Sales techniques: which ones to really teach in sales training?

Most sales courses fail not because sales techniques are bad, but because they are poorly taught. SPIN Selling, SONCAS, Challenger Sale... the catalog is vast, but not everything is formed the same way. This guide helps training managers make the right choices: which methods to prioritize, which ones can really be learned, and how to design paths that transform behaviors rather than fill heads.

Why the choice of techniques to be taught is (already) a pedagogical decision

A lot of commercial training programs look like a catalog: SONCAS on Tuesday, SPIN on Wednesday, Challenger Sale on Thursday. This comprehensive approach is counterproductive. In cognitive science, we talk about cognitive overload: when a learner absorbs too many methods in a short period of time, none of them really take root.

The real problem is Say-Do Gap : the gap between what a salesperson says he knows how to do and what he actually does in a sales situation. A salesperson can recite the 4 steps of SPIN Selling perfectly at the end of the training. But faced with a difficult prospect three weeks later, he resumed his old reflexes. It is not a failure of motivation: it is a failure of educational design.

The first decision of a training manager should therefore not be “what techniques should be included?” but “what techniques are we able to teach up to real transfer?” Fewer methods, better taught: that's the guiding principle.

Key point

Knowing a sales technique and being able to apply it in a real situation are two fundamentally different skills. Training must target the latter, and its design must account for this from the outset.

The main types of sales techniques: a reading grid for trainers

Before selecting the methods to be taught, it is useful to classify them according to their educational nature, and not according to their popularity. This criterion directly determines the most suitable training format and the level of effort required to achieve transfer.

There are three main categories, each with its own specific requirements.

This grid helps to make two essential decisions: in what order to teach the methods, and what teaching format to devote to them. Above all, it avoids the classic error of treating all techniques at the same level in the same module.

Questioning techniques: the number one educational priority

SPIN Selling (Situation, Problem, Involvement, Involvement, Need-payoff) is often presented as an easy method to learn. In reality, the last two questions are the most difficult to master and the most rarely practiced in the field. Asking a relevant “Involvement” question in a real interview requires a detailed understanding of the customer context, which cannot be simulated on a generic example.

Cognitive science is clear on this point: conversational skills are not acquired by reading or listening. They require deliberate practice with immediate feedback. That's why SPIN Selling, like active listening, should be taught primarily through role-playing, simulations, and structured debriefings and not through descriptive slideshows.

How to structure a SPIN module in e-learning

Module 1 — Memorisation of the 4 question types (short format, positioning quiz).
Module 2 — Identification of questions adapted to real client profiles within the company (rephrasing exercise).
Module 3 — Interview simulation with automated feedback on the quality of questions asked.
Module 4 — Spaced reactivation at Day 7 and Day 21 with 5-minute micro-scenarios.

Argumentation techniques: beware of the lectureship trap

CAB (Characteristics, Advantages, Benefits) and SONCAS (E) are included in almost all commercial training programs. However, they are systematically taught via explanatory slides. This is one of the least effective approaches. The generation effect shows that information you produce yourself is better remembered than information you receive passively.

The key is to get the salesperson to work on their own products as early as the training. Building a CAB pitch on a fictional offer has very little transferable value. On the other hand, reformulating the real characteristics of your portfolio into benefits adapted to each SONCAS profile is an exercise that anchors the method in daily practice.

CAB pedagogical sequence in a business context

Step 1 — The salesperson receives a real product sheet and identifies 3 key characteristics.
Step 2 — They rephrase each characteristic as a functional advantage, then as a benefit for a given client profile (e.g. a buyer with a "Security" motivation).
Step 3 — They practise delivering the pitch verbally through a simulated scenario with feedback.
This 3-step sequence, repeated over several weeks, transforms the methodology into an operational reflex.

Challenger Sale: a method reserved for advanced profiles

The Challenger Sale method is often presented as the ultimate modern business approach. Its principle is strong: to provide a new perspective that challenges the client's beliefs. But teaching junior salespeople can have the opposite effect: awkward postures that are perceived as arrogant and harmful to customer relationships.

Training effectively at the Challenger Sale assumes that the salesperson already masters the basics: active listening, discovering needs, managing objections. Without this base, the method becomes an empty formula. The recommendation is clear: position the Challenger Sale at the second level of the training course, after at least 6 months of practice on basic methods.

