Commercial Skills Training: What you do and how you do it both matter

The effectiveness of a sales team can significantly influence the success of an FMCG business: A highly skilled team can drive increased revenue, influence profitability through mix, enhance customer relationships and create a competitive edge. Additionally, sales teams who learn to – appropriately – represent the voice of their customer inside their business can enable better strategic alignment and subsequently better partnerships.

It’s unsurprising then, that for individuals pursuing FMCG leadership roles, sales is often an important, even mandated, step along their career pathway.  Time in a sales role is not merely a ‘tour of duty’ but an opportunity to master crucial commercial skills and to learn the value the sales function adds to the business.

As our industry responds to consumer, technological and economic shifts, the expectations on sales professionals from both suppliers and customers is evolving. To be effective and remain current, there is increasing pressure on sales teams to master and continuously update their knowledge and skills.

The most effective FMCG Sales Teams are continuously updating their knowledge and skills alongside the evolving needs of their own business, and their customers.

Which skills are we talking about?

“Selling” is itself, a skill! Some people are naturally talented at it, but most successful sales professionals were at some point trained in a selling process, which they have gone one to practice, refine and make their own.

As they become sales leaders, responsible for coaching others to better performance in this core skill, a sales process is a critical tool to help break down, diagnose and support where help is needed.

Other skills sought in FMCG sales professionals today include:

• Develop and deploy Category Strategy

• Develop and deploy Omnichannel Strategy

• Customer Management

• Customer Supply Chain Management

• Negotiation

• Category Management

• Revenue Growth Management

• Shopper Marketing

• Joint Business Planning

So, what’s the best way to train, embed and update these skills?

Much learning occurs on-the-job. However, there are times when formal learning interventions – training – is extremely beneficial (see When is the right time for Formal Training?) 

Equally important as choosing which skills to train, is choosing how to train. Even with the same content and facilitation, Open House and In-House formats offer nuanced benefits.

For many FMCG businesses, a combination of both formats helps strike the right balance between the development needs of individuals, sales team and the wider organisation.

The benefits of Open House learning

Training sessions that are scheduled at a time and place - online or in-person – and can be attended by individuals from any organisation, are referred to as Open House.

Here are 3 key benefits of this training format:

1. Targeted Individual Readiness

Within teams, there is usually a mix of experience. This format enables individuals to attend training as the skill becomes relevant and timely to their personal development plan. Being able to selectively train individuals when they’re ready optimises the learning event for the individual.

2. Broaden Perspective

Training within a diverse group exposes learners to peer insights that may assist them to reframe their approach. It can challenge assumptions, help them to benchmark their own performance, elevate aspirations and enhance problem-solving abilities. 

3. Build Peer Networks

Professional networks create opportunity for collaboration, knowledge exchange, mentorship and ongoing access to outside perspectives within your industry. Learning together creates a shared experience from which strong personal connections can be nurtured and developed. 

Why Train In-House?

Sometimes, businesses elect to train a particular skill exclusively within their own teams.  We’ve observed 4 key reasons for this:

1. Targeted Team Intervention

Training a team together allows swift step-change in a particular area of opportunity, creating a new team “way of doing” with common language, process and focus expectations. Even team members who are not yet ready to fully put the learning into practice benefit from understanding the steps and processes driving the success of their peers, enabling them to better learn from others ongoing. When the tide rises, all the boats lift.   

2. Create Team Cohesion

Training together fosters a sense of unity and camaraderie. In-House training often includes a cross-functional cohort – scoping-in marketers, finance and often supply colleagues to benefit from increased commercial involvement or understanding. This encourages teamwork and mutual support as they form a common appreciation of what good looks like. 

3. Tailored and/or Confidential Discussion

In-House training can be tailored to the nuances of company language, culture, strategy and goals. This can be useful in socialising specific, even confidential, content, alongside teaching processes and tools. For example, a Strategic Category Management training session might reference the company’s actual Category Strategy as a case study, enabling greater familiarisation and understanding.  

4. Resource Maximisation

For large sales teams, or businesses who want to develop cross-functional teams in a particular commercial skill, it can be cost-effective to train In-House. Additionally, they can choose to train when and where it suits them – planned around their own organisational calendar and geographies.

Shape the Future, don't be Shaped by It

The continuous development of sales skills in FMCG – in which formal training has a role to play – is critical to business success.

Today’s FMCG sales professional is expected to master a variety of skills, over and above the core skill of selling.

Open House training enables the selective training of individuals with the latest up-to-date content, professional facilitation and peer networking. It can be a cost-effective way to support personal development plans and bringing fresh thinking back into the organisation.

In-House training creates focus, and often cross-functional collaboration, around a particular skill. It allows socialisation of new or confidential content at the same time as establishing process or skill.

A mix of training formats is often required to strike the right balance between the needs of individuals, teams and the wider organisation.

Why Real World Marketing?

Our experienced consultants and trainers are FMCG leaders who have created, and deliver, the AFGC’s industry capability program. With deep-rooted commercial and learning expertise, we are well-placed to support you and your teams as trusted coaches and mentors, tailored to your unique requirements.

If you need assistance with assessing your team’s training needs or structuring your training plan, please reach out to one of the team at Real World Marketing.

We’re here to help you navigate complexity and achieve your business goals.