Maybes this is worth checking out initially...
http://moodle.org/
Let me know if you'd like any further input.
http://moodle.org/
Let me know if you'd like any further input.
Upvote
0
Do you want to package up materials that you already have electronically, or do you need to write training materials?
If you don't currently have lesson content then installing Moodle or any other VLE isn't your biggest problem.
Most of the stuff I've consulted on is boring and doesn't actually teach anyone anything, ended up re-writing most of it so the content can actually be assessed and tracked and isn't an exercise in clicking the 'Next' button repeatedly.
If you don't currently have lesson content then installing Moodle or any other VLE isn't your biggest problem.
Most of the stuff I've consulted on is boring and doesn't actually teach anyone anything, ended up re-writing most of it so the content can actually be assessed and tracked and isn't an exercise in clicking the 'Next' button repeatedly.
Upvote
0
J
jhardy2008
- Original Poster
- #9
Creating an in-house sales-training program requires a big commitment of time and money, but it can pay off quickly, experts say. Theres a strong correlation between a sales-training program and improvements in sales and percentages of leads closed, says Joan Stephens, president of Stronghold Remodeling in Boise, Idaho.
Such a program requires direction by a strong sales manageror sales leader, the preferred term for Steve Johns, a Moore, Okla.-based sales-training consultant for remodeling companies. Most sales managers incomes come from selling, so spending time setting up a program costs them money, he says. A sales program needs to compensate its leader for building the sales team and taking time away from his own selling.
Making it ongoing is critical, Stephens stresses. Seminars are good for revitalizing people, but its hard to sustain change from just a weekend program, he says. To see change happen, you have to keep at it. Sales people need ongoing reinforcement, or they fall back into old habits.
In fact, any program should begin with sales basics. Many sales managers believe their staff knows the basics, and thats not true, says Beverly Koehn, a housing industry consultant based in San Antonio, Texas. Seasoned professionals develop their own approaches that skip steps. Then their sales start to slip, and they dont know why. They have to be reminded to do the things that got them where they are.
Johns suggests holding a formal meeting at least once per week to discuss problems, techniques and other sales activities. Stephens, who also owns a Sandler Training Institute franchise in Boise, has salespeople attend the training program for two and a half hours every week in their first year and then at least once per month afterward. Sandler centers are located throughout the country, she adds, and online activities also are provided to help salespeople anywhere participate.
Three Styles of Training
Training programs can take three forms, Johns says. Managers can train, using a classroom setting and discussion; they can teach, working with a small group or one on one; or they can coach, by going on ride-alongs to see how the sales person performs and talk about it afterward. This also can include role-playing in the office.
Every type of training should be used, and a wide range of materials should be included, Stephens adds. People use different styles of learning, he says. Some are visual, some are auditory and some are kinestheticthey learn by doing. And every group will have some of each type. Programs should provide consistent information in all formats to ensure everyone remembers it. This can include books, tapes, online presentations, new product demonstrations, magazine articles and any other ideas the managers can produce.
Today, if someone wants to learn, there is more stuff available than they can absorb, Koehn says. Key resources are online bookstores like www.builderbooks.com, which is operated by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Seminar programs put on by local chapters of NAHB and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) also offer great resources.
Many remodelers overlook their suppliers as a tremendous resource for product demonstrations and other support. There are many suppliers, including building-supply stores, that would love to talk with companies, but they arent invited, Koehn says. There are many resources out there to help build sales-training programs.
Creating an ongoing investment also is critical, Johns notes. He suggests that 10 percent of net sales should be set aside for training materials. Thats a little high for many contractors, but it will help generate new jobs and aid sustained growth, so its an investment, not a cost. Koehn, who suggests contractors spend at least 1 percent of gross sales, agrees. Very few do it, but those who do are just blowing the doors off everyone else. Your only asset is your people, and they have to be at their best.
The key is to keep working at it, Stephens says. The focus should be on Just Noticeable Differences, she explains. People get discouraged, because they view training programs as changing them from black to white. Thats too dramatic, so they go back to the familiar. You want to help them make easier, incremental changes that they can sustain through reinforcement in an ongoing training program.
Source: http://www.lowesforpros.com/create-your-own-in-house-sales-training-program
Such a program requires direction by a strong sales manageror sales leader, the preferred term for Steve Johns, a Moore, Okla.-based sales-training consultant for remodeling companies. Most sales managers incomes come from selling, so spending time setting up a program costs them money, he says. A sales program needs to compensate its leader for building the sales team and taking time away from his own selling.
Making it ongoing is critical, Stephens stresses. Seminars are good for revitalizing people, but its hard to sustain change from just a weekend program, he says. To see change happen, you have to keep at it. Sales people need ongoing reinforcement, or they fall back into old habits.
In fact, any program should begin with sales basics. Many sales managers believe their staff knows the basics, and thats not true, says Beverly Koehn, a housing industry consultant based in San Antonio, Texas. Seasoned professionals develop their own approaches that skip steps. Then their sales start to slip, and they dont know why. They have to be reminded to do the things that got them where they are.
