Why aren’t my reps applying the techniques they learned in training?
Posted by Geoff Alexander on Mon, Apr 04, 2011 @ 10:58 AM
What’s the best way to reinforce training you’ve already paid for? Last week, it seemed as though every discussion I had around the concept of inside sales training centered around how to best reinforce it. I’ve often said that companies are throwing their money away if they don’t have an effective means of reinforcing the training they’re paying for (I’m dogmatic about this: we don’t take training business if the customer won’t reinforce it).
The topic of follow-on DVDs and online reinforcement comes up a lot, and when it does, I’m reminded of the old saying that someone I worked for once said: “Everybody want to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” What he meant was, everyone wants rewards, but not everyone is willing to work hard to get them. And applying this concept to training reinforcement, the most effective way of reinforcing inside sales training is for managers to work directly with their reps, at their desks, in front of their CRM screens, and making calls. That way, the manager knows if the skills learned during training are really put to use. Anything else is guesswork.
Problem is, some managers don’t want to do it, citing reasons ranging from not enough time, to “it’s not my job.” And even in a one-hour coaching session, it can be hard work. So they all too often leave it to DVDs and online resources to do the work. In doing so, there are no checks and balances to ensure any of that material is actually being applied on real calls. The only way to tell is to hear it on a call. And the great thing about working side-by-side in real-time is the manager can hear it (or not hear it), and remediate it by having the rep do it right away on the next call (with perhaps a little rehearsal at the desk to ensure the verbiage is working well). Monitoring or recording calls isn’t as effective, because the rep doesn’t get instant satisfaction by having his or her manager sitting there listening when the rep does it correctly. And monitoring and recording often foster a “gotcha” environment, not very much fun for the rep. Exceptional team communication is the key, and coaching provides a two-way learning experience.
If you’re an inside sales manager, please consider putting in the hard work of working side-by-side with your reps. If you add side-by-side coaching to your Best Management Playbook, you’ll be getting better results from your reps fast, and if you don’t, you’ll know why.