6 interactive sales training activities for your sales team

Are you using interactive sales training tools to assist your sales team? If you’re looking for innovative ways to enhance your sales team’s performance, interactive sales training may be the answer. Virtual sales training activities keep users engaged, entertained, and motivated to learn.

And with new hires only retaining 16% of their training after 90 days, it’s never been more important to find a sales training solution that works.

You can use role-playing, simulations, and collaborative games to instill critical sales skills in your team. But how do you know which suits your team, and how can you find the right content to make it happen?

Read on to learn about effective virtual sales training ideas and how to take your next step in bringing high-value training to your sales team.

What is sales training?

Sales training plays an integral role in the development of new and existing employees alike. Proper sales training will incorporate a variety of methods to ensure your salespeople have the skills and resources they need to be successful.

This training typically includes education on a range of topics, such as:

• Understanding prospects’ needs and pain points
• Delivering effective presentations
• Implementing sales strategies
• Utilizing technology to maximize sales opportunities
• Building customer relationships

And sales training isn’t a one-time event. It’s important to provide your sales team with ongoing feedback and support through interactive sales training tools so they continue to grow and excel. This ensures that everyone is working together to reach the same goals.

While consistent training is key, repeated learning experiences can sometimes feel uninspiring. When teams are required to go through the same motions repeatedly, they can begin to feel like they’re not learning anything new.

But who said that training ideas for sales teams had to be the same every time? With a bit of creativity and inspiration, you can turn your existing sales training into something engaging and beneficial for your team.

Virtual sales training activities

Some of the best fun sales training ideas involve virtual activities. Interactive sales training ideas can range from quizzes to games. Any activity your team can do online or via video conferencing can be considered a virtual sales training activity. Here are some virtual sales training activities to consider.

Product demos

Sales teams often need to showcase products or services to potential customers. Interactive product demos allow reps to actively engage with the product or service and understand how to present its value effectively.

Sales simulations

Use sales simulation software or platforms that provide virtual environments where participants can engage in realistic sales scenarios. Simulations allow sales reps to practice their skills, make decisions, and handle objections, preparing them for real-life interactions with customers.

Sales presentations

Assign team members to create and deliver virtual sales presentations. Each participant can select a product or service and present its features, benefits, and value proposition. Encourage feedback and provide guidance on improving presentation skills.

eLearning modules

Use eLearning modules with virtual sales training activities to provide self-paced training opportunities. They allow sales reps to learn at their own convenience while engaging in interactive exercises to reinforce knowledge.

Quizzes

Prepare a series of questions related to your products or services and create a quiz using a learning management system to make it engaging. This activity helps reinforce product knowledge and identifies areas for improvement.

Sales contests

Organize virtual sales contests to boost motivation and competitiveness. Set targets or metrics such as the number of sales, revenue generated, or new leads captured and display progress on a leaderboard. Offer rewards or recognition for the winners to encourage participation and engagement.

Video-based coaching

Video-based coaching enables sales reps to receive personalized feedback and guidance from managers or more experienced reps. They can record and share their sales calls or presentations to receive targeted coaching, helping refine their sales skills, communication style, and presentation techniques.

In-person sales training games activities

Now, let’s look at some in-person sales training games activities for your team.

Best pitch competitions

Like the popular Shark Tank television series, have team members develop an impactful pitch for a product or service. Give them some time to practice, then have sales reps present their pitch to the rest of the sales team. Have everyone vote to see who did best and present the winner with a reward of some kind.

Cold-call relay

Divide your sales reps into teams of two and have them take turns cold-calling potential customers. (These could be internal employees or outside contacts!) Give each team a goal to reach, such as booking a certain number of appointments or getting a customer’s contact information. Whoever reaches the goal first wins the relay.

Gamified sales calls

When a sales rep is on a call with a prospect, what they do and don’t say matters! Play a game where one person makes a sales call, and others listen in. Take note of any key phrases, unnecessary comments, successes, and missed opportunities. Give each a point total and add the scores up to see who wins.

Negotiation under pressure

Knowing how to negotiate is a key part of sales, so give one team member a scenario and a goal, and the other team members have to work together to try to negotiate their way there. Set a time limit for each negotiation round and see how creative your team can get with their strategies.

Worst-case scenario

For a fun and interactive challenge, have each team member come up with a worst-case scenario for the sales process. Give them some parameters, such as dealing with an angry customer or losing out on a big contract. Then have teams or individuals present their idea and work together to find a solution.

All of these activities, whether in-person or virtual, should be engaging and fun while still providing valuable learning experiences for your sales teams. By increasing the interactivity of the training, you’ll also increase your team’s knowledge retention so they have a strong grasp of what they’ve learned.

Implement interactive sales training with Unboxed Training & Technology

While some of the activities mentioned require teams to be in-person, interactive sales training tools like Spoke® can help deliver sales training virtually. Plus, coaching through Spoke® makes it easy for managers to give feedback, encourage practice, and follow progress over time.

At Unboxed Training & Technology, we help companies like yours develop and deliver custom sales training that meets the unique needs of your employees. From intense competition to completing ongoing training assignments, the purpose is to ensure everyone improves performance.

Request a demo of Spoke® to learn how we can help you coach your sales team toward success.