PRIME+ Selling System Blog

The pandemic changed the way we lived, worked, and trained. Without the ability to safely interact in person before vaccines were available, live training events were quickly abandoned. However, businesses still had sales teams to train. While online learning gained momentum over the last decade, quarantine provided an even greater need for online training. 

Alcohol eCommerce retail sales spiked, up 387% during the first months of the pandemic. As the world opens back up, businesses need to be sure their alcohol beverage sales teams are trained and prepared for the demand. This blog will explore the pros and cons of outsourcing training for your beverage sales teams. 

Pros & Cons  

The global beverage industry is growing. Projections indicate it will reach $1.85 billion by the end of 2024. The sale of alcoholic beverages has increased by 30% since 2011. But the demand doesn't mean sales will automatically fall into your salespeople's laps.  

It's common in the alcoholic beverage industry to set sales targets for each salesperson, depending on their territory. However, sending them out without the proper training can be setting them up for failure and costing your business time, money, and damage to your reputation with retailers. Sales training is essential, but should it be online? Let's look at some pros and cons of outsourcing training. 

Pros  

More Training Hours 

Advances in online learning over the past few years have provided a wealth of advantages, leading to a rise in popularity. Most notable is the convenience. Teams can get many more training hours through online learning. Where in-person training events were limited to 6-12 hours, online training can provide 30 or more hours of training. 

It Caters to Different Learning Styles 

Employees can work on various skills at their own pace, experience level, and learning style. Training software has become increasingly sophisticated with the advent of machine learning. Algorithms recognize what students struggle with the most and adjust the content to be more helpful. (Plus, you can have a beer while completing the modules and no one’s going to know!)  

Creates a Continuous Learning Culture 

When content is made available anytime and anywhere, it is easy for team members to continue to acquire valuable skills during hours that fit their work schedule. When that training can change the trajectory of their sales numbers, salespeople are more likely to adopt it eagerly and continue to utilize it. Online learning also allows training materials and topics to be continually refreshed and expanded with ease.  

Cons  

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail 

While there are many advantages to online learning, there can be downsides, as well. As with most things, planning is key. If there is no clear plan to execute all the online courses available, it can get pushed to the back burner as people get busy. Having some accountability method, whether an overall deadline for completion, a calendar of milestones, or other tracking mechanisms, means the content will be prioritized.   

Internal Pushback 

Unfortunately, there may also be internal resistance to online training. Employees may push back, stating that it is simply a training of the month or year. It takes work to change the organization's perception to recognize that this is not about checking a box. Instead, it is an ongoing process that is critical to the team's success.  

Lack of Buy-In 

Adoption of the new process necessitates a fundamental change in the organization. Continuous online learning requires top-down leadership for company-wide acceptance and assimilation.  However, it is worth the effort, as 91.2% of teams who get consistent sales coaching reach their quotas.  

Online Sales Training for Your Beverage Sales Team 

As an alcohol beverage sales manager, you are always looking for the most effective training for your sales team. Over the past year, your options were limited to in-house or online curriculums. You'll likely have more opportunities to use in-person training as the pandemic restrictions ease, but with the advances in online training, does that even make sense anymore? It requires a consideration of the pros and cons of outsourcing training to decide. 

Online training is cost-effective, takes less time out of a workday, and is convenient. Virtual classes allow you to provide many more hours of skills training than in-person events. It also adapts more easily to the learner's pace, skill level, and learning style, meaning a boost in retention. It’s much easier to adopt a culture of continuous learning when training content is available 24/7, is current, relevant, and encouraged by the top-level executives.  

The drawbacks of online training exist but can be mitigated. Procrastination, pushback, and buy-in can pose some risks to adoption. However, educating the organization on how training can increase sales and putting processes in place to support that training can counteract any cons. For more industry training news, please subscribe to our Fox Selling System blog.