The 3 Key Drivers of Effective Sales Training

Most sales training disappoints.

That's not just an opinion—it's a sobering finding from our latest research. In fact, 67% of respondents rate their organization’s sales training and development as only moderately, slightly, or not at all effective at achieving strong sales performance and productivity.

But here's the good news: our research also points to what sets apart the organizations that get it right. By studying organizations across the effectiveness spectrum, we identified three key drivers that emerged as significant predictors of sales training effectiveness.

How much of a difference do these drivers make? Organizations with highly effective training programs:

• Have an average undesired turnover rate of 33.8% compared to 45.5% for those with less effective training
• Are 4.9x more likely to strongly agree their onboarding gets sellers to productivity quickly
• Are significantly more likely to report their sales teams are well-prepared for success

Through regression analysis of data from 242 sales leaders, sellers, managers, and enablement professionals across industries, three factors—mentoring/coaching, skills assessment, and effective onboarding—emerged as the strongest predictive elements of sales training effectiveness.

Let’s examine each of these drivers and explore how organizations are putting them into practice successfully.

3 Key Drivers of Effective Sales Training
% Relative Importance of Each Variable in the Model

1. Regular Mentoring and Coaching: The Foundation of Sales Success

The single most important driver of sales training effectiveness is having regular mentoring and coaching strongly encouraged throughout the organization. In our analysis, this factor emerged as the strongest predictor, contributing 35% of the model's explanatory power relative to the other drivers.

What does this look like in practice? Organizations with highly effective training are 2.9x more likely to strongly agree that "mentoring or coaching on a regular basis is strongly encouraged." This isn't about occasional check-ins or annual reviews—it's about creating a consistent cadence of developmental conversations.

Why Coaching Matters

Regular coaching creates multiple benefits:

• Reinforces formal training concepts
• Provides real-time guidance on actual sales situations
• Builds confidence through supported practice
• Creates accountability for applying new skills
• Helps identify and address performance gaps early

Making It Work

Consider these approaches to implement effective coaching:

1. Set clear expectations: Define what "regular coaching" means in your organization. Our research shows the most effective programs have structured coaching sessions.
2. Develop your coaches: Organizations with highly effective training are 5.2x more likely to strongly agree their training resources prepare sales managers to motivate and coach their teams.
3. Create accountability: Build coaching into manager expectations and metrics. Track both the frequency and quality of coaching conversations.
4. Focus on application: Use coaching sessions to bridge the gap between training and real-world application. Have sellers practice new skills and receive feedback in a safe environment.

2. Proactive Skills Assessment: Know Where to Focus

The second key driver, contributing 33% of the model's predictive power, is using assessments to proactively identify which skills to develop. Organizations with highly effective training are 5.4x more likely to strongly agree they take this systematic approach to skill development.

Beyond Gut Feel

Many organizations base their training priorities on anecdotal evidence or general assumptions about what sellers need. But this approach falls short. Instead, use data-driven methods to:

• Identify specific skill gaps across the sales force
• Prioritize development areas with the highest potential impact
• Create personalized learning paths
• Track progress and adjust focus areas
• Measure ROI of training investments

Implementation

To leverage assessments effectively:

1. Start with a baseline: Consider which elements make sense for your sales team, the baseline may include a combination of:
   1. Skills assessments
   2. Performance metrics
   3. Manager feedback
   4. Self-evaluations (take a complimentary self-assessment)
2. Create a skills matrix: Map current capabilities against required sales competencies for each role.
3. Prioritize development areas: Focus on skills that:
   1. Have the biggest performance impact
   2. Show the largest gaps
   3. Align with strategic priorities
4. Measure progress: Regularly reassess to track improvement and adjust development plans.

Discover Your Organization's Path to Top Performance

Benchmark your company and team, identify specific areas of improvement, and make a plan to act on them with RAIN Group's Sales Capability and Execution Assessment.

Get Started

3. Effective Onboarding: Getting Started Right

The third key driver, contributing 32% of the model's predictive power, is having an onboarding program that gets sellers to productivity quickly. Organizations with highly effective training are 4.9x more likely to strongly agree their onboarding program achieves this goal.

The Onboarding Imperative

Effective onboarding isn't just about first impressions—it sets the foundation for long-term seller success. Our research shows organizations that excel at onboarding are more likely to report:

• Faster time to productivity
• Higher seller retention
• Better adoption of sales processes and methodologies
• Stronger teamwork and collaboration

Building an Effective Program

1. Structure the transition: Organizations with highly effective training are 3.9x more likely to strongly agree they successfully transition from onboarding to continuous learning, or everboarding.
2. Blend learning methods: The most effective programs use a mix of:
   1. In-person instruction (used by 93% of organizations with highly effective training)
   2. Virtual instructor-led training (used by 66% of organizations with highly effective training)
   3. Self-paced learning (used by 50% of organizations with highly effective training)
3. Apply learning immediately: Create opportunities for new hires to practice skills in realistic scenarios.
4. Monitor and adjust: Track key metrics that make sense for your sales team, such as:
   1. Time to first deal
   2. Ramp-up period to full quota
   3. Product knowledge assessment scores
   4. Customer interaction quality

Build a Transformational Onboarding Program for Your New Hires

Adopt a step-by-step framework for establishing a seamless onboarding process that gets new hires up to speed.

Download Now

Putting It All Together: Creating a Culture of Continuous Learning

While we’ve examined each driver individually, the research suggests their real power lies in how they work together as part of a comprehensive approach. Rather than treating coaching, assessment, and onboarding as isolated initiatives, leading organizations integrate them into a cohesive continuous learning culture.

Our research shows organizations with highly effective training are:

• 2.2x more likely to strongly agree that continuous learning is encouraged and supported by leadership
• 1.5x more likely to provide learning reinforcement activities
• 1.4x more likely to offer online coaching
• 1.3x more likely to use role-playing and simulations

Technology as an Enabler

Technology, while not one of the three key drivers, emerges as a critical enabler that helps organizations implement and scale their training initiatives effectively. Our research found that 63% of organizations with highly effective training have invested in a sales learning and enablement platform. These highly effective organizations show distinct advantages in several areas:

• 3.2x more likely to strongly agree that content is available in the workflow
• 3.1x more likely to strongly agree they use engaging gamification elements
• 2.8x more likely to strongly agree they maintain current, accessible playbooks
• 2.1x more likely to strongly agree they provide content when and where needed

Moving Forward: Steps to Improve Training Effectiveness

Implementing these research findings requires a systematic approach. Here are four steps to begin improving your organization’s sales training effectiveness.

1. Assess your current state: How does your organization measure up against these three drivers?
2. Identify gaps: Which areas need the most attention?
3. Build your roadmap: Create a plan that addresses all three drivers and builds on their interconnections.
4. Measure and adjust: Among organizations with highly effective training, the most commonly used metrics include:
   1. Sales performance metrics (used by 90% of organizations with highly effective training)
   2. Employee feedback (used by 65% of organizations with highly effective training)
   3. Skills assessments (used by 54% of organizations with highly effective training)
   4. Facilitator feedback (used by 46% of organizations with highly effective training)
   5. Employee retention rates (used by 29% of organizations with highly effective training)

Conclusion

Our research identifies regular coaching, proactive skill assessment, and effective onboarding as significant predictors of sales training effectiveness. By focusing on these three key drivers—and the ways they reinforce each other—organizations can build training programs that are more likely to deliver meaningful results.

Leverage Assessments to Inform Your Training Initiatives

Identify skill gaps, benchmark against performance targets, and design training and enablement initiatives that address your development priorities with this complimentary ebook.

Download Now