Johns suggests holding a formal meeting at least once per week to discuss problems, techniques and other sales activities. Stephens, who also owns a Sandler Training Institute franchise in Boise, has salespeople attend the training program for two and a half hours every week in their first year and then at least once per month afterward. Sandler centers are located throughout the country, she adds, and online activities also are provided to help salespeople anywhere participate.
Three Styles of Training
Training programs can take three forms, Johns says. Managers can train, using a classroom setting and discussion; they can teach, working with a small group or one on one; or they can coach, by going on ride-alongs to see how the sales person performs and talk about it afterward. This also can include role-playing in the office.
Every type of training should be used, and a wide range of materials should be included, Stephens adds. People use different styles of learning, he says. Some are visual, some are auditory and some are kinestheticthey learn by doing. And every group will have some of each type. Programs should provide consistent information in all formats to ensure everyone remembers it. This can include books, tapes, online presentations, new product demonstrations, magazine articles and any other ideas the managers can produce.
Today, if someone wants to learn, there is more stuff available than they can absorb, Koehn says. Key resources are online bookstores like www.builderbooks.com, which is operated by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Seminar programs put on by local chapters of NAHB and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) also offer great resources.
Many remodelers overlook their suppliers as a tremendous resource for product demonstrations and other support. There are many suppliers, including building-supply stores, that would love to talk with companies, but they arent invited, Koehn says. There are many resources out there to help build sales-training programs.
Creating an ongoing investment also is critical, Johns notes. He suggests that 10 percent of net sales should be set aside for training materials. Thats a little high for many contractors, but it will help generate new jobs and aid sustained growth, so its an investment, not a cost. Koehn, who suggests contractors spend at least 1 percent of gross sales, agrees. Very few do it, but those who do are just blowing the doors off everyone else. Your only asset is your people, and they have to be at their best.
The key is to keep working at it, Stephens says. The focus should be on Just Noticeable Differences, she explains. People get discouraged, because they view training programs as changing them from black to white. Thats too dramatic, so they go back to the familiar. You want to help them make easier, incremental changes that they can sustain through reinforcement in an ongoing training program.
Source: http://www.lowesforpros.com/create-your-own-in-house-sales-training-program
Upvote
0
We have in-house online training for our VAs - it's delivered in a series of emails with various exercises they have to complete.
We use Aweber and there's HTML content in the email (which obviously they can print off) and also attachments in PDF/Word/Excel format to get them working on various tasks so we can checked they've understood the skill.
If you'd like something like this, let me know and I can set it up for you?
Caroline
We use Aweber and there's HTML content in the email (which obviously they can print off) and also attachments in PDF/Word/Excel format to get them working on various tasks so we can checked they've understood the skill.
If you'd like something like this, let me know and I can set it up for you?
Caroline
Upvote
0
Caroline,
Our online learning system is now in use - although I've been keeping it quiet mostly (because our primary target audience right now is in the US). It costs nothing to register or to create courses. You pay nothing until you actually run a course, and then it's anywhere from 2p to about 12p per person per day (depending on how much usage credit you purchase in advance). There's no software to install, and our site has three hours' worth of training videos. Unlike Moodle, you have no need for a server, no installs or upgrades, no need for a domain name, and the system is really really easy to use (which means little time needed to administer). Plus - when you register, you receive an amount of free credit that's sufficient to run a short course.
Let me know by PM if you'd like more details and would like to try it out. It would be so much better than sending emails with attachments.
Upvote
0
Hi Steve
We used to use a system like that but what we found was that there's too much information to learn all in one slot, and also watching videos was really inefficient at teaching people how to do something. Having a written guide to refer to whilst working on screen meant they weren't having to switch windows and could also keep it to hand for future reference. Sending the emails weekly meant that the VAs don't get overwhelmed and also gave us time to check their work before they moved onto the next stage. It has also proved a very effective way of checking that the VA has good timekeeping before they go anywhere near a client!
Watching a video can be really useful to auditory/visual people (about 60% of the population) but is useless for kinesthetic people who learn by doing. Most of our VAs are "do-ers" so this approach is much, much better for them. I can totally see how video learning would work well for say designers or sales people who are motivated by how things look or the sound of someone talking.
We'll stick with the current system but thanks for the offer!
We used to use a system like that but what we found was that there's too much information to learn all in one slot, and also watching videos was really inefficient at teaching people how to do something. Having a written guide to refer to whilst working on screen meant they weren't having to switch windows and could also keep it to hand for future reference. Sending the emails weekly meant that the VAs don't get overwhelmed and also gave us time to check their work before they moved onto the next stage. It has also proved a very effective way of checking that the VA has good timekeeping before they go anywhere near a client!
Watching a video can be really useful to auditory/visual people (about 60% of the population) but is useless for kinesthetic people who learn by doing. Most of our VAs are "do-ers" so this approach is much, much better for them. I can totally see how video learning would work well for say designers or sales people who are motivated by how things look or the sound of someone talking.
We'll stick with the current system but thanks for the offer!
Upvote
0
I should have also mentioned that help text is available at every screen.
I'm a firm believer in the maxim "if it's not broke, don't fix it". In your shoes, I'd do the same.
But, if the situation ever changes, at least you know there are other options.
Upvote
0
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