Holding regular training programs for your salesforce is crucial for the success of your organization. Employees that are well-trained will carry out their tasks more effectively, thus enhancing your chances of achieving your business goals. However, training should not just be held as a ritual or formality. An ineffective training program will only end up being a huge waste of time and money.
Here are some tips for running a successful salesforce training program:
- Define learning objectives
Before embarking on any training program, you should first establish what you want participants to learn. What vital skills or concepts would you want them to learn be the end of the course? Why are these skills and concepts vital? To ensure that your training program is relevant, you could consider carrying out a survey among your employees first to establish their needs.
- Create a learning plan
You need to have a proper learning plan for achieving your specific objectives. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What key topics will be taught?
- How long will each session take?
- What methods of instruction will be used?
The good news is that there are numerous training plan templates that you can download and customize for your needs.
- Review the training materials
A good training program offers more than just text book knowledge. It also shows participants how they can apply this knowledge in the real-world. Therefore, you need to ensure that your training materials include lots of practical scenarios which participants can easily identify with. This will make it easier for employees to apply the knowledge in their day-to-day job responsibilities.
- Use different training methods
People learn at different paces and in different ways. This is why it is very important to apply a wide range of training methods. For instance, you can invite an expert to train staff at your business premises. At other times, you could send employees to off-site conferences or seminars. You could also give your employees access to online training materials. To keep your training programs exciting, it would be advisable to combine activities such as lectures, demonstrations, discussions, small group teaching, role play and case studies.
- Monitor employees’ progress
This is a very important, yet frequently overlooked, element of training. After every training session, you need to carry out a survey to get feedback from participants. Did they enjoy the course? Did they like the trainer? Were their expectations met? In addition, training coordinators need to track student progress and ensure program completion. One of the best ways of keeping students accountable is by giving a test at the end of the course. It would also be advisable to have several KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) such as average final grades, average completion rate and average hours of training per student. Reviewing such KPIs frequently will give you an indication of the progress of your employees.
- Be consistent
The business world is constantly changing, with new concepts and technologies being developed on a daily basis. Therefore, training should not just be a one-time event, but a continual process. Besides offering comprehensive introductory training for new staff, you should also ensure that your existing employees attend regular refresher courses. This will help you stay ahead of the competition in this increasingly competitive business world.
Charles Mburugu is a professional blogger who writes for TechBlogKe. You can follow him on Twitter @techblogke