(Charlotte, N.C.) Sales Performance International (SPI), a global sales training and performance improvement firm, announced today the Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) program for Solution Selling®. According to Keith Eades, CEO of SPI and author of The New Solution Selling, “Companies are operating with strict travel policies, but in 2010 they need to start growing revenues again and investing in sales effectiveness. This new form of sales training provides a rich, on-going learning experience for salespeople by combining self-paced eLearning modules followed by web-based learning and application sessions with expert instructors. The result is a highly effective learning environment that doesn’t require travel or significant time out of the field.”

SPI’s VILT offering is a completely new approach to addressing the sales training needs of today’s highly mobile or geographically diverse sales organizations, where travel costs are often 40% of the overall training expense. Solution Selling® VILT employs a continuous learning vs. a compacted training approach delivered over a series of eight weekly sessions that include eLearning prerequisites, virtual classroom sessions held by an expert instructor, individual homework assignments, and virtual office hours, much like a university setting.

Dave Stein, CEO of ES Research Group, Inc., the leading independent research authority on B2B sales training, said, “Due to extreme budget cuts, travel restrictions, and the growing differences in how salespeople learn, we expect non-traditional technology-enabled training to be a larger part of the overall training approach. SPI’s launch of the VILT platform delivers their proven Solution Selling® content to the salespeople who need it—when they need it, where they need it, and how they need it.”

Unlike traditional multi-day, out-of-field training events, VILT takes a continual, step-by-step approach to learning, classroom collaboration and field application. Each course is broken into specific, process-aligned topics that can be applied and refined at a realistic pace. Each weekly session allows participants to learn key concepts at their own pace, then engage in collaborative review and application sessions with peers and experienced coaches. Lessons can then be applied to real world prospects and reviewed during the next session. According to Jim Dickie, CEO of CSO Insights, “SPI’s VILT offering represents an innovative approach to the sales learning challenges in today’s fast paced business climate, representing a win/win for both sales reps and the company.”

VILT provides:

•A self-paced eLearning course of ten modules, each containing interactive content and reviews culminating in a certification test
•Eight structured (web-based) learning sessions conducted by a VILT certified Solution Selling® instructor
•24×7 global access to Solution Selling® eLearning courseware, tests, and resources via a industry leading Learning Management System (LMS)
•Exclusive access to virtual Office Hours – a chance to ask the expert about curriculum, course content, or live situations and informal, just-in-time learning assets and resources
For more information the VILT program, please go to http://www.spisales.com/Virtual-Instructor-Led-Training.aspx

Sales Performance International (SPI) is a global sales training and performance improvement firm dedicated to helping the world’s leading corporations drive measurable and sustainable revenue growth and operational sales performance improvement.

Founded in 1988, SPI has been the leader in helping global companies successfully transition from selling products to marketing and selling high-value solutions. With extensive sales performance expertise, deep industry knowledge, global resources, and a proven record of accomplishment, SPI collaborates with clients to deliver strategic, operational, and tactical solutions.

SPI is the exclusive owner of the Solution Selling® Suite, an integrated, end-to-end training and professional development platform for sales professionals, managers, and marketers. SPI has assisted more than 600,000 sales and management professionals in more than 50 countries and 14 languages achieve higher levels of performance. Today, SPI focuses on five industry segments: technology, professional services, financial services, telecommunications, and manufacturing.

SPI clients include: Microsoft, Parker Hannifin, Hitachi Data Systems, Manpower, IBM, WIX, and Verizon. For more information, visit www.spisales.com.