There are as many different ways to sell as there are customers and products. It is vital therefore that your sales training is relevant not only to your organisation, but also to how you do business.

Call centres can be a very effective solution to many sales needs, but the whole atmosphere particularly within the sales teams should be carefully managed. Arguably the two factors that make the biggest difference are lead generation and the sales floor.

When we talk about lead generation we need to look at all aspects. Firstly, how are the leads generated? Are there databases available that would repay investment? Are your own databases updated in as much detail as possible? How are sales leads distributed? What is the time lapse between first contact and the next stage?

If your call centre handles both ingoing and outgoing calls, be sure you have the best monitoring systems installed. This is so you can ensure calls are answered as promptly as possible, while also maximizing the amount of new business generation via outgoing calls.

The most important asset is the people manning the telephones. Make sure they enjoy their work. Some of it may be tedious or repetitive, but there is no reason why they should not work in well-lit, comfortable offices. They should also receive regular breaks to allow them to stay fresh.