Monday, August 02, 2010
Many of our clients tell us that they are interested in virtual learning and want to understand how to ensure the success of a virtual learning initiative. We discuss with them the various factors that affect the virtual learning environment—great design, the right technology, etc. But in recent conversations with some of our most successful facilitators, I was reminded of just how critical their role is in a virtual learning environment. Read More...
Monday, July 19, 2010
In the past few months, I have had the privilege of attending two of our industry’s leading professional conferences: American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) and the Society for Pharmaceutical and Biotech Trainers (SPBT). Read More...
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
The recent change in Australia’s top leadership role (the replacement of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd by his deputy Julia Gillard) resulted in a myriad of articles and comments about Mr. Rudd’s leadership style. Read More...
Monday, June 14, 2010
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...
Monday, May 10, 2010
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...
Thursday, April 15, 2010
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...
Monday, March 15, 2010
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...
Monday, March 08, 2010
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...
Monday, February 22, 2010
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...
Monday, February 01, 2010
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...
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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...
Monday, January 04, 2010
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...
Monday, December 07, 2009
Over the years I’ve heard from many sales leaders who have been frustrated by efforts to get their salespeople to call wider and higher in their accounts. Although we all have a strong belief that there are opportunities outside the safe “green zone” of familiar contacts, many salespeople are particularly intimidated by trying to get appointments with executives. Read More...
Monday, November 23, 2009
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...
Thursday, November 05, 2009
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...
