With the challenges from the current economic climate, business leaders expect their sales forces to have the necessary skills and knowledge to operate at their peak capability. As a result, there is increased scrutiny on sales training efforts and a focus on some key questions: Are businesses taking the right steps to ensure that their sales teams have the necessary skills to handle all of these new challenges? How does an organization know that it is targeting the right competencies in its sales training efforts?

Learn from Brian Lambert, ASTD's Director, Sales Training Drivers, as he shares practical experience and an overview and strategic goals uncovered in a 2009 in-depth research based on a survey of more than 500 experts exploring seven key areas: environment of sales training, focus and delivery methods of sales training, frequency and duration of such activity, elements and recipients of selling skills training, degree of integration of sales training into the learning function, expenditures of sales training, & sharing of best practices and lessons learned. You will find this investigation into critical trends for sales training contributes much-needed information to increase our community's knowledge of this topic.

Attendees at this event were eligible to win a free copy of the ASTD/Intrepid/i4cp State of Sales Training Study ($695 retail value) that was given at the end of the session.

The .pdf handouts Brian Lambert is sharing with our community include slides from his presentation, session handouts, and the Sales Training Takes Center Stage article he wrote and was published in T+D (August 2009 issue). Brian encourages you to visit his website www.newsalescompetencies.com/slides to find these and other timely resources to help you achieve your organization's business objectives.