A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF SOFT SKILLS TRAINING ON SALES PERFORMANCE AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the impact of soft skills training on the sales performance and customer satisfaction of sales professionals in India. Soft skills encompass interpersonal skills, communication skills, leadership skills, problem-solving skills, among others that enable employees to effectively navigate the workplace. Sales roles require sophisticated soft skills to persuade, negotiate, build trust and manage relationships with customers. With the Indian economy rapidly growing and companies competing intensely to capture market share, sales teams need continuous training to sharpen their soft skills and achieve targets. Through a quantitative study on a sample of 250 sales executives in IT, automotive and consumer goods industries, data was collected on soft skills training undertaken by respondents in the past two years and its effect on their sales results and customer feedback. Statistical tests were conducted to determine the significance of difference in sales and customer satisfaction performance pre and post training. The findings indicate that soft skills training has a significant positive impact on sales conversion rates, customer retention and satisfaction. Participants reported feeling more confident, empathetic, focused and motivated after the training. The results emphasize the need for sales professionals to regularly upgrade their soft skills in alignment with dynamic customer expectations and competitive contexts. This can potentially benefit organizations by enhancing sales productivity, customer experiences and market standing. Keywords: soft skills, sales, training, performance, customer satisfaction