Sales Training Decisions
When looking to develop yourself or your team there are a number of issues a successful manager looks at. Primarily it is about the return on investment of the training budget. A blanket training programme can be effective if the team are all in need of addressing the same issue or a refresh on skills and new techniques.
But ultimately it is of paramount importance that everyone who attends makes a step change on their performance when returning to the workplace. (Find out how to get more articles like this by following this link.)
The Training Expert now outlines the most common pitfalls that most companies make when organising their training for their staff;
1. Making assumptions on what they think someone’s training should be instead of knowing what is most suitable to meet the company’s objectives.
2. Personal development plans need to have the buy in from the delegate if not they cannot understand their need to attend. Agreement and the inclusion of people always has so much more benefit to a company’s morale and motivation.
3. Preparation time is not given to delegates prior to the training. Its so much better to sit down as a manager and discuss with the delegate what they want to achieve from the training. Allow the delegate to plan and focus on the course and allow them to have a detailed understanding of what the course is about….. so many people just turn up on the day not having a clue why they are there and what is the purpose of the day.
4. Training environment is not conducive to learning. So many training companies insist on the same boring hotel rooms as the delegate sits behind a desk for 8hrs a day while the “teacher” spouts on and on. Training needs to be delivered in an environment where the delegate will be comfortable, relaxed and able to enjoy the sessions.
5. Great interaction from a group or as an individual makes the learning so much more enjoyable. A lot of the training world is stuck in the past and have not changed their methods of training delivery. See www.thetrainingexpert.co.uk on how the accelerated learning method is the way forward.
6. Delivery without relevance even if the skill that is being trained maybe a generic one it is imperative that the delegates can visualise themselves using the skills in their work role. Poor trainers often never research the company they are delivering the training for. It may need 2 or 3 meetings with the company in order to get a detailed understanding.
7. Never meeting one of the delegates can be fatal as they can give you more of an understanding of their development needs than the boss. Many bosses don’t truly know what a person’s skill gap is as the member of staff is often guarded and not wanting to highlight one of their shortcomings.
8. No follow up after the training occurs often in the poor performing teams. It is imperative that a manager understands what the training was about and as part of the delegates performance plan it is essential that the manager appraises the step changes in performance with the delegate ongoing.
9. The perception of training in any organisation needs to be one of positivity and not negativity. “I haven’t got time to be out the office” and similar phrases come from people who are not looking to make the right change to the results or to their own personal profile. Being better at what you do is far more important than being busy at what you do.
10. Scatter gun training is always short lived and will not achieve longevity. Have a continual development training plan that has a good better best approach. It sharpens the skills further and further. If you go on one course you may be good at the job. If you go two courses you will be better at the job, but wouldn’t you rather go on a final third and be the best at the job? Above all else training is about development of people to achieve more in business and in their personal lives. It’s about a return for the money you have invested in the development of yourself and of others. Let me illustrate to you as a manager of a team how important it is to get it right, don’t forget as managers or as individuals we are responsible and accountable for our performance.
If you are a manager of a team consider your self as a Doctor or a general practitioner. You can diagnose a remedy for one of team members to make them a better performer but you can only do that by a thorough examination of the development areas.
A trainer is more like a surgeon they will “implant”, “re-wire”, “replace” or “remove” what is required in order to make the difference. You as a manager of business owner need to be confident that the training is right for you, the business and the individual.
Don’t forget enjoy it as well!
James Pope, The Training Expert