Thomas S. McDonald •

Hi Gary:

You compare individual performance to pre training and post training benchmarks.

If the material (methodology) and or the delivery is ineffective the individual performance will remain unchanged.

Critical to effective sales training materals are individual learning to fluency, appropriate and successful application through ongoing reinforcement, behavior change, and performance improvement consistent with business objectives.

A sales manager, by analysing his/her teams metrics, can begin the process of sales performance improvement:
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Tom

Edward Henry •

Hello Gary,

I have to ask but is this in selecting a training program or one that you have already chosen. The answer by Thomas is fitting for a program that you already decided to implement.

Dave Braun•

Regardless of the sales training approach being used – Shouldn’t the ‘real’ verification of effectiveness be measuring the level of improvement in the 80% that make up 20% of the company’s sales? Afterall, the top sales people are going to ‘fly’ on their own. (Yes, measure the top performers also so ‘sales trainers’ can get their ‘effective’ recognition too)

Gary Weiner •

Case Study: Large Pharmaceuticish Sales Force of 400 to 1,400 of our most “persuasive appearing” whirling dervishes (dervish =somebody who busily does many things in quick succession, Encarta)

Training Course: whatever the company elects to use: face to face, home based, DVD, Skype or WebEx video conference, Feature/Benefit matrix….what ever method you use.

The problem I have as a Sales + Marketing person with P + L responsibilities is that I cannot wait (I know I have to and have been doing so for decades – but, I have this idea i am leading you to…) to see how the next 90 to 180 days of visits to MDs et al will yield in terms of resultant orders of demand from pharmacies or supply chain.

So, how can I “take the temperature” to see if the dervishes stopped multitasking enough to discern the critical salient features, benefits, objections, etc we “hope” they take away from the carefully scripted training materials? Rate of uptake is what I am curious of.

OK, I have an idea I think would benefit all of us…but if you dont mind indulging me bit further, you all may do this professionally and suggest what i was thinking off the top of your heads and of course, then I look – – well, naive.

I will not string this out much more, but curious to hear solutions you use other than sales results we all hope and actually expect (probably unfairly)….

What do you think?

Thomas S. McDonald•

The only guaranteed way to ensure individual sales training uptake is to personalize the training to each individual, individually reinforcing it over time to ensure individual successful application and individual behavior change, consistent with individual performance improvement and business objectives.

Once they have individually learned your critical content to fluency, they need to individually practice their verbal skills within a coached environment.  All of this can be done manually ( traditionally), with varied results per individual and at great expense.

Or you can deliver the critical information within personal learning environments, web based, individualized, learning technology:

Shortest path to individual mastery
One-to-one vs. one to many learning approach
Integrated facilitation and coaching tools (one facilitator and up to 200 students)
Ability to pre-assess for information gaps and individually train to gaps
Can easily capture best practices
Ability to monitor individual learning process to overall goals
Ensures individual transfer, appropriate successful application, behavior change
Direct experience in Pharmaceutical sales
Experience in Inside sales
Works with all critical content
Works with all critical content and professional/coach facilitators

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Tom

Gary Weiner•

OK Tom – – – I fully agree with everything i ever read on your web site, everything.Let’s see what some others say on the topic, but thanks for sharing – – you clearly get the critical path…let’s circle back on this after we get some more feedback, but this is great!

Gary

Edward Henry •

Hello Gary,
Thank you for clarifying the question for me.
This is an excellent question and there is no simple answer.

Most companies do not have training problems, they have process problems. The problem with most sales training programs are that they are not designed to improves specific overall objectives. Most programs are not designed to establish proven metrics. This means the only measurement known has been revenue improvement after the training.

Most trainers are in need of income and they will allow the company to determine the area training needed. Most sales management are not qualified to make this determination. If the training is not program implemented based on assessment of the process then what is left for the ongoing management of improvement for the sales manager after training.

Most companies that we have conducted assessments on the company process and sales staff all have the same problems.

Most of their staff do not essential fundamental sales knowledge.
The company has not defined a clear work-flow process ( Selling process, reporting policies/procedures including CRM). This is why I refer to companies have process problems more than training problems. Training will never reach the true objective until these problems are addressed first.

The true solution to solving this problem is diligent assessment of the process and staff before sales training implementation. Training needs to based on a timeline of objectives and sales management coaching after the training.

In addressing the question, it is difficult to measure if the objective is not established.

GaryStop Following Follow Gary

Gary Weiner•

I think the general conclusion for all of us, regarding “when do we know the training material, class or module is effective” is that we don’t know what we don’t or do know, until we see sales revenue or opportunities begin coming in, yes?

As a VP Sales and Marketing, this is not optimal since I need to know the seed is germinated, planted is not good enough.

I know I can speak with them individually or through Regional or District Sales Managers BUT I then end up with “Optimistic Filtering” I can only agree with since there is no basis to challenge, yes OR am I missing something!!??

thank you.

Gary

Thomas S. McDonald •

Hi Gary:

Traditionally this is true.

With personal learning environments you can set benchmarks for individual progress and monitor individual progress consistent with those strategic benchmarks

Also there are tiered, integrated, dashboards for:

* Managers/facilitators to individually coach and mentor participants, over time, to ensure proper application and behavior change consistent with individual and overall objectives

* Administrators to monitor individual learning progress and to progressively hold managers/facilitators/participants accountable consistent with individual and overall objectives

With PLE’s you can be directly involved down to a granular level from initiative beginning through initiative end

The result is bettered individual outcomes, consistent with organizational objectives

Tom