Coaching and Barbecue: Four steps to better coaching
Barbecue is a noun, not a verb. I learned this soon after I moved from New Jersey to Tennessee in 1982. The conversation went like this: Read More...
Wilson Learning Americas
The Evolution of Virtual Learning
I conducted my first virtual learning session almost 15 years ago. I chuckle a little when I think back to how limited the technology and my experience were back then. About all you could do was show your slides, maybe conduct simple quick polls that you had to create on the fly, and maybe let the participants write on a whiteboard (why did they all use the upper left-hand corner?). Read More...
Virtual Learning: What’s the Real Scoop About Making It Both Virtual and Effective?
Clients are asking a lot of questions about virtual learning these days, and it’s not surprising. There are so many ways that virtual learning makes sense. Instead of bringing people to a common location for training, why not bring the training to them? Instead of paying a big travel bill and disrupting work schedules, why not integrate the learning right into the work environment? Why isn’t everybody doing it more often? Read More...
What’s the Payoff for Investing in Your Sales Managers?
Recently we took a detailed look at how sales managers can impact the results of sales training. We expected to see an effect, but were surprised ourselves to see how much difference sales manager involvement makes. If managers are on board with the initiative and know how to coach, their involvement can increase the impact of training by as much as 24%. Read More...
Want to Hear “Yes” More Often From Your Prospects? Part 2: Target GOOD Prospects
Last month we talked about avoiding the numbers game in prospecting by consciously searching the internet and other sources for Strong Suspect companies that are likely to be “good for you.” This is the first part of finding a good prospect. Read More...
Four Key Changes Affecting Pharma Sales Success—Is Your Sales Team Ready? Or Not?
Many clients across the pharmaceutical industry are struggling these days to identify what it will take to be successful in a rapidly changing sales environment. Based on my observations of new customer expectations and regulatory guidelines, I’d suggest there are four critical success factors that should be considered when developing a successful sales strategy. Read More...
Want to Hear “Yes” More Often From Your Prospects? Part 1: Target the Right Prospects
Almost every salesperson I know hates prospecting. It’s understandable—they spend hours calling people who aren’t interested, and waste a lot of time and energy on too many “No’s” before finding the few who will say “Yes.” No wonder prospecting is viewed as a necessary evil—something that has to be done if you want to keep the pipeline full and develop new business. Read More...
Want Your Virtual Teams to Deliver Results? Make Sure They Have “People” Skills
With so many companies going global, merging, and reorganizing, more and more teams are made up of members who never meet face-to-face. An interesting question is how these virtual teams compare in performance to traditional co-located teams—and what is different and the same about their needs and requirements. Read More...
New Year’s Resolution: Get Managers Involved for Better Learning Results
As you start out another new year, possibly with a more limited budget than in the past, you might be thinking about how to make sure you get outstanding results out of this year’s initiatives. Read More...
Is an engaged employee born or bred?
Lots of people are talking about employee engagement because of its relationship to a number of outcomes like retention, performance, and customer loyalty. There seems to be a predominant focus on how to create (or breed) engaged employees through specific leadership and management practices. Read More...
Leading by “Remote Control”
One of our managers just had a group of employees move to home offices. As he described the situation, he acknowledged some worries. “What if they’re not as productive?” he asked. “How do those who are not used to working independently keep from getting distracted? How do I keep them motivated and focused?” Read More...
Want Engaged Customers? Then Engage Your Employees!
Early in my career, I worked for an NFL quarterback who is now in the Hall of Fame. Late in his career he was having trouble throwing the long passes downfield, and his production dropped off dramatically. The team feared his arm was “dead." They ran every test possible to diagnose and fix his arm to no avail. Read More...
Can Your Sales Managers Answer the Critical Questions Burning in the Minds of Salespeople?
In these tough economic conditions, it’s easy to believe that most sales forces are doomed to poor results and low morale until the economy turns around. But is this really the case? My informal observations across 10 companies and 8 industries would suggest—NO. Read More...
Better Versatility = Better Relationships
In conversations with clients about the impact of the current economic downturn, I keep hearing one concern everyone seems to share: “how can we help our people manage the strain of all the budget cuts, layoffs, and reorganizations?” Read More...
If You Want Business Results from Learning, Get Managers Involved
This past June we surveyed professionals attending the ASTD International Conference about what they are doing to make sure learning transfers to the job. As people began to fill out the survey, we kept hearing a common question: “Should we fill this out based on what we know we should be doing or based on what we are doing now?” Read More...
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