and when their numbers are falling below targets and the next few weeks are forecasting no dramatic improvements, what is your plan to get them back on track?

What are you going to do to jolt your sales people out of their lethargy and to bring in the much needed sales figures?

Below are several excellent tips from Australian Sales Training and Sales Management Training courses for you to share and implement with your sales people.

Tips to Dramatically Improve Your Sales Figures

1) Don’t spend too much time on your products and sales pitches.

It’s not about you, it’s about your clients and customers. Listen to them more get to know more about their overall business.

Identify their real issues and consequences they are facing, rather than just where your product can be sold

They want to know how you can add value to them not just your products features and benefits so engage with them more and talk less about you and your company.

2) Focus on making what your customer wants to happen before they ask

Don’t over-complicate the process by focusing on what you need to happen just so you can hit your target

In any Australian call centre training or customer service training you will find the most successful people will always reinforce the ‘law of reciprocity’, and how – by giving a customer more than they expect they will be repaid in full

3) Create value for your customers and clients to build trust.

These are two key objectives you need to achieve with every interaction you have with clients.

You could create value by sharing a great idea but if there’s no trust because your company keeps letting the customer down, the customer will go elsewhere

All trust and no value added won’t work too well either.

The customer might think you’re terrific but won’t have a compelling reason to purchase anything from you.

4) Find a learning partner

This is where a colleague can coach you and you can coach them
Strive to learn something new every week as when you stop learning about the industry you are in, the growth of the business stops too.

5) Don’t rely on the way you’ve always done things.

Most customers don’t need sales people to educate them on products and services anymore.
They typically get this knowledge from the internet and many customers know more about your products than you do as they are using them every day

Clients/customers want ideas on what they can do to improve their own businesses and they want sales managers and sales reps to challenge their thinking and provide insights that will push their own thinking further.

Selling has gone beyond just meeting a pre-existing demand, and is now about uncovering and creating a new demand where none existed before.

As sales managers, you’ll need to get your teams performance level consistently up and revenues on track.

So share these ideas with the team and get each of them to apply them as they interact with customers

To learn more about KONA’s Australian Sales Training, Call Centre Training, Customer Service Training and Sales Management Training and Coaching in Sydney and Melbourne, telephone Glenn Dobson on 1300 611 288, or email Glenn@KONA.com.au

SALES EXCUSE 2: THERE’S NOT ENOUGH TIME IN THE DAY

Let’s start by saying that busy doesn’t necessarily mean effective.

One of the most common complaints from sales teams doing poorly is that there’s not enough hours in the day to make phone calls, follow up leads, source new leads, or create effective pitches.

In our experience, more often than not, this is just an excuse masking laziness and poor time management.

The difference between success and failure can be influenced by how effectively time is used. We all get the same 24 hours, so if your sales people are telling you that there’s not enough time then it’s time to identify the real issues and sift through the drainers within the team.

Time management

In contrast, people with poor time management skills waste time on the unimportant things that ultimately will not contribute to converting a lead. These same people are prone to procrastination – a killer of performance. Charles Dickens and David Copperfield summed it up by saying  “Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him”.

So, if a member of your sales team complains that they don’t have enough time to convert their leads into sales, “collar them” – look at how they are utilising their time and if the business is actually benefiting, or is simply being drained by a dead resource. Chances are that there are bigger underlying issues that need to be addressed.

Sharpen the focus

There are so many distractions floating around that it can be hard to sit down and focus, and importantly keep your team focused. However, this is not an excuse for deflated sales results. The great sales performers and leaders focus on the target and concentrate on how best to achieve it.

How long does it take your team to perform their daily admin tasks? Are they focused on the end goal or distracted by surrounding interferences?

Ongoing evaluation and reinforcement of daily targets should be established to keep the team on track.

Priorities and delegation

Are your sales people typing reports, filing, responding to unnecessary emails and taking long meetings rather than being on the phone following up leads? The number one priority for the sales team is to generate leads and convert them to sales.

