Choosing a sales trainer is a tricky business.
Should sales experience be given more importance or should training experience be? If your company is sales intensive, don't waste your time thinking about pros and cons of the two.
For you hiring a sales person for sales trainer job is clearly the better option.
Here's why.
You must have heard it being said that a presenter should speak the language of his/her audience.
It can't be truer for a trainer.
A sales person can form an immediate connection with the trainees because s/he has been there done that.
The jargon and jokes are easy to understand and convey.
Employees will be more open to the techniques taught because they have been tested.
This makes the training environment more conducive to learning.
And better learning results in better results.
A trainer with selling experience can also help the trainees if post the session, employees have difficulty in applying the knowledge.
The solid foundation of the trainer improves the entire process; right from improved trainer credibility, to better after training service (just like after sales service).
The companies also need to spend considerably less time on training a sales person to be a trainer than vice a versa.
Usually a 3 day TTT (Train The Trainer) is enough to teach basics of employee training to a sales person.
For companies which are not ready to compromise on either of the two aspects, the best approach is to groom an internal salesperson to take up the role of a trainer on a later date.
This may be time consuming, but can be a superb plan for both the company and an employee who is interested in training and coaching.
Not to repeat the obvious, the sales force will automatically benefit.