Data shows that as sales reps complete more product training, companies often experience an increase of up to 18% in sales growth. Clearly, training is a key ingredient in a successful marketing plan.
Yet, leaders often spend valuable marketing dollars creating promotional materials that miss the opportunity to make the information memorable. Compounding the issue is the lack of data showing the success of the produced materials.
So how do you create better training materials that deliver your brand message and keep sales reps engaged?
Start by thinking about what learners need to know to be successful.
In this case, learners are the sales reps who need to fully understand their product. They have sales goals to hit and a need to train but have little time to invest in training.
For manufacturers who want to build the best product training possible, they need to focus on offering short courses that target the needs of their specific audience. Additionally, engage the learner with something more than just words on a page—make it relevant for the sales rep.
The following section provides best practices and key concepts to consider for building better training that catches the attention of every sales rep in the supply chain.
Define Learning and Training Objectives
The first step in creating an effective product or skills training is determining the goals, also known as the objectives. For example, the objective of a product training may be for the learner to gain a fuller understanding of a brand, a product application, or key benefits for the end-user.
What are some training objectives to consider?
Training objectives clearly define the learning outcomes of a course. Here are some prompts to get started:
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- What are the three main takeaways you want the learner to get from the course?
- What are the primary features and benefits that differentiate the product?
- How will training help the learner perform their job better?
Enlist Team Members to Develop the Training
Create a team and a tactical plan to begin building better training materials.
- Invite employees from different departments to participate in the kickoff meeting.
- Invite only team members whose roles are directly related to the success of the training, so that they are fully invested in the project.
- Identify one point person to coordinate the training course reviews and compile feedback.
- Prepare a production calendar that aligns with product launches, sales team requests, and customer needs.
Maintain Your Brand in All Training Materials
A lot of training comes from a company's marketing team as part of a sales/marketing initiative, so it's a good idea to invite the marketing team into the training conversation from the beginning. They manage the company's brand, so they can provide guidance to ensure the brand is accurately and consistently reflected. After all, a training course is just another opportunity for brand recognition and awareness.
Establish a Course Creation Timeline
Every step of training development takes time. To keep organized, build and share your milestones with a timeline.
Start by deciding the launch date, then work backward to create a detailed schedule. Don't forget to include the review process in the timeline, as reviews are vital to finalize the work.
Key milestones and tasks to consider include:
- Kickoff
- Content Consolidation & Storyboarding
- Graphic Development
- Post-Production
- Review for Launch
- Define Reach & Upload to University
- Plan for a Post-Launch Survey to Assess the Effectiveness of Training
Leverage Surveys and Assessments for Training Quality Control
Do people actually complete surveys after they complete a training? Yes! Especially when your training is incentivized with $BlueBucks.
When you include surveys with your courses, the answers can shed light on marketing efforts and uncover a lot of information that will make future courses even better.
Surveys provide a good opportunity to discover what the learner gleaned from the course that they didn't already know. Their answers can also be included as quotes in future marketing materials as a way of highlighting the learner's experience with the course.
Need Professional Help to Design Your Training?
At BlueVolt, we know that creating product training can be stressful and time-consuming. Luckily, our Creative Services team is here to offer guidance. The team can even produce dynamic, interactive product training.
Set up some time to talk with the team today by clicking the button below.
Want to Learn More About Developing Product Training?
Check out these BlueVolt Blogs about best practices and trends related to this topic:
- Product Training Dos and Dont's
- Course Creation: BlueVolt Brings Insinkerator Training to Life
- Video Case Study: Training Drives All Things Forward at Werner, Co.
