We often get the question: Why is ongoing sales training important?
Sales training is not a one-time event. Research consistently shows that knowledge and skills decay quickly if they are not reinforced over time. According to Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, the “forgetting curve” demonstrates how newly learned information can decline by more than 50% within days without review.
For sales organizations, that means one-off workshops or annual events are rarely enough to create lasting impact.
Companies that invest in ongoing sales training—with structured reinforcement, spaced practice, and coaching—see measurable improvements in quota attainment, win rates, and revenue growth.
CSO Insights found that organizations with continuous sales enablement programs had significantly higher win rates compared to those relying on one-time training.
Similarly, the Sales Management Association reported that consistent coaching and reinforcement produced above-average revenue growth across industries
Let’s look at why ongoing training is essential, how it combats skill decay, what top-performing companies do differently, and the measurable ROI that comes from treating training as a continuous system rather than a single event.
Pillar 1. The learning science: skills decay without reinforcement
The “forgetting curve” is real. Replicated research on Ebbinghaus shows rapid memory loss over days and weeks without review. Spaced repetition and active recall flatten that curve, which is why single bootcamps do not stick. Build reinforcement into the calendar. PMC+1
Implication for sales
Short bursts of training create a temporary lift. Without spaced practice, managers will see call quality and message consistency drift within weeks. Plan quarterly refreshers and weekly micro-drills to counteract decay. PMC
Pillar 2. What top-performing sales orgs do differently
- Sales enablement and structured, ongoing training correlate with higher win rates. CSO Insights’ multi-year studies found organizations with mature, process-driven enablement and continuous training achieved materially higher win rates than those without. Highspot Spark Community+1
- Coaching is a high-yield lever. The Sales Management Association reports that quality sales coaching is associated with significantly higher revenue growth and performance. Treat coaching as a program with standards and manager enablement, not an ad-hoc activity. Sales Management Association
- Continuous capability building outperforms one-time events. McKinsey’s research on commercial capability building shows that linking learning to business performance and sustaining skills over time is what separates top growers. McKinsey & Company+1
- Market leaders invest in enablement even as skills gaps widen. Gartner notes that skill gaps and training needs are a top barrier to hitting sales priorities, which reinforces the need for ongoing development rather than static playbooks. Gartner
- Continuous training aligns language and method across teams. Industry analysis highlights how ongoing training prevents “drift,” keeps a unified methodology, and improves collaboration because everyone speaks the same sales language. richardson.com
Pillar 3. Measuring the ROI of ongoing training
- Use a full enablement measurement model. Forrester recommends tracking activity, quality, adoption, and impact in sequence so leaders can attribute outcomes to programs and make better investment calls. Forrester+1
- Budget benchmarks exist. ATD’s State of Sales Training report shows median annual training and sales-kickoff spend per rep, and identifies engaging methods such as scenario-based learning, post-training activities, and video. Use these as planning anchors. wearemci.us
- Coaching and reinforcement are not “soft” spend. Evidence from the Sales Management Association shows that firms providing optimal coaching realize meaningfully higher revenue growth than those that provide none. Make coaching part of your ROI model, not a discretionary line item. Sales Management Association
What “ongoing” should look like
Cadence
- Onboarding focused on core messages, ICP, and pipeline mechanics.
- Weekly micro-practice using call snippets and objection flashcards.
- Monthly manager-led coaching tied to live deals and call reviews.
- Quarterly refresh on industry shifts, competitive positioning, and new offers.
- Semiannual certification with ride-alongs, role plays, and scorecards.
This design aligns to the forgetting curve and to Forrester’s activity → quality → adoption → impact progression, which simplifies executive reporting. PMC+1
Modalities that work
- Scenario-based learning, structured post-training activities, and video are among the most engaging and widely used methods in effective programs. Blend them. wearemci.us
- “Field and forum” blends classroom with real account work, which accelerates behavior change and retention. McKinsey & Company
What to measure, specifically
Tie metrics to the enablement model so finance sees causality.
Activity
- Attendance, completion, practice reps logged.
Quality
- Manager evaluations of call structure and message accuracy.
- Peer feedback on role plays.
Adoption
- CRM usage of new templates and talk tracks.
- Percentage of opportunities with documented mutual action plans.
Impact
- Win rate on forecasted deals.
- Time-to-first-deal for new hires.
- Average deal size and cycle length.
- Quota attainment and revenue per seller. Forrester
Risk of “one-and-done” training
Without reinforcement, organizations experience message drift, inconsistent execution across territories, slow onboarding, and wasted spend because skills were never transferred to the field. ATD also finds many organizations struggle to measure learning effectiveness, which is why adopting a standardized model matters. richardson.com+1
Implementation checklist
- Define the sales motions you must win this quarter and map skills to motions.
- Publish a 12-month training and coaching calendar with spaced reinforcement.
- Equip managers with a coaching framework and scorecards.
- Instrument your CRM to capture adoption data for talk tracks and assets.
- Roll up reporting by activity, quality, adoption, and impact for the CRO. Forrester
Bottom line
Ongoing sales training is not a perk. It is an operating system that counters natural skill decay, creates consistent execution, and measurably lifts win rates and revenue. The evidence is strongest where organizations combine spaced learning with structured coaching and rigorous measurement. Forrester+4PMC+4Sales Management Association+4
Works cited
- Murre & Dros. “Replication and Analysis of Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2015. PMC
- Sales Management Association. “Supporting Sales Coaching.” Research report. Sales Management Association
- CSO Insights. 5th Annual Sales Enablement Study, 2019. Highspot Spark Community
- CSO Insights. 4th Annual Sales Enablement Report, 2018. Seismic
- Forrester. “Measuring Revenue Enablement: Maximizing the ROI for Sales Onboarding,” 2024. Forrester
- Forrester webinar. “Measuring Sales Enablement: What’s Your ROI?” 2024. Forrester
- ATD. 2023 State of Sales Training report. wearemci.us
- ATD press release. “Measuring Learning Program Effectiveness Is Challenging,” 2023. Association for Talent Development
- Gartner One-Minute Insight. “2024 Sales Challenges and Lessons Learned.” Gartner
- McKinsey. “Building capabilities for performance,” 2015. McKinsey & Company
- McKinsey. “Building next-generation B2B sales capabilities,” 2022. McKinsey & Company
- McKinsey. “For top sales-force performance, treat your reps like customers,” 2017. McKinsey & Company
- Richardson Sales Performance. “The Importance of Continuous Sales Training,” analysis. richardson.com
