When most people think of online
training, the first thing that often comes to mind is a static slideshow
presentation with monotonous voiceover. Many also associate online training
with human resources as a means to ensure safety in the workplace or keep
up-to-date with essential job skills or processes.
Recently, however, companies are
increasing their efforts to integrate online training into their sales and
marketing efforts. How? Some companies simply bring product training online,
thus boosting reps’ product knowledge, which greatly impacts sales.
And the nature of how sales and
marketing staff can participate in online training has dramatically changed in
the past few years. Instead of simply watching a sales presentation or series
of slides on a computer screen, users are now encouraged to interact with their
company’s Learning Management System (LMS).
Sometimes this interaction takes the form of quizzes or games, and
sometimes it’s in the form of earning rewards for online course participation.
Webcasts are also becoming more
interactive—many live webcasts now allow for instant feedback as well as
question-and-answer sessions that reach all participants and can be saved for
future reference.
But what’s the bottom line? Sales
personnel are beginning to participate in e-learning and their increased
knowledge is improving their ability to sell.
So, how does e-learning impact sales?
No two companies will have the same
approach to e-learning or the same LMS capabilities. But for those seeking to
rev up their existing sales training, the goal is the same. And according to a BlueVolt
study of cross-industry distributors, 81 percent of respondents agreed that
online training does increase sales.
For many product manufacturers, for
example, an e-learning program can help get the word out about new products and
those products’ unique features, benefits and applications. When building an
online training course, the manufacturer has complete control over the
messaging that goes out to its distributors. This allows for consistent
training and ensures the message that is delivered throughout the sales channel
– from buyers, sellers and ultimately the end-user – is as accurate and
compelling as possible.
From a financial perspective, this
message consistency and delivery (via e-learning) can greatly impact sales by extending
a message throughout the entire channel and reaching more sales people. While there will always be a place for live,
instructor-led training, online training can help lower expenses such as travel
– and still reach a broader audience.
After creating an online university to
deploy new product sales training, North America's largest producer of
residential ventilation products, Broan-NuTone, was able to reach more
partners. They also dramatically reduced travel and saved more than 90 percent
on training expenses.
For the distributors of these
specialized products, online training provides expert product knowledge. Not
only does this strengthen the link between an informed distributor salesperson
and the customer, it creates opportunities for increased sales. The same
BlueVolt survey respondents agreed that more than 80 percent of sales present
add-on opportunities and strong product knowledge at the point-of-sale can
increase the number of add-ons they sell.
After national independent tool and fastener
distributor co-op Sphere 1 began using its online university to deploy sales
training, one of its members – distributor Big D Bolt & Tool – switched
from carrying a competitor’s brand to American tool manufacturer Wright Tool’s
product. This was directly a result of effective training. According to Big D
Bolt and Tool owner Bob Coursey, “The training really illustrated how Wright
Tool is better and [the sales team] understood why the product made sense for
our customers.”
Sphere 1 also incorporated incentives
for taking courses into its online university, which motivated participation
and increased enrollment. BlueVolt’s $BlueBucks incentive program is proven to increase
course enrollment up to ten times.
Manufacturers’ distributors also reap
financial rewards from switching to an online platform. The historically standardized
approach to training requires everyone to be in the same place at the same time
so a sales rep can present training face-to-face, disrupting both the workday
and the workflow. With online training, distributor employees can instead take
online training whenever and where they need or want to.
Online training maximizes
return-on-training time because learners:
- Train when it is convenient with
their schedule—whether from home, the warehouse, or while out on the road.
- Learn at their own pace. Learning online
isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Sales team members can skip what they
already know and spend as much time as they need on what they don’t know.
- Review previous courses. Even
after completion, courses are available for future reference, which continues
engagement and extends the learning cycle.
- Receive training that is focused
on the product, with an emphasis on product features and benefits. This
maximizes the effectiveness of the training, because what is most
important is clearly laid out and retained by the learner.
Additional benefits of e-learning
The benefits to online learning go
beyond just the product manufacturer or the manufacturer’s distributors. Even
the end-user, such as the product installer, can benefit from e-learning and
having the same in-depth product knowledge. For example, a strong understanding
of the product can significantly improve on-the-job safety for electricians who
must stay up-to-date on hundreds of rules and regulations according to the
National Electric Code.
Research shows that online learning is
just as effective as, if not more than, taking an in-person course. In fact, a
study by the U.S. Department of Education found that students who learn online
generally perform better than those who learn in face-to-face courses.
Additionally, the American Council of Education recently found that U.S.
employees cite continuing education programs as the second most important
reason they stay in their jobs.
Chad
Hoke is Vice President of Sales and Marketing at BlueVolt, the leading provider
of online Learning Management Systems (LMS) for the manufacturing, construction
and service industries. www.BlueVolt.com.
Written for TrainingIndustry.com
