How To Design a Training Program for Product Training

From time to time, former colleagues (internal customers) ask me if I'd be interested in talking to someone they know about the work I've done setting up product training programs for sales teams.  Many times, the organizations that they're talking about don't have a full-time professional trainer on staff, and there may be some hesitation in reaching out.  The purpose of this page is to provide a 100,000 foot view of what this type of work can produce, how a product-training program might work, and how it might be created.

What Is The Goal?

Beginning with the end in mind, we'll assume that there are multiple goals for this new training program:

• To ensure that new people coming into the organization are competent to apply these products in the environments that they'll be working in -- we'll refer to that as onboarding.
• To provide a framework for assessing and developing the skills of existing employees.
• To provide a template for adding new products as they are introduced.
• To provide a framework for ongoing training with existing employees as new products are introduced.

Invest time to determine the goals that your program is intended to produce, and make this your first step.  Focus on measurable attributes and make sure that you're clear about your target audience.


The Checklist Model

Make a list of all of your products.  Imagine that this would be used to create a checklist for a new employee.  The checklist might list the topics that the employee must learn about (imagine a list of products, systems, policies, and procedures...), specific formal learning events (for example, a 2 day orientation program, a 3 day introductory product training course, a series of sales training lessons and learning events...), and skills that must be demonstrated (such as use the CRM, or prepare a quote, submit an order, order demo equipment from the warehouse...) in order for the employee to become 'fully functional'.

Different job roles may require different levels of Skill & Knowledge about the same topic.  For example, if I'm picking a product off of the shelf in the warehouse (shipping), the focus may be on part numbering, accessories, and packing.  If I'm working directly with the customer (sales or customer service), then the focus may be on applications, system requirements, understanding why you might pick this instead of that, and...

Consider the possibility that it might make sense to focus on some of these topics in the first 30 days.  What might those be?

What would you expect to be done at 60 days?  90?  At what point might you expect the employee to be able to demonstrate their skills (think skills checkpoint)?  What might these tasks be?

It doesn't make sense to focus on every task. Identify a few activities that demonstrate that the employee is able to perform their job to a certain level.  It may also be appropriate to require more than one run at it.  Be clear who can "sign off" on the tasks. 

What learning events might you build to help accelerate the new employee through the learning process?  For example, would you include...

• A 2 or 3 day orientation program?  Make a list of the people that the new person should meet with.  Ask each person to help you create an outline or study guide that lists the topics that should be covered during a structured discussion.  And how much time might that take?  Deliverables - a master list showing of people and topics + study guides for each topic.
• A introductory product-training program?  Imagine a focused discussion about the products that you'd like the new employee to focus on in the field within the first 30 days.  Get these products in the employee's hands and ask them to talk to each other about them.  Build skills practice exercises into the training.  Involve others in the process, to allow trainees to practice talking about what they're learning.

You can only put 5 pounds of stuff into a 5 pound bag.  Be careful not to put a fire hose into the new employee's mouth.  Give them a bite, then ask them to go out in the field and apply what they've learned.  Bring them back for more within 4 weeks.  By pacing the instruction, you're providing a sense of progression and setting an expectation of progress.

Use the ideas above to build a sample checklist that lists topics, formal learning events, and skills.  Consider breaking the list into time-bound chunks (30-60-90 days).  Set an expectation for how long it should take to complete the checklist.

By clearly communicating what needs to be learned and the sequence in which it should be learned, the new employee is empowered to take charge of his or her own learning.  The employee benefits, because he or she can make plans and move forward at the pace that he or she is capable of.  The manager benefits, because he or she can learn much by observing the employee's approach.  The organization benefits, because this type of process can shorten the time to become 'fully functional'. 

Establish A Rhythm To Check And Report On Progress

Things get busy real fast, and pressure makes priorities shift.  What you don't want is to have a situation where, 3 months down the road, this great new employee gets labeled as a slacker because someone allowed the training plan to slip.  Employees and managers have good intentions, but there are some common situations that you should take care to avoid:

• The employee is really good in one area, so we assume he or she is good in all areas.  Doesn't work that way.  Read 'Leadership and the one minute manager' or attend a formal training program on Situational Leadership.  Develop your manager's skills too.  Have you considered making more than one type of training checklist?  Might it make sense to make a map showing progression from one checklist to another, to another?  What can be done in parallel?  What must be done in series?  Remember that checklists don't have to be 5 pages long to be effective, they just need to contain the right combination of knowledge and skills.
• The manager feels strongly that he or she should assign the topics on the checklist.  It's about control.  As a result, the employee no longer owns his or her own performance and waits for the manager to make the move.  This can spread to other areas of performance.  Whenever possible, allow the employee to own and take charge of his or her own progress.  The manager's role is not to own the checklist, but to regularly check on progress.  Remember who should have the monkey
• The manager doesn't get the details on the employee's performance and, before you know it, 30 days have slipped by with minimal or no progress.  As a result, the employee is unable to have discussions with the customer in the way you want the discussion to be had.  Also, the employee shows up for a scheduled training event unprepared -- it's hard to build a tower on a soft foundation.  Decide up-front what you'll do if a trainee is not making progress.  How will you know if the trainee is prepared?  Should you build knowledge or skill checks that must be completed before attending the event?  Will you take a softer approach?  Will your managers support whatever program you develop?