Other tasks can be delegated to the administration or management team so the sales team can focus on what they are there to do – sell!

Sales management training and coaching

At the end of the day, when sales teams blame poor sales on not having enough time in the day, it is usually a case of lacking focus, poor sales management or poor time management, or perhaps they are just not the right person for the role.

Focused, driven and passionate salespeople achieve goals. Time is money so don’t let it be drained by underperforming team members.

KONA Group specialises in a wide range of services that address sales performance and sales management, executive and leadership coaching, and performance and time management. These customised training and coaching programs drill down to the core of the issue and drive solutions through proven methodologies.

For more information, please email info@kona.com.au or call 1300 611 288.

Get Your Sales Team To Use Only Selling Techniques That Work! (Infographic)

Sales training courses are a dime a dozen. For the most part, they’re good…conceptually. Its execution though, generally sucks. It’s at this stage that the kinks and the glitches almost inevitably appear due to either, the implementing guidelines are too complex and not too specific, or the sales reps aren’t motivated enough, or in some cases, simply don’t care. You can’t have a situation like this and stay in business for long. It’ll cost your company too much.  It’ll also cost you your job. What follows are 5 tried and tested selling techniques. They work. They work because they make sense and are easy to adopt. These are no-fuss, straight-to-the-point selling approaches every salesperson should have as an integral part of his selling arsenal. Get Your Sales Team To Use Only Selling Techniques That Work! (Infographic)

DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia

DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia

DISC Personality Test Australia Selling is not just about the numbers. That kind of approach may have worked in the past, but now customers want to be engaged with, and not just told all of the technical details of your products and services. Understanding a customer’s personality and communication preferences is now crucial. KONA Group, with over 16 years of experience in sales training in Australia, has crafted a highly effective approach to selling – the Hearts and Minds sales methodology and through the DISC Personality Test, Sales Training Australia programs have proven to deliver outstanding results. Enrol your sales team into the number one DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia programme and change the way they look at selling forever.

DISC Personality Test Sales Training AustraliaKONA’s Approach.

Our Hearts and Minds sales program has been crafted from deep understanding of the reason why people buy. Pushy sales techniques, pressure tactics and all the other strategies that focus on closing the sale and not the customer don’t deliver long term results. Our DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia programme is a simple, practical and highly effective approach to selling. It brings to the fore a new way of selling, a new mindset that transforms selling into a process of building relationships with your prospects. Our expert coaches will teach your sales people some practical skills that will transform the results they deliver.

DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia – What Your Sales Team Will Learn

Your sales team will learn how to: Make Your Investment in DISC Personality Test Sales Training Australia Work For You. Just another sales strategy won’t work. At KONA, our sales training coaches will customise your sales training to suit the needs of your organisation. Effective and Pragmatic – Our Heart & Minds Sales Training Methodology is highly practical and has proven to have increased results for our clients be it in terms of the number of deals closed, sales figures or the number of leads generated. Your sales team will learn the skills and techniques of our Hearts & Minds Sales Training methodology in Sydney and Melbourne and will be able to implement these in their day to day interaction with customers. They will be able to identify and build a Sales Pipeline full of the right opportunities, and build relationships to Manage Key Accounts and close sales quickly, effectively and efficiently. Achieve the results your organisation needs with our bespoke and tailored programmes and don’t waste money on “by the book” or “off the shelf” Sales Training Courses in Sydney and Melbourne Contact KONA today for results driven Sales Training Courses in Sydney and Melbourne. The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading Sales and Sales Management Training and Coaching company and provide Customised Training programs that include: Sales Training & Coaching, Sales Pipeline Training, Key Account Management Training, Call Centre Training & coaching, Negotiation Skills Training & Coaching, Motivational Speakers, HR Consulting; and more. So if you are looking to increase the effectiveness and results of your organisation, contact KONA today on 1300 611 288 or text 0425200883 or email info@kona.com.au to discuss how we can help you to improve your organisation’s results.

How Can I Hit Target Before the Month is Over?

