Aligning Performance Levers for Breakthrough Sales Results 08-2011
Disrupt Your Sales Training with an Effective Learning System
1. .
Disrupt Your Sales Training with an
Effective Learning System
Mike Kunkle
Sr. Director, Sales Enablement
Brainshark
brought to you by…
2. Have the urge to Tweet…?
• Me: @Mike_Kunkle
• Hashtag: #smsd15
• Thank TurningPoint: @TurningPt
Join the Social Circus
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3. Problem
• Current state of sales training
• Why sales training fails
Solution – Disrupt the Status Quo to Get Results
• The elements of an effective learning system
• How to ensure content makes a difference in the field
How Training & Sales Managers Can Disrupt Together
• Ways to engage and support frontline Sales Managers
• Planning for knowledge sustainment, skills transfer & coaching to mastery
• Treating every major sales training initiative as a change project.
Disrupt Your Sales Training
Our Plan Today
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5. Problem: Current State – Training Spend
55.4
Training Expenditures 2008-2013
in $ billions
39.9
5.7
source: http://www.trainingmag.com/sites/default/files//2013_Training_Industry_Report.pdf
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6. Problem: Current State – Training Spend
Source: http://www.trainingmag.com/sites/default/files//2013_Training_Industry_Report.pdf
Average Training Budgets
by company size:
• Large - $17.6MM
Midsize - $1.2MM
• Small - $301K
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7. Training
• ATD (formerly ASTD): half the respondents felt that 50% or less of training was
relevant to their job
• McKinsey: 75% of training programs fail to contribute to the success of the
business
• ES Research: 80%+ of sales training produces no long-term impact
• CEB: 50% of frontline managers believe shutting down the training department
would have no impact on employee performance
Coaching
• Nightingale-Conant: 67% of managers aren’t coaching & 52% are “too busy”
• Objective Management Group: only 15% of managers spend 25% of their time
coaching
• Sales Management Association: frontline sales managers spend only 26% of
their time managing performance (setting expectations, monitoring, coaching and
development).
Problem: Current State – Results
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8. From the Sales Management Association’s B2B Sales Change Study:
Problem: Current State – Results
Sales Training
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10. • A sad but true tale
Why Sales Training Fails
“Karen, we need sales training!”
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11. • A sad but true tale
Why Sales Training Fails
“Karen, we need sales training!”
Karen reviews sales training.
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12. • A sad but true tale
Why Sales Training Fails
Karen selects sales training.
Note: Miller Heiman is a fine company. This is neither a condemnation nor
an endorsement for them.
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13. • A sad but true tale
Why Sales Training Fails
Karen delivers sales training.
Training Expenses
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14. • A sad but true tale
Why Sales Training Fails
“Karen, what happened!?”
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15. • A sad but true tale
Why Sales Training Fails
“Karen, what happened!?”
Columbia University study:
Up to 95% of training content is not
transferred to the workplace.
Xerox study:
87% of the
knowledge
was lost in
12 weeks.
From a Sales Performance International study:
Reps forgot 50% in <5 weeks.
Reps remembered only 16% after 90 days.
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16. • Not the right Solution
• Right solution, wrong Content
• Poor Learning design
• No Sustainment
• No Transfer
• No Coaching to mastery
• No Measurement
• No Performance management
• No aligned Change plan.
Why Sales Training Fails
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27. • Content that matters
• Great instructional design
• Engaging Managers
• Sustainment/Transfer
• Coaching to mastery
• Measures/Metrics
• Performance management
• Change management
Solution: Effective Learning System Framework
Intersection between the
Training Team & FLSMs
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28. Top Producer Practices / Gap Analysis
• Task Analysis
- What, why, how, when, where
- Difficulty, importance, frequency
• Sales Process
• Sales Methodology
• Performance Levers (80/20)
- Compare Top & Middle – Differentiators
- Continue | Start | Stop Lists
- Build Content around Replicable Skills
Solution: Content That Matters
Priority Focus
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29. Remember the Current State?
The ugly facts…
This Looks Hard – Why Bother?
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30. This Works!
Some real results…
• $398MM YOY; $9.96mm profit increase; 400% ROI
• Increased sales results 600% over previous year while decreasing net
operating expenses by 21%
• Increased sales per rep by 47% in 9 months
• Improved average profitability per rep by 11% in 4 months
• New-hire 4-month reps outperform 5-year employees
• Increased sales per rep in the 90-day period post-training by 2.3 per month
(revenue increase of $36.6mm in 12 months).
This Looks Hard – Why Bother?
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32. Places to Engage (Buy-in)
• Current state of sales force
• Competency definitions & assessments
• Problem definition | Gap analysis
• Top-producer analysis
• Training content development
• Determining their own needs.
Engaging / Supporting Frontline Sales Managers
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34. Perfect Partnering Potential
• Knowledge sustainment
• Transfer of skills to the workplace
• Coaching to mastery.
