How long does it take to grasp a new skill to become successful? Let's take a look at some statistics:

So, why is it that company leaders expect salespeople to develop into experts after 3-8 years in sales? It's amazing to me how our clients expect immediate results after learning a new skill. For example, I'll have a group of sales performers try a new concept in a role play situation. Low and behold, they may not "get it" the first time, or even the second time. Worse yet, they go back into their sales situations with real customers, and step back into old habits.

Let's take a look at why salespeople don't succeed after all the new skills are covered during training, and how long it truly takes to become a sales expert.

First of all, many companies are looking at training as a "quick fix".  Without reinforcement from the company leaders, a sales professional is going to have a more challenging time trying out new ideas that stick in customer situations. Let's face it, a salesperson's ability to develop expert skills doesn't happen overnight and it takes years for excellence.

Exceptional leadership and direction are two keys to helping the salesperson get to the expert level (or the black diamond slopes).

If you are a sales manager reading this, here are three tips of what you can do to influence excellence among your sales organization:

1. Hire well. When I say this, consider the type of person you are hiring, do they have the fortitude, internal motivation, and most of all, intelligence to do the job in your industry. Experience in your industry is less important than the three components mentioned in the previous sentence. You can always train the person who is smart and motivated. (I never recommend hiring someone just because of experience. These are often disastrous decisions that can have long term negative business implications.) 

2. Provide support and the tools necessary to succeed. If your reps are using outdated computer systems, get them new ones. What about headsets to reduce neck fatigue and to encourage reps to use their voices more clearly while talking with customers?  When was the last time you had training from an expert sales consultant? After the training, maximize your ROI by continuing to reinforce the concepts learned.

3. Work with your reps. Stay close to your peak performers to see what they're doing to excel, and work with your new reps to teach them what the experts are doing to succeed. Avoid letting your expert reps work with your newer ones because they are typically renegades and may show too many short cuts. 

If you are a sales professional reading this, here are your top three tips for peak performing success:

1. Self educate yourself. Read  books, articles, listen to sales radio, and download MP3 interviews and knowledge. Most salespeople don't take the time to learn on their own--and it shows in their performance. Be different!

2. Hire a business coach to help you. Have this person work with you on your skills and to develop exceptional techniques for prospecting, handling objections, or managing your time--wherever your gaps lie.

3. Try something new each week. Test out a concept, a technique, or an idea you picked up from one of the MP3 downloads. You may find that the new idea works!