We typically like to poke fun at sales trainers, especially the Instagram types, posing in front of rented Lambos in their wildly undersized shirts. But putting those guys aside, sales training is a major part of the sales profession, so we wanted to interview a non-cringe sales trainer to learn a bit more about the role itself.
As luck would have it, we recently connected with Samantha McKenna, founder and CEO of #samsales Consulting, a sales training organization founded 2.5 years ago. We challenged Sam with some of the skepticism many people feel about trainers, and tried not to hold back. The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
How did you become a sales trainer? What was your path?
After spending 12 years in ENT sales, half as an individual contributor and half as an executive, and breaking 13 sales records, I wanted to test the waters of the ultimate sales challenge - starting a business. The goal was to work with a few clients, teach them what was foreign for them, but like breathing to me - sales process - and take it easy for a bit. 2.5 years later, we have over 120 clients and an all-female team of 13. So much for taking it easy!
They say that those who can't do, teach. What do you believe makes you an authority on sales and why should sales reps trust you and other sales trainers?
Candidly, what makes me stand out is that I've actually held the roles I coach on for long periods of time while being consistently successful. My advice and tactics are also extremely practical and tangible - you can put what you learn into play immediately. Less "Be in front of clients more!" and more "Here's precisely how you do that, what you write, what cadence you follow, etc."
Originally being from Switzerland, I also have a unique and enthusiastic personality, bring plenty of jokes, and teach sales processes that work while also being deeply rooted in proper manners. My background working for LinkedIn and our roster of extremely impressive clients also helps our company stand out.
What kind of outcomes can your clients expect? Be as specific as possible.
I can't think of how to say this in a humble way, so I'll simply lay it out there. We know that most reps grumble at the thought of sales training, but once we do even one training with our clients, their reps immediately turn around and say, "FINALLY! I really learned something! When do we do this again?"
Our clients have reps who are looking for a model of what GOOD looks like with every part of the sales process. What they get from us is inspired teams who will net instant results, if they even only implement two things we teach them in one hour. Gone are the days of teaching all the traditional sales methodologies - in are the days of teaching your teams how to social sell, have conversations, use our tagline of Show Me You Know Me, and be great active listeners, which is precisely what we do.
How much do sales trainers make? How much can a company expect to pay for sales training?
Quality sales trainers are well paid, and should be as they are scaling what makes them successful right to your teams. Everyone varies wildly, but we have a minimum engagement of around $2100 for an hour with one of our team members, and can quickly scale into six figure deals across large teams quickly. That said, we also believe in being accessible for everyone, which is why we created our short video subscriptions that will teach you what's in our heads for a few dollars a month.
There are a lot of con artists passing themselves off as trainers in today's digital-heavy world. How can sales reps and companies differentiate between the phonies and those who are the real deal?
The first step is to not trust the metric of "followers' on any social media platform - followers can be purchased.
The second step is to investigate their work history - do they have the credibility to teach, have they worked for organizations that demand high performance, and were they consistently (consistency is so key) successful?
The third step is to investigate their content - is it tangible, practical, modern, and process driven? Does their content resonate with the beliefs you have as a leader, and do they communicate in a way that would inspire your teams?
Finally, look for their recommendations - are they from respected leaders in the space and are they consistent? If you only look at my LinkedIn recommendations, you'll see a decade of the exact same person in front of you.
If you could sum up your most important advice for sales reps in a few sentences, what would you say?
Master. The. Foundations. Of. Sales. Do not be in a rush to be promoted if you are a BDR. Take the time to learn how to prospect, how to social sell, how to handle objections, how to have a great discovery call, how to connect with people, how to follow a sales process without the crutch of technologies, and how to nurture your leads. I am a CEO who earns 7-figures a year and I still do all of this - you will never outgrow needing these skills, regardless of your rank and title.
