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Ask Izzy

By Isobel Rimmer (January 2008 Issue)
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Dear Izzy
Although our CEO talks about the organisation being committed to people and to training, senior managers and directors frequently cancel workshops and training events because they say their teams are too busy to attend. I don’t feel learning and development is taken seriously enough within my organisation. What can I doto get more buy-in from senior managers?
Dorina, Hartlepool

This is something that we see frequently – and it’s understandable if senior managers are struggling to see the real benefit to them from training and development.

Consider, first, what issues these senior managers are measured on themselves. Is it revenue and margin? Is it deliverables, such as project fulfilment or R&D programmes?Almost certainly, they will have certain ‘metrics’ – tangible, measurable and probably with a heavy slant to financials – againstwhich they have to deliver, month in, month out.
So one of our aims in HR and L&D is to show how we can directly help them achieve this.

Measuring the return on investment from training isn’t always easy, but it is always possible. The key is to identify metrics that will have an impact on your senior managers and commit to delivering programmes that address them. The more you can track this – by reporting on key performance indicators – the stronger your message becomes.

Look at initiatives that you can drive to support their business drivers, and be bold in taking them forward. If staff turnover in one area is having an impact on productivity, look at specific interventions that could help reduce this. Recruitment and selection could be one area; performance management and appraisal or coaching skills could be another. Identify what the measure is today and commit to tracking improvements with that function. This approach – working alongside the division – also develops your role as an internal consultant, rather than being seen just as a deliverer of training courses.

Think about the language you use – Does ‘performance management training’ really mean anything to these people? We’ve used different ways to describe things to overcome this – an appraisal programme became ‘performance engineering’, and a sales course became ‘value-based selling’.

Look out for HR events or networking opportunities where you can find out what other L&D professionals are doing and see how you can bring their ideas into your organisation. Raise your profile, and be prepared to find ways to deliver results.

Dear Izzy
How can I show that sales training is meaningful and not a waste of time? Our sales people always avoid it if they can.
David, Crawley

The best sales people know that, to stay at the top of their game, they need to get top-level coaching from professional sales coaches, in just the same way that top sports people employ coaches, trainers, nutritionists and psychologists. Just reminding your sales people of this truth may help. And yes, I’ve worked with some of the most reluctant and seasoned of sales people in the last 20 years, the ones who think that taking them away from the ‘coal face’ will stop them achieving their numbers, so I understand what you’re facing.

First, be very careful how you select your sales training or sales coaching provider. Credibility is key here and even if the external trainer delivers something that you feel you could do yourself, it’s all about having that external perspective. Get sales management on board – the best sales training in the world won’t last if there isn’t ongoing coaching and commitment from the top down.

Second, you need to ensure that every programme delivers tangible outputs, but this can take time and market influencers may be working against you, so look at other ways that the sales management and the training team can work to see improvements in performance. A good sales trainer should have statistics and testimonials they can share with you, and references from other clients. If they don’t have these, think twice about hiring them.

Without something to prove that their methodology works, it’s like taking a prescription medicine that hasn’t been fully trialled. It makes it even harder the next time to sell a training programme to your sales team.

There’s more information on taking a coaching approach to training sales teams on p32.

Isobel Rimmer is managing director of the Masterclass training company. She can be contacted on +44(0)1753 676666

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