4 Tactics to Hit Target Before the Month is Over

In sport you hear a lot of players and coaches talk about ‘game plans’ and ‘structure’ – about how they will play at certain times during the game to get a result.

The danger of this is what do you do if your plan has gone out of the window and you are 20 points down at half time?

Hope is Not a Sales Strategy, so it is pointless sticking with the same game plan and hoping that you will get a result.

Sadly, in sales, too many teams are getting halfway through the month and are behind target, but nothing changes.

To make this worse, they then have a ‘next month will be better’ attitude and decrease their efforts instead of looking for ways to make up the shortfall.

5 Proven tactics to use if you are behind target halfway through the month

Introduce a Power Hour

In 2 recent Sales Training workshops KONA turned training into immediate sales and turned around an organisation’s results by introducing a Power Hour.

All attendees were given a list of selected products, prices and quantities; they then developed and practised what they were going to say; then actually picked up the phones during the sales training workshop and called customers and prospects.

Results:

  • Over $1,000,000 of products sold in ONE HOUR
  • Excess stock cleared and warehouse space created
  • Monthly target smashed

Another client used the same tactic a week later and they made 546 appointments in ONE POWER HOUR!!

Commando Raids

My first job after leaving the Army was with L’Oreal, the international Hairdressing Products Supplier, selling hair colours, perms and setting lotions to hairdressers around the North of England. (Just a little cultural shift between the two jobs!!)

Half way through every month my old boss introduced what he called a ‘Commando Raid’ on the territory of one of his 8 salespeople – a tactic where all 8 reps met early one morning and the local salesperson gave each one of us a list of target customers, then out we went and called on them.

At the end of the day we all got together, shared our wins and celebrated that we had helped the local salesperson get back on target.

30 years later this is a tactic that we have introduced to several KONA clients, and it still works today.

Short term Incentives

Monthly and Quarterly sales commissions and bonuses are an integral part of any sales team’s effectiveness and motivation and help drive their Sales Pipeline.

However as well as the Longer Term Incentives (LTIs) many organisations are successfully linking weekly Short Term Incentives (STIs) to specific tasks or products.

For example, this week…

  • Open up 5 new accounts
  • Sell 30 of Product X
  • Generate $20,000 in revenue

The big advantage of this tactic is it is easy to manage, can be monitored daily with a single phone call, and can turn around a month’s results well before it is too late.

Bundle and Package your Products & Solutions

Every time we go into a retailer we see products bundled and packaged together:

  • A toothbrush with toothpaste
  • A car with 2 years servicing
  • A slice of toast with your coffee
  • A scarf with a jacket
  • A burger and fries and a drink

Often the included product is one the seller has an over stock of, or is looking to introduce to the market as an additional line and source of revenue.

Yet far too many organisations see that tactic as “just for retailers”, which is the wrong attitude and approach.

If you put your mind to it what could you Bundle and Package up in your organisation?

Outbound Customer Service

By definition Customer Service is often seen as a reactive service, typically responding to inbound customer calls or emails.

Yet this doesn’t have to be the case.

There are times in every week where your inbound calls and inquiries are quiet so why not use that time to generate more outbound activity.

In KONA’s Call Centre Training and Customer Service programs we regularly customise a workshop to help inbound teams become more proactive and make outbound calls.

In many cases we include 2 of these 3 previous tactics by combining a Power Hour and Selling Product bundles.

A real life example of this is recently with an organisation selling Power Solutions our Call Centre Specialist Garret Norris helped a client TRIPLE their sales results in only 3 days.

So if you find your salespeople are missing target way too often, what exactly are you doing to change your game plan and the pace of your game before your month turns into just another month of underperformance?

If you would like to discuss how KONA’s Sales Training, Sales Management Training and Call Centre Training will improve your organisation’s results, contact the KONA Group today on 1300 611 288 or info@kona.com.au.

The KONA Group is Australia’s Leading provider of Customised Sales Training and Sales Management Training & Coaching.