Despite investing time, money and effort to train salespeople, many managers find that training programs fail to make a lasting, visible impact on sales figures. While the sales training program itself is important, it's only as good as the manager who chooses it, participates in it and reinforces it for lasting benefit. Diane Hessan, executive vice president of The Forum Corporation, one of the country's leading sales training companies, offers managers a 10-step plan to enhance and reinforce learned skills before, during and after training. Hessan's plan can help managers turn short-term training investments into long-term sales profits. Before Training

1. Assess your salespeople. Try to accommodate every level of experience with a suitable training program. "Very experienced salespeople are beyond preparatory or apprenticeship training and need more mastery types of skills," says Hessan. "To fill this need, let seasoned professionals teach the less experienced people. Teaching selling concepts enhances one's understanding of them, so letting experienced people train others satisfies two training needs at once." Your salespeople's contact with the customer should also determine the training you choose. Telemarketers benefit most from programs building skills necessary to their success. More visible salespeople might prefer presentation training or programs on nonverbal buying signals.

2. Remember your customers and their businesses. Salespeople need to be able to understand the political dynamics of how a decision-making process works. "Many organizations these days are going through a tremendous amount of change, so salespeople must also know...