How to design a sales training path that really anchors the techniques

Knowing the best sales techniques is not enough. The real question for a training manager is: how do you teach them so that they really change behaviors in the field? Cognitive science converges on three non-negotiable principles.

Simulations and simulations: the key to the transfer of skills

Business simulations (roleplays, customer case scenarios, simulated interviews) are the most effective educational format for sales skills. They recreate the pressure of the real situation while offering space for error without consequences. Sales people learn by doing, not by listening.

The researcher Benjamin Bloom has shown that individualized tutoring makes it possible to achieve performances twice as high as traditional group education: this is what he calls 2-Sigma problem. Simulations with automated and personalized feedback approach this ideal on a large scale: each salesperson receives feedback adapted to their own performance, not a generic comment.

For a simulation to be effective, it must meet these criteria:

• Rely on real ground objections, collected from sales teams
• Offer several levels of difficulty, from cooperative prospects to resilient profiles
• Include a structured debriefing immediately after the simulation
• Be short enough (10 to 15 minutes) to fit into the daily routine
• Varying customer profiles to work on the adaptability of commercial discourse

Spaced repetition applied to sales techniques

A day of intensive sales training in January has virtually no lasting effects in March. It's not an opinion: it's the Ebbinghaus Oblivion Curve, which shows that up to 80% of new information is forgotten in the absence of reactivation. Training salespeople en masse, once a year, means optimizing for the short term.

Spaced repetition consists in breaking up learning into short sessions spread over several weeks. A technique like SPIN Selling is much better anchored with an initial 30-minute session, followed by reactivation modules at D+5, D+15 and D+30. Adaptive learning allows you to personalize this rhythm: a salesperson who already masters Situation questions receives exercises on Involvement questions directly, where he really needs them.

What research shows

Hermann Ebbinghaus's work on memory (1885, replicated in numerous studies since) shows that information reactivated at spaced intervals is retained 4 to 5 times longer than information presented just once, even in a long format. For sales skills, this principle translates directly into field performance.

Prioritize techniques according to the company's commercial context

There is no universal list of “best sales techniques to teach.” The choice depends on the commercial context of your organization: type of sale, cycle, team profile. Here is a selection grid in three questions to arbitrate quickly.

Question 1 — What is the dominant sales cycle?

Short and transactional sales (B2C, retail): favor rapid questioning and argumentation techniques (SONCAS, CAB). Long and complex sales (B2B, major accounts): invest in SPIN Selling, MEDDIC and Challenger Sale for senior profiles.

Question 2 — What is the maturity level of your teams?

Junior profiles or new recruits: SPANCO to structure the process, SONCAS for argumentation, active listening as a basis. Experienced profiles: in-depth SPIN Selling, Challenger Sale, advanced closing techniques.

Question 3 — What is the main challenge of your program?

Increase the conversion rate: work on the discovery of needs (SPIN) and the management of objections. Reducing the sales cycle: strengthening process management (SPANCO, MEDDIC). Improving the perceived value of the offer: developing differentiating arguments (CAB, Challenger Sale).

Measuring the impact of training on business performance

Training without measuring is driving without a dashboard. To assess the real effectiveness of a commercial training program, it is not enough to measure learner satisfaction or completion rates. These are indicators of engagement, not performance.

The real indicator to follow is the Transfer Effectiveness Ratio : the proportion of behaviors learned during training that are actually observed in the field. It is measured by structured managerial observations, evaluation grids during co-listening, or via the analysis of CRM data (completion rate of SPANCO steps, length of sales cycles).

The 5 KPIs to be implemented as soon as the program is launched:

• Conversion rate by stage of the sales cycle, measured before/after training
• Average length of the sales cycle, to assess the effectiveness of the commercial process
• Rate of use of techniques observed in real situations (co-listening, field coaching)
• Evolution of the average turnover per salesperson over 3 and 6 months post-training
• Sales rep retention rate

Conclusion

Training sales teams in sales techniques is a profitable investment (as long as training and information are not confused). Covering 12 methods in two days does not transform a salesperson. Have him practice 3 well-chosen methods intensely, with immediate feedback and regular reactivation, yes.

The role of the training manager is not to select the best known techniques, but those that correspond to the company's commercial context and that can be truly taught until transfer. This is where the quality of instructional design makes all the difference, and that is precisely what Didask allows today.

To learn more about the mistakes to avoid in your business programs, read our article on common mistakes in business training. And if you want to understand how to structure a training paths in the workflow of your teams, discover our approach with Didask Coaching.