Does the sales team need training, or is something else getting in the way?

A missed target tells you that something needs attention. On its own, it tells you little about the kind of support that will help. Before booking sales training, take one recent opportunity and look at what actually happened.

This is a way to prepare a useful discussion. Several causes may be present at once, and one example will not explain a whole team’s performance.

Start with an event you can describe

“The team cannot close” is a conclusion. “The customer requested a proposal on Tuesday, received it the following Friday, and had already chosen another supplier” gives you something to examine.

Ask the people involved to explain the sequence. What did the customer need? What was agreed? Where did the opportunity stall? Separate what is recorded from what you suspect. A quiet customer is not proof that price was the problem.

Look at four parts of the situation

• Capability: Could the salesperson carry out the conversation or task? Look for a specific difficulty, such as clarifying a need or explaining value.
• Expectations: Did everyone understand the required next step, who owned it and when it was needed?
• Process: Could the person get the information, approval or assistance needed to act? Where did the work wait or move between people?
• Context: What else affected the opportunity, such as availability, workload, product fit or a change in the customer’s circumstances?

Use these as questions, rather than boxes that assign blame. Ask what evidence would change your first explanation.

A hypothetical example

A manager wants closing training because proposals are going unanswered. Looking at one opportunity, the team finds that the customer had explained the need clearly. The salesperson then waited four days for pricing approval. There was no agreed person to contact while the usual approver was away.

That example suggests an approval problem worth addressing. Training may help people recognise and handle delays. The approval arrangement itself also needs attention; a closing refresher alone may leave that constraint in place. A different opportunity might reveal that the proposal arrived promptly yet answered the wrong question. Examine both before assuming they have the same cause.

Prepare a one-page discussion note

Write down the expected result, what happened, and the evidence available. Then add:

1. The step that became difficult or unclear.
2. The explanation offered by each person involved.
3. What remains uncertain and how you could check it.
4. One change worth discussing, who could act on it, and what you would look for afterwards.

Remove customer and employee details that are unnecessary for an initial external conversation. The aim is to make the issue understandable, not to compile a case against somebody.

If you can name the sales skill you want to strengthen, explore Flight School sales training. If the cause needs a wider discussion, start with management consulting.