Conclusions

There are many issues to consider when building a product-training program.  I hope that you've picked up on a few issues that are important to think about, such as...

1. Make sure that managers are involved in the design and execution of the program.  If you don't have their support, then the program may not be implemented in the way that you designed it.  That can make all of the difference.
2. Add structure to your onboarding event.  Consider assigning one person to act as the "MC" of the event, and then involve the people with whom the new employee needs to work with.  Use simple organizational tools to help guide each discussion.
3. Make sure you track performance.  Keep score and, if possible, make it visual (show planned progress vs. actual progress).  Show that the game counts by helping the employee and his or her manager see - are we winning?
4. Make sure that the employee has the monkey, not the manager.  Require them to own the checklist, have it with them at all times, and be able to report on their progress at any time with no notice.  You set an expectation by demonstrating how much it matters.
5. It's not just about your stuff.  It's also about your culture. 
   I was recently asked how I would make sure that someone isn't faking signatures on a checklist.  My experience is that when a system like this is properly run, fraud is a rare event.  That said, you can limit sign-off authority to a limited number of individuals or institute other controls.  Where do you want your focus to be -- learning, security, or both?  My feeling is that if I have to worry about fraud on a training checklist, then we've got other problems.
6. Once your version 1 checklist is created, run it past the people who you think are fully functional today.  What's missing?  Have you included something that no one can do well today?  Also use it with people who were hired within the last 2 years - get some idea of what they are competent on and what they're not through some type of self-assessment.  Your goal is to develop a sense of how long it currently takes to become fully functional.  In one situation, we were able to show a 58% reduction in training time while at the same time raising the bar and standardizing expectations across the organization.

Some elements of a successful program might include...

• Training Checklists.  There can be more than one.  Consider making a map to show progression from one checklist to another.  Start simple.  Also consider the guidelines you'll use to determine whether or not the trainee should be 'signed off' on a specific item (or not).
• Study Guides.  It's not a training manual in that it doesn't have the answers.  It lists the questions that should be answered, and it may also point the trainee towards the document(s), person(s), and other resources that will help them find the answers.  Study guides also help trainers by focusing their discussion.
• Progress Reports.  Consider starting with a simple Excel spreadsheet with 3 columns - progress check date, expected progress, and actual progress.  Use this data to make a graph.  Use the graph to communicate progress over time.
• Formal Training Events.  Build a map to show the training events that will support your new hire Learning Program.  Remember, a program is not the same thing as an event.  Don't manage your Learning Program as if it were a Learning Event.  Both programs and events must be managed, if they are to be effective.  Who's responsible for that?
• Avoid PowerPoint poisoning.  Instead, build simple instructor guides that help establish a flow of thought.  Start with learning objectives that describe what the learner should be able to do at the end of the training (don't tell me what the instructor will do), and use a table with 3 columns to build the flow of thought - time, discussion point (what you'll talk about) and related instructor activity (what you'll show, do, and say to help the student 'get it').  While it's possible that you might want a few slides to make a point, it's also possible you might avoid the slide and use 'the stuff' to make the point -- get the products in people's hands.  I highly recommend the book "Telling Ain't Training".
• Build formal Skills Practice materials.  A skills practice is less about evaluative feedback and more about developmental feedback.  For more about the difference between evaluative and developmental feedback, I highly recommend Linda Richardson's excellent book, "Sales Coaching".  Consider ongoing development for your managers focused on building and exercising effective coaching skills.

Remember To Look Past Your Stuff

As new products are introduced, consider your blended learning options.  In addition to traditional classroom learning, you might also use video, podcasts, wiki sites, powerpoint presentations, whitepapers, application stories, webex / phone conference learning events, skills practice events, and structured product demo recipes.  Instructor guides can provide clarity on how to use these training tools.  Also add the new stuff (topic and skills) to your checklist and learning events.  Consider developing a schedule to periodically review your Learning Program (e.g., to consider content, scope, execution, administration, reporting, and lessons learned).

Do a formal roll-out.  Do a formal marketing event, in the same way that you would launch a new product.  Invest the time and energy to make sure that your new program is Sold they way that you intended it to be.

Often, managers are expected to provide training to their teams.  Consider the use of a train-the-trainer learning event to support managers with the skills they'll need to effectively speak about and use the new materials.

Follow Up and Follow Through.  Who is the MC for the Learning Program?  You're looking for someone who can act as the Steward of the program (so that it is implemented according to the vision), as the Shepherd for the flock (so that people are cared for throughout the process), and as the Sherpa (a trusted guide) for your staff -- providing guidance as needed.

Don't forget to celebrate when an employee completes this program.  Consider the effort that goes into completing such an initiative and then invest a moment to say Thank You and Congratulations.  Be prepared for the possibility that, following the announcement, existing employees may approach you asking how they can earn a diploma too.

Here is a simple diagram intended to highlight the information provided in this post - click the image to see it full size.

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I hope that you found this information to be useful and timely.  Should you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn.  I would also enjoy reading about your experiences - post a reply to this post.  Best of luck, and have a great day!