RAIN Group - Sales Training or Education Professional of the Year
Company: RAIN Group, Framingham, MA
Company Description: RAIN Group is a global sales training and performance improvement company that unleashes sales potential by delivering transformational experiences. We've helped hundreds of thousands of salespeople, managers, and professionals in more than 73 countries significantly increase their sales with our sales training, consulting, and coaching services.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Training or Education Professional of the Year
Nomination Title: John Doerr – Sales Training Expert’s Focus on Behavior Change Leads to Substantial Results
Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since the beginning of July 2017 (up to 650 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes: REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION
John Doerr is a world-renowned sales training expert and author of several books, including WSJ Best-seller Rainmaking Conversations (Wiley, 2011), and Insight Selling (Wiley, 2014).
Possessing 25-plus years of sales training experience, John has worked with national and international organizations such as Johnson & Johnson, London Business School, Egon Zehnder, and hundreds of others to unleash sales performance.
Through in-house workshops and public presentations around the world, John has trained thousands of sales leaders and sales professionals to help them master the complex sale.
Accomplishments
While John has reached great success in his career, he continues to push the envelope to deliver transformational outcomes for RAIN Group’s clients.
Named a Top Sales Thought Leader globally by Top Sales World, John has conducted numerous workshops since July 2017 for reputable companies, including Toyota Materials Handling, Harvard Business Publishing, MicroStrategy, FLIR Systems, Protective Life, and others. While RAIN Group aims to achieve a 4.60 facilitator rating (on a 5-point scale), John continues to exceed expectations and maintains a 4.72 and has received several perfect 5.0s.
As president of RAIN Group, John has grown the firm into a global leader and received multiple accolades for his contributions to the sales industry since July 2017. This year marks the third consecutive year that John’s company was named to Selling Power’s Top 20 Sales Training Companies list. The firm was also recognized in the Training Industry’s Top Sales Training Companies program (sixth consecutive year). In 2018, superior client results, many of which were led by John, earned RAIN Group a Silver Stevie Award for Sales Training Practice of the Year and a Bronze Stevie Award for Sales Training Program of the Year. The Institute for Excellence in Sales recognized John’s client, cStor, as a finalist in the 2018 Sales Excellence Awards.
Innovations and Discoveries
The sales training industry is a competitive space. It’s crucial to have the best intellectual property in order to remain at the forefront.
To accomplish this, the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research studies buying and selling relentlessly. John assists in the early stages by reviewing questionnaires. Following the studies, the team of analysts create proprietary benchmark reports and incorporate research findings into programs that help sellers succeed.
Good is not good enough. Since July 2017, John has been involved with the following programs:
- Extreme Productivity Challenge
- RAIN Sales Prospecting
- Extreme Productivity Assessment
- Updated Strategic Account Management
- Updated RAIN Sales Negotiation
- Updated RAIN Sales Coaching
Obstacles Overcome
Unlike other companies, training is not John’s focus. Behavior change is. Consulting and training are the vehicles.
One of the biggest challenges in the sales training industry today is making training stick. In the last few years, John and RAIN Group have invested heavily in product development, research, and learning tools. John often coaches training participants after workshops to ensure the training sticks and transfers on the job. He has also developed custom tools, messaging, and case studies to make training relevant and easy to apply.
“We saw an opportunity to develop behavior that would take our business to the next level. John’s training was exactly what our team needed to close the gaps. The program focused on critical skills and knowledge that we needed to grow our accounts. Not only have we witnessed real behavior change with our strategic account managers, but the results to date have been impressive,” said Don Turano, VP of Sales, FLIR Systems.
Outcomes
John is a veteran at creating and delivering customized sales training programs that are based on desired outcomes. His clients are achieving impressive results. Recent results include:
- Number of deals closed year-over year improved by 15.2% (cStor)
- Gross profit margin on sales won improved by 12.2%(cStor)
- Reduced average days to close by 10.4% (cStor)
- On track to achieve 200% of sales targets (Chatham Financial)
- Increased average deal size by 180% (Chatham Financial)
- 63% increase in sales bookings (Agilysys)