WIN | Sales Skills & Winning More Business
CORE Sales Skills Training
Better sales conversations. More confident salespeople.
CORE Sales Training builds the expertise, confidence and motivation needed to convert more business through an ethical, consultative approach. This programme is perfect for those new to selling, experienced professionals refreshing their techniques or business owners looking to grow.
This workshop-based programme replaces lectures with interactive exercises and practical sales tasks tailored to your actual customer scenarios.
From creating a strong first impression to understanding customer needs, presenting relevant solutions and gaining commitment, this interactive programme helps salespeople approach the entire sales process with greater confidence and professionalism.
A more effective, ethical approach to selling.
CORE stands for Collaborative, Open, Relevant and Effective. Training that combines proven sales techniques with a consultative, ethical attitude to help you build trust and win more business.
Collaborative – Work with customers to understand their circumstances and identify suitable solutions.
Open – Create trust through honest, constructive and meaningful conversations.
Relevant – Focus on what matters to the customer rather than delivering a generic sales pitch.
Effective – Use a clear, practical sales process that helps customers reach informed decisions.
More opportunities are only valuable if you convert them.
Many opportunities are lost because salespeople fail to establish trust, ask enough questions or demonstrate relevance. A structured sales process helps individuals recognise where they are in a conversation and what needs to happen next to help the customer progress with confidence.
Trust
Build stronger customer relationships from the outset.
Understanding
Identify genuine customer needs, wants and desires.
Value
Present products and services in terms that matter to customers.
Commitment
Help customers progress confidently towards a decision.
The foundations of successful selling.
During this interactive programme, participants will explore the practical skills and attitudes that underline effective, professional selling:
- Develop a consultative, collaborative sales attitude.
- Understand the Four Foundations of Selling.
- Explore the principles of sales psychology.
- Understand the stages of an effective sales process.
- Build relationships and trust with customers.
- Use questioning to identify needs, wants and desires.
- Present products and services in line with customer priorities.
- Use trial closes to check understanding and commitment.
- Present price and negotiate constructively.
- Create an appropriate environment for the customer to make a decision.
- Prevent and handle sales objections professionally.
- Develop an individual action plan for applying new skills.
What's covered in CORE Sales Skills Training?
Module 1: Sales Psychology and the Four Foundations of Selling
- Understanding basic sales psychology.
- The Four Foundations of Selling.
- Developing collaborative and consultative sales attitudes.
- Understanding how customers approach purchasing decisions.
- Building motivation and confidence.
- Recognising the importance of professionalism and trust.
This module sets the mindset and framework for effective, ethical selling.
Module 2: Meet and Greet: Creating Relationships and Trust
- Creating a professional first impression.
- Developing rapport naturally.
- Establishing credibility.
- Creating an environment in which customers feel comfortable.
- Building the foundations for a productive sales conversation.
Trust and relationship-building are essential before presenting a solution.
Module 3: Qualification and Needs Analysis
- Using effective questions.
- Listening actively.
- Understanding customer needs, wants and desires.
- Exploring the customer's circumstances and priorities.
- Clarifying the reasons behind a potential purchase.
- Identifying what matters most to the customer.
Effective qualification is about understanding, not interrogating or steering customers.
Module 4: Presenting Relevant Solutions
- Connecting product or service benefits to customer needs.
- Avoiding generic presentations.
- Demonstrating relevance.
- Explaining how the proposed solution addresses customer priorities.
- Helping customers understand the value of the offer.
A successful presentation builds on the understanding developed during needs analysis.
Module 5: Trial Close and Gaining Commitment
- Understanding the purpose of a trial close.
- Checking the customer's understanding.
- Identifying remaining questions or concerns.
- Establishing whether the proposed solution is appropriate.
- Gaining agreement on sensible next steps.
Trial closing is a natural part of a collaborative conversation, not a pressure technique.
Module 6: Negotiation and Price Presentation
- Presenting price with confidence.
- Explaining value rather than immediately discounting.
- Understanding customer concerns about cost.
- Seeking mutually beneficial agreements.
- Protecting commercial value while respecting customer priorities.
This is an introduction to negotiation within the CORE process, not the full standalone Negotiation Skills programme.
Module 7: Closing the Sale and Handling Objections
- Recognising when the customer is ready to decide.
- Creating an appropriate environment for commitment.
- Asking for the sale professionally.
- Understanding common sales objections.
- Preventing avoidable objections through better qualification and presentation.
- Developing a structured approach to handling genuine concerns.
- Agreeing the next step when a purchase is not yet appropriate.
Closing is the logical conclusion of a well-managed sales conversation.
Leave with skills you can put to work.
The course includes the creation of a detailed individual action plan, ensuring participants identify exactly which skills they need to develop and how they will apply the CORE sales process in their specific role. By mapping out practical changes and continued practice areas, the plan supports post-training follow-up with management. Our objective is immediate practical application, ensuring training leads to measurable improvements in customer conversations rather than just theoretical knowledge.
Practical, interactive and engaging.
CORE training combines relevant sales theory with realistic scenarios, coaching, and group exercises that draw directly on participants' own products and customer situations. Delivered in an interactive workshop style instead of long lectures, the environment is constructive and high-energy. This approach makes the learning accessible for all experience levels, allowing salespeople to test new techniques in a safe environment before applying them commercially.
Who benefits from CORE Sales Skills Training?
The CORE programme is designed for anyone aiming to improve their sales performance through a more consultative approach. This includes:
- New salespeople – Build a strong foundation in the complete sales process.
- Experienced salespeople – Refresh established techniques, improve consistency and develop new approaches.
- Business owners – Strengthen the skills needed to sell their own products and services.
- B2B and consultative B2C sales teams – Improve customer conversations where understanding needs and recommending suitable solutions are essential.
The programme can be fully tailored to your organisation's customers, markets and specific sales processes.
What our training participants say.
“
Fantastic, positive, motivational day! Really well run!
CB, Nautibouy Marine
“
Very friendly and felt comfortable interacting and asking questions. I wasn't embarrassed that I started with little sales knowledge
CC, BoothBook
Experience that makes training practical.
More than 20 years' experience in sales training.
Over 12,000 people trained.
Institute of Sales Management Endorsed Training Partner.
Interactive, workshop-based delivery.
Training tailored to real commercial environments.
Ethical, consultative sales development.
Richard Palmer is the founder and lead trainer of Sure Train and author of The Ethical Sales Handbook. As an established organisation, Sure Train is committed to helping businesses improve sales performance through practical, sustainable development.
Frequently asked questions.
Is CORE Sales Skills suitable for people who are new to selling?
Yes. The programme develops the fundamental skills and understanding needed to follow an effective sales process.
Will experienced salespeople benefit?
Yes. It provides an opportunity to refresh existing skills, improve consistency and explore different approaches.
How long does the training take?
Typically delivered as a one-day interactive workshop for up to 15 participants, CORE Sales Skills Training can be tailored to your team, products, customers and business objectives. Longer programmes are available where additional practice and coaching would be beneficial. Delivery is available at the client’s premises, an agreed venue or online where appropriate.
Can the course be tailored to our business?
Yes. Content and exercises can be adapted to your products, services, customers and sales environment.
Is the programme suitable for B2B and B2C selling?
Yes. It is suitable for B2B sales and consultative B2C environments where understanding and advising customers is an important part of the sales process.
Does the course include practical exercises?
Yes. CORE Sales Skills is workshop-based, using exercises, discussion and coaching to help participants apply the learning.