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Selling for the Rest of UsA Training and Skills Development Program

Selling for the Rest of Us is an interactive training and business

building program. It is designed to help everyone in your

business – from owners to part-time employees – improve their

ability to ‘sell’ the business, its products, and its services, with a

view to attracting and retaining customers.

At the heart of this training is the pain felt by entrepreneurs

and business leaders, reflected in statements like:

If these things are a challenge in your business, the answer is

Selling for the Rest of Us.

The program – designed for small and medium-sized

businesses and their employees – will help build a culture

where everyone in your business:

Selling for the Rest of UsIntroduction

Sees themselves as an integral part of your company’s

effort to sell products and services to customers (directly or

indirectly), even if they don’t have the word ‘sales’ in their job

title.

Understands what motivates your business’ customers and

proactively works to help move them closer to buying.

Is equipped with the listening and question-asking skills to

avoid letting potential sales slip away.

Feels empowered to assume a leadership role in helping

meet customer needs.

Understands the value in tailored customer service and is a

part of creating your team’s sales and customer service

model.

Learns to anticipate different situations (i.e. common

customer objections) and understands their unique role in

helping overcome those objections.

Gets to practice these new skills in an ongoing manner so

that they are ingrained and repeatable.

“We need to build a culture where everybody considers themselves to be a salesperson. Everybody.”

“I just can’t seem to get my employees to represent the business the way I want them to. The way I do.”

“I wish my employees understood that even though they’re not a ‘salesperson’, customers don’t always know that. They just want their problems solved.”

My employees are wonderful, but sometimes I cringe when I overhear them interacting with a customer. I wish they could be more proactive and solutions-focused.”

Step OnePre-training Sales and Customer Service Assessment

Improving skills and aptitudes in any area begins with

an assessment of ‘where are you at right now?

Each of your participating employees will be asked to

complete a 20-25-minute survey to evaluate his or her

strengths, weaknesses, ideas, and perceptions relating

to sales and customers service in your business. This will

serve as the foundation for each employee’s personal

skill development and goal setting going forward.

“Our business is growing and we needed alignment within the team.

The AEC suggested their Selling for the Rest of Us program, which

was exactly what we needed. They customized the program to our

needs and we've been able to use this session as a springboard.

I would highly recommend this program and the AEC team.”

Jeremy LutesPartner, Thermo Homes Inc.

Step TwoIn-class Training

Time to start training. Together as a work team, you and your

employees will engage in a fun and interactive 2-day (14 hour)

training session. This training will cover:

This in-class training will make extensive use of real-life

examples, group discussions, individual reflection, and

multimedia learning. Participants will engage in a series of

team building exercises designed to help them better

understand each other, different customer types, and best

practices for integrating new skills.

Step ThreeSelling for the Rest of Us Customized Reference Guide

Without proper follow-up even the best training can fade

away, to be replaced by old habits and routines. Not so with

Selling for the Rest of Us.

In the weeks following the in-class training, you will receive a

custom sales reference guide to reinforce best practices and

remind everyone of the ‘whys’ and ‘how-tos’ of effective selling.

This document will also highlight company culture and values,

and will help employees recall ‘how to work together while

working apart’.

Company culture and values

Old school selling versus new school selling

Selling and social media

Working as a team in your individual roles

Building relationships versus ‘selling stuff’

The role of non-salespeople in the selling process

Listening skills and powerful questions

Handling objections and other sales pitfalls

“Sed ut perspiciatis, unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem

accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam

eaque ipsa, quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto

beatae vitae dicta sunt, explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam

voluptate.”

AEC ClientBusiness Name

What is the cost of this program?

The cost of Selling for the Rest of Us varies depending on the

number of participants, your geographic location, and a few

other variables. Please contact us for a quote.

Are there any programs that can provide funding to help us cover the training costs?

Yes. The Workplace Innovation and Productivity Skills

Incentive (WIPSI – offered through Nova Scotia’s Department

of Labour and Advanced Education). We would be pleased to

assist you with the application process if you wish. For more

information, visit https://novascotia.ca/programs/work-

place-innovation-productivity-skills-incentive.

Who are the facilitators for this program?

Selling for the Rest of Us will be facilitated by one or more of

AEC’s trained facilitators, each of whom has an extensive

background in sales within a small to medium-sized business

context.

What are the minimum and maximum number of partici-pants for this program?

The purpose of this program is not only to train individual

selling skills, but to build a company sales culture.

Do we have to send our entire team? Can we just send some?

We will be happy to work with you to develop a training plan

and schedule that meets your needs.

How long does the training take from start to finish?

We recommend starting and completing this

training process within a 4-6 week period.

Where will the training occur?

It’s entirely up to you. The training can take place either at your

place of business (space permitting) or at another

location in your community.

Frequently Asked Questions

Acadia Entrepreneurship Centre can’t wait to help you grow your

business and get the breakthrough results you’re looking for.

Call us today!

Acadia Entrepreneurship Centre

Acadia University, Box 142

21 University Avenue (Rhodes Hall)

Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6

T: 902.585.1180

E. entrepreneurship@acadiau.ca

Let’s Get Started

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