With today’s global marketplace conditions, we are seeing more and more corporate restrictions on travel and training. As a result, more prospects are inquiring about asynchronous eLearning solutions.

Obviously there are many factors that come into play in answering the question “What is the most effective venue for training?” Our experience is that individual learners can easily grasp required knowledge via online, asynchronous eLearning courses. eLearning courses, housed within a Learning Management System (LMS), can also provide a mechanism for tracking progress and testing knowledge acquired. So, there is much benefit to eLearning training and we at SPI feel like we have developed some of the most effective eLearning courseware in our marketplace. That being said, almost any studies on adult learning in today’s environment will echo a key message – adult learners learn by doing! That is by applying knowledge.

In this critical design point to training, Solution Selling® instructor-led training (both face-to-face and in the virtual environment) greatly meets this dire requirement. Within a typical Solution Selling® session, participants will engage in a number of individual and team exercises where they immediately apply lessons learned. This includes role plays. We believe there are two critical components when participants apply concepts: (1) a safe learning environment – participants get a change to practice what they learned and not apply it for the first time with a prospect and (2) coaching – participants should receive constructive feedback from someone qualified and experienced.

Specifically in our instructor-led sessions, one of the unique aspects of our Solution Selling® workshop is that it goes beyond application of concepts and knowledge. Our key design point is to conclude the training with what we call final team opportunity presentations (a.k.a. “case study” presentations). Final presentations among several teams help the learning even more by (1) creating a competitive atmosphere – something inherent in most sellers (2) requiring attention to team work being done since the work will be demonstrated to their peers and instruction team and (3) providing a mechanism for the instruction team to gauge what concepts were learned and which may need attention real time.

So, I would encourage those in learning and development to consider their learners’ needs (knowledge or skill development) and in the case where skill development is needed, do not concede that eLearning alone will necessarily be the answer. The shift to asynchronous eLearning, virtual methods of training and blended approaches incorporating both is without question turning the training world on its head; but total abandonment of the instructor-led approach isn’t the answer. Individual learning styles, company objectives and the most appropriate method of implementing a training program that will help your sales organization thrive must be evaluated and thoughtfully considered by each company ready to engage in training. 

For several years now, Sales Performance International (SPI) has provided “blended learning” solutions to our clients. We have found that using a mix of modalities for training – a combination of on-demand e-Learning, live instructor-led workshops, online web sessions, and new media programs – greatly improves sales best practice adoption and use.

For more than two decades, SPI has delivered high-quality instructor-led (face-to-face) training workshops. But in the last five years, we’ve seen dramatic shifts in what our customers require:

• Less time in the classroom – more selling time in the field
• Reduction or elimination of travel expenses associated with training events
• Measurement of training effectiveness – more metrics for comprehension and application
• Improved post-training reinforcement and support
• Support for informal, “just in time” on-the-job learning approaches

As a result, SPI has been heavily engaged in perfecting a mixed modality approach to sales training and performance improvement. We describe this in detail in our free video brief, titled “Making Blended Learning Effective for Sales Professionals”.

In this video brief, we provide a number of recommendations for making blended learning successful – one is to assess your audience and determine their learning styles. Each of us has their own preferred learning style. We each like to receive information in certain methods and formats. For example, I prefer to learn by doing – I’m a “hands on” learner, so I like practical exercises and application examples. I’m also a “net it out for me” learner – I lose patience with too much detail, so I like a summary of the key points, with the option of going deeper if I want more information. Given these factors, I also recognize that to make learning a work habit, I’ll also need on-the-job tools and a reinforcement plan, to help me retain and apply what I learned.

As a result of my learning preferences, a blended learning program would be more effective than a traditional workshop-only training approach. Every audience will have different preferences, however – and as a result, the design for their blended learning program needs to be adjusted to those preferred learning styles.

We invite you to review the video brief, and to share your experiences with blended learning with us here with a comment. What have you found to be an effective blended learning approach?