Sales Training Companies Make the Switch to Online

Sales training companies are making the switch from in-person sales training to an online sales training model. If you have the time and inclination to do it yourself, you can choose from video conferencing platforms with a dizzying array of features and pricing.

This article will give you the Coles Notes on six of the top services plus Pedone’s Pick, a recommendation by SalesBuzz CEO Michael Pedone, who has facilitated thousands of online sales training webinars.

Your first choice is between live meeting capability and on-demand training with pre-recorded content.

Some live platforms give you both.

Live Online Sales Training Platforms

Many professional trainers prefer the live option because it allows interactivity between facilitators and students. And it makes the online sales training experience as close to an actual classroom as possible, uniting individuals who can be many miles, states or countries apart.

Contenders in the live webinar arena include Webex, Zoom, and GoToMeeting:

GoToMeeting has been around since 2004, long before working from home became mandatory for many desk jockeys thanks to COVID 19.

Users of the platform can host or attend a virtual meeting from their desktop or mobile device. There are pricing plans for any size business from mom-’n-pop shops to corporations with up to 5,000 attendees.

Their video offshoot platform, GoToStage, allows the recording and on-demand viewing of sessions, and GoToMeeting’s free trial offer makes it risk-free for first-timers to dip a toe in the webinar waters.

Webex also has the advantage of longevity (starting in 1995) in an increasingly competitive field of choices. Like GoToMeeting, Webex offers a free personal plan with generous features plus a range of paid plans for businesses.

The service’s offerings include a nifty team collaboration feature, the Webex Whiteboard, that lets facilitators share drawings or text with remote participants who can mark them up on their own screens.

Webex regular users cite the benefits of shortened meetings, ease of use, and the ability to record audio.

Zoom entered the game in 2011 and took off like wildfire. Already it’s part of the language: you can Zoom with friends or hold a Zoom staff meeting in your company’s conference room – the Zoom room.

Zoom’s corporate plans can handle up to 5,000 users and offer cloud recording of sessions.

Sales Training Companies Go On-demand

On-Demand Sales Training Platforms

When it comes to on-demand services for your online sales training needs, the benefits are obvious: create your training sessions once and make them available to an unlimited number of learners who can access them online at any time.

Of course, this option limits the element of interactivity but saves a ton of time and sidesteps the unavoidable technical gremlins that can hamper live events.

So if you know you want the quality control and creative tools of on-demand training, providers like Thinkific, Digital Chalk, and Teachable might be up your alley.

Digital Chalk calls itself a Learning Management System (LMS) because it lets users create their own eLearning program with content, assignments, and tests. One unique feature here is the availability of a vast content library from which to select the elements you need to create customized online sales training courses that carry your company’s branding.

Teachable promises a “fully functioning school” with professional websites, payment gateways, and marketing tools. A user-friendly bonus is the free daily webinar that shows you how to launch your course with Teachable. It lets you see first-hand if this platform is right for you. You’ll notice many of Teachable’s features are aimed at educators and schools. (Note: Teachable is a Zoom property).

Thinkific gives online sales trainers what they need to share their own created content with learners. You can build a themed website to host courses that feature quizzes, surveys, and discussions to keep the lessons lively and learners engaged. Thinkific’s features are mainly directed at course creators wanting to market and sell programs to a wide audience.

Pedone’s Sales Training Platform Pick

For SalesBuzz.com’s Phone Skills Sales Course, we started with Webex’s Training Center back in 2008 but have since switched to Thinkific’s platform. Our clients love the ease of use, quizzes, and progress reports.

Plus, the platform is EXTREMELY reliable. A must-have when learning new skills is critical to one’s business growth!

Need Help Improving Your Sales Teams Phone Skills?

Let’s talk! Schedule a one-on-one consultation with Michael Pedone to learn if his online sales training program is a good fit for your team.