Sustainment | Transfer | Mastery
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35. Perfect Partnering Potential
• Knowledge sustainment
• Transfer of skills to the workplace
• Coaching to mastery
Sustainment | Transfer | Mastery
Testing
Sales Enablement Software
Manager Toolkits (Meetings
in a Box)
Performance Support
Virtual Role Play Systems
Certifications
Coaching Systems/Support
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36. Sales Training = Change Management
Link training to business strategy
Ask for top-down support
Establish clear roles &
responsibilities
Communicate change plans,
rationales, goals, risks, metrics, and
impact
Establish regular and open
communication with leadership
teams – share success stories
Find and address issues quickly
This is all Change Management
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37. Disrupt Your Sales Training with
an Effective Learning System
@Mike_Kunkle
Sr. Director of Sales Enablement
Brainshark
APPENDIX
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38. Appendix
About Mike
Mike Kunkle is a training and organization effectiveness leader with special
expertise in sales force transformation. Today, he is the Senior Director of
Sales Enablement at Brainshark, which helps thousands of companies around
the world improve productivity with cloud-based solutions for sales,
marketing, and training.
After his initial years on the frontline in sales and sales management, Mike spent
the past 21 years as a corporate manager or consultant, leading departments and
projects with one purpose – improve sales results. At one company, as a result of
six projects, he and his team delivered an accretive $398MM in revenue, year-over-
year. At another, within 9 months, newly-hired sales reps with 120 days on the job
were outperforming incumbent reps with 5 years with the company.
Mike often shares his sales transformation methodology, speaking at conferences,
leading, webinars, and writing online. He can be reached at <mkunkle at brainshark
dotcom>, <mike at mikekunkle dotcom>, through his blog, transforming sales
results, or on various social media sites. He invites you to connect with him,
wherever it makes sense for you.
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- SlideShare
- Google+
let’s get
connected!
http://www.mikekunkle.com/about-me
the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own
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39. • http://www.mikekunkle.com/2014/07/30/stop-wasting-money-on-sales-training/
• http://www.slideshare.net/MikeKunkle/sales-training-mission-impossible-or-mission-accomplished-
09062013-slide-share
• http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/learning-implementing.cfm
• http://humanresources.about.com/od/trainingtransfer/fl/9-more-tips-for-training-transfer.htm (see
“more tips” links at bottom of article)
• http://www.trainingindustry.com/media/16392137/training_s_role_in_implementation_of_strategic_sa
les_initiatives_v5.pdf
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp08PJASxlc (verifiable outcomes)
Change Management
• https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Sales-Enablement-Blog/2013/08/Ensure-Sales-Training-Success-
with-Change-Leadership-and-Management-Part-1
• https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Sales-Enablement-Blog/2013/08/Ensure-Sales-Training-Success-
with-Change-Leadership-and-Management-Part-2
Appendix
More on Effective Learning Systems
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44. Content: Top Producer Practices
• Task analysis
- What, why, how, when, where
- Difficulty, importance, frequency
• Sales process
• Sales methodology
• Performance levers (80/20)
• Compare top & middle – differentiators
• Continue | start | stop list
• Build content around replicable skills.
My performance lever methodology for later reading: http://slidesha.re/PerfLevers082011
Priority Focus
Solution: Content
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45. Sound Instructional Design
• Process, not events
• Chunk, sequence, layer
• Separate knowledge and skill
• eLearning, virtual, classroom blends
• Flipped classroom
• Focus on honing skills
• Provide performance support
• Build in feedback and accountability
Basic instructional design for later reading: http://bit.ly/BasicISD
Solution: Instructional Design
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46. Involve Managers; Improve Skills
• Get buy-in for sales rep training
• Include in top-producer analysis
• Do a top-performer analysis for managers
Prepare managers to:
• Know content
• Sustain knowledge
• Transfer skills
• Analyze gaps
• Coach to mastery
• Manage rep performance
Best
Practices!
Solution: Engage Sales Managers
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47. Get the Training Used on the Job
• Design sustainment and transfer plans into
learning process
• Assess at various stages
• Provide performance support
• Build social and community reinforcement
• Consider mobile & gamification
• Provide manager tool-kits
• Connect reps & managers before, during
and after training
Solution: Planned Transfer
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48. Get Managers Coaching
• Train Managers first
• Managers monitor progress through learning
• Managers attend class w/ rep as in-class coach
• Managers train, sustain, transfer and coach
• Develop very-specific sales coaching programs
- Diagnose: form hypothesis
- Dialogue + observe: confirm performance gaps
- Develop: solutions based on gap type
- Do: implement solutions to improve performance
Solution: Coaching Excellence
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49. What Gets Measured Gets Done
• Agree on lead and lag indicators and verifiable
outcomes for both learning & performance
• Report progress throughout training
• Develop post-learning reporting
• Establish regular cadence with manager/coaches
• Do testing over time (retention checks) and skill
usage surveys
• Make changes quickly and communicate success
stories.
Solution: Measurement
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50. Manage Performance
• Beyond manager support for training &
coaching
• Establish a cadence of check-ins
- review of results, activities, methods
- dialogue / observation / coaching
• Managers counsel and manage performance as
needed, holding employees accountable
• Senior leaders hold managers accountable
Solution: Performance Management
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51. This is All Change Management
• Link training to business strategy
• Ask for top-down support
• Establish clear roles & responsibilities
• Communicate change plans, rationales, goals,
risks, metrics, and impact
• Establish regular and open communication with
leadership teams – share success stories
• Find and address issues quickly
Solution: Integration | Alignment | Change
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