|
Letter from the Editor
Okay, prepare for a rant.
 We in the training community are doing it
again. Over the past week, I’ve read titles of articles screaming out, in effect, “the sky is falling.” It seems that web-based training (WBT) hasn’t turned out to be the panacea that businesses had been promised. “What’s next?” query the articles, as if to divine wisdom merely by speaking.
What’s next is what was.
Effective learning is NOT driven by technology. Never was, never will be. Technology is an enabler or an enhancer, it’s NOT a driver.
(I’m NOT a techno-phobe or Luddite; I was teaching classroom teachers how to create computer-based training back in 1983 when Atari opened up the possibility with its – get ready – 64Kb (not Mb) – machine which provided virtually limitless programming capability with its plug-in BASIC cartridge!)
Effective learning is driven by the learner – who, except for a few nuances – learns pretty much the same way learners learned a century ago. To be sure, we’ve gotten smarter about HOW people learn, but I suggest that learning has remained unchanged over the past 100 years. Learners – I believe – learn because they are motivated in some way to learn.
While some people are motivated to learn for learning’s sake, many people are motivated to increase their job-related skills for two reasons:
- Positive rewards (advancement opportunities/recognition/power/money associated with the learning; being with others I want to be with; getting out of some drudgery; an “attaboy” from someone I respect; doing something I like; etc.)
- Negative consequences (reprimand from someone who has control over me in some way; fear of being fired with its associated stigmas and loss of income; fear of being left behind; etc.)
(See David McClelland’s Motivational Needs Theory for more info on motivation.)
At the same time, training may carry with it equal or greater DEmotivators. Time away from job/family; extra work; fear of failure; fear of embarrassment; fear of boredom; and others represent repelling forces on potential learners.
WBT works (at least for learning some knowledge-based things) for those who are motivated. Want to learn about managerial finance? WBT might work just fine. Don’t want to but have to? A class where you at least HAVE to show up and participate might be more effective for you.
Don’t believe me? When was the last time you took a WBT course? Why did you take it? What do you remember from the course? IF you were motivated, chances are the WBT was helpful; if you WEREN’T motivated, you probably haven’t taken a WBT lately and if you did, you probably don’t remember much from it.
Effective TRAINING comes from first recognizing what needs to be learned – a skill, some knowledge, a belief – and second identifying why someone would want to learn it. Only THEN does delivery technology – classroom training, WBT, online learning, self-paced, OJT – enter into the equation. Discussion about delivery technology comes third in the consideration of training – and a distant third in my opinion.
Let’s quit putting the horse droppings (delivery technology) in front of the horse (motivation) and cart (skill, knowledge, belief). And for crying out loud, let’s quit with our constant and rigorous examination of these droppings! It’s embarrassing.
Terry
The Value of Customized Training
Lately we’ve been doing a lot of prospecting to broaden our customer base. Unlike some, I actually enjoy the thrill of prospecting for one simple reason – it reaffirms what I believe to be the critical and unique feature of what Entelechy does and does well: customize training to meet the specific needs of the client. Prospecting gives me a chance to tell a brief story of Entelechy.
This month marks the 14th year since we started Entelechy in 1992. Entelechy was formed with the idea that we would use tried and true models from the industry (we focused only on sales performance back then); however, we would customize the training for clients making a unique product that would match their needs.
Because we charge a premium for this service, it’s required that we tie the training to a key business measure – sales volume, margin, etc. Therefore, by default, our training was performance based. If we couldn’t get the client to articulate a specific reason for the training, we walked from the opportunity; or we worked harder to suggest a performance measure that was meaningful to the client.
Once we had a performance measure in place, the elements of the training fell into place. If you want to reduce discounting during the closing of a sale, you make sure that your training includes role plays that pits a tough “customer” against the sales rep. Then you build the training to arm the rep with skills, models/techniques, and knowledge that will help him or her succeed in the role play.
It’s a model that has served us – and our clients – well for 14 years.
Over this period, we’ve identified three main reasons why customized training is better than off-the-shelf training:
- Participant time savings
- Training effectiveness
- Training credibility/reputation
Rather than take up space in this newsletter, if you want to learn more about the benefits of customized training, visit
http://www.unlockit.com/Why_Customize/
Cross Selling Skills
If your customer service reps are responsible for increasing revenue, you will want to download your own copy of Effectively Using Cross-Selling to Increase Revenue AND Customer Service. Click here:
http://unlockit.com/TS-HPCS.htm
and select the Effective Cross-Selling White Paper icon.
If your customer service reps are responsible for increasing revenue, but are not reaching their full potential, you may wish to identify WHERE they may be falling down. Do they:
- View cross-selling as an extension of customer service and a way to solve customer problems
- Throughout the call, listen for clues that may identify the caller’s predisposition for cross-selling, both in terms of product/service need AND in terms of receptivity.
- Successfully address the customer's original reason for the call before discussing additional products or services.
- Use checkbacks to ensure that issues have been addressed, messages understood and actions agreed to appropriately throughout the call.
- Pursue all identified cross-selling opportunities.
- Successfully transition to cross-selling by asking questions to investigate and/or clarify additional customer needs identified during the call.
- Match appropriate products/services to meet specific customer needs.
- Position the customer benefits of these products/services in terms and tone that demonstrate helpfulness to the customer.
- End discussion of additional products/services if the customer objects.
- Recognize buying signals.
- Close the sale by asking for confirmation by the customer.
Each of these skills is critical to successful cross-selling and if any is missing, you may not be hitting revenue projections. If training is part of your solution, consider using Entelechy’s High Performance Customer Service training as a foundation for your customized training solution. Contact me directly (reply to this email) or check out the module descriptions at
http://unlockit.com/TS-HPCS.htm.
Mailing and Privacy Information
You have received this email because you are in Entelechy's database of people that we've interacted with directly or indirectly or you've signed up for The Key. If you've received this email in error, please click on
http://unlockit.com/newsletter.htm
to be removed immediately from our mailing database with our apologies. (If you have trouble with the opt out link, please reply to this email directly and I'll personally remove your name.)
Send this email to your friends and colleagues who may be involved in training and the performance of others and could benefit from FREE performance tips, tools, and techniques.
Entelechy will not sell, rent, or otherwise provide anyone else your membership information for any reason. Period.
Terence Traut, President of Entelechy "unlocking potential"
ttraut@unlockit.com
phone: 603-424-1237
fax: 603-424-6361
http://www.unlockit.com
|
 |
