3 Ways to Simplify Training and Start Executing
The best sales reps in the industry all have their own way of working that they become very comfortable with. But even the best aren’t maximizing their selling opportunities. An important part of our training is showing how GreatVines will help them sell more cases easily. Once they see how it works and what you can do for them, they are hooked!
Sales reps and managers are typically busy people juggling many accounts and many new projects and tasks. Finding out they have to implement a new software system to keep track of EVERYTHING can illicit a mix of fear and wonder. Where will they find the time to devote to learning something that complicated?
Training is a process not an event. Keep trainings short and simple.
Something that our customers often share is how easy it is to get started using the system. This is even more true now with our simplified mobile application. Customers learn that not only does GreatVines provide a very detailed number of options for storing information, but it does not make someone new to the system feel as if it will be a chore to learn it. In fact, two hours of training or less is all that is needed to get going.
Acknowledge with your team that the process is iterative and you will be making changes and improvements over time. Getting up and running quickly ensures that the business can best tailor the configuration for optimal usage and adoption, thus avoiding the dreaded “90 day throw away” where lots of collected data becomes useless and users feel like their time has been wasted. Encourage users to embrace the iterative nature of these cloud-based systems.
Tailor your sales activities, surveys and executional metrics to only your key drivers.
GreatVines is designed to be intuitive, making it easy for every user to move naturally through familiar industry choices. What you need to know (and even some things you didn’t know you can keep track of easily) are all accounted for as you make your way through the program. A quick way to decrease user adoption is to ask them to track details about an Account that are never reported on. Knowing whether a particular outlet has a cold box, or the width of the back bar, is only useful if you target activities and promotions to those Accounts via reporting. While one extra field is generally harmless, resist the temptation to track EVERYTHING just because you can. Focus on simplifying the data collection process to support only your key sales drivers, adding more data dimensions over time.
Train online when possible. Dedicate breakout sessions during in-person meetings.
A typical training session takes place online through GoToMeeting, saving everyone from having to travel or sit through day-long seminars. The sessions are archived for easy referral, and once the initial training takes place, clients are able to go right to work on it. They can train in the morning and start surveying accounts in the afternoon! This is followed up with an additional short training and Q&A session that really rounds out the knowledge they need to begin being more effective.
It is truly a “learn as you go” system, recognizing that people learn most effectively and comfortably when they take intuitive steps. You crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. Don’t let fear of a complicated program or a time-consuming back-to-school marathon keep you tied down to a system that doesn’t meet your needs. GreatVines provides quick, easy and intuitive training that will have people up and running on day one. After all, it’s designed by sales people for sales people.
