BTSR guidebook ~ Training & skills self-evaluation
KMFM – Media Sales Staff Induction Programme
| Date: | April 2008 |
|---|---|
| Contact: | Louise Hawkins, L&D Trainer |
| Telephone: | 01622 794586, 07808 632885 |
Reasons for Developing & Delivering the Training
As the Kent Messenger Group portfolio continues to expand with the continued development of radio and the advent of online revenue opportunities, a wholesale review of Sales Induction was required in order to:
- Ensure that new Media Salespeople learn the knowledge and develop the skills required to sell appropriate solutions from the whole of the portfolio
- Ensure that the information a new Media Salesperson is required to learn is delivered in appropriately sized “chunks”, in order that it can be best be assimilated. (Prior to this initiative all new Media Salespeople learned everything in one classroom-based course lasting two and a half weeks.)
Description of the Learning & Development Programme & Resources Used to Deliver it
Delivery
As a result of the review, (in which the Learning & Development Team involved the Commercial Director, Commercial Managers and existing Salespeople) from April 2007 the Media Sales Induction Process for all new Media Salespeople comprises five stages, which are listed below:
| Stage | Title | What you will learn | How and where | When and duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Getting to know Kent Messenger Group | Kent as a county. KMG newspaper titles and areas. KMG radio stations and areas. Advertisement Law. |
Self–learning at own office. | Immediately after
attending Company
induction. 3 days. |
| 2 | Selling KMG Products and Services | Selling skills. Creating advertisements & commercials. Creating, pricing & processing campaigns. KMG booking and processing procedures. |
Learning and Development Centre, Unit 4, Larkfield. | Immediately after
Stage 1. Media Field
Sales. 8 days. |
| 3 | Putting it all together | Office-specific processes. | Your office (with appointed buddy). | Immediately after
Stage 2. 3 days. |
| 4 | Queries and credit negotiation | How to handle queries and negotiate credits and the associated KMG processes. | Learning and Development Centre, Unit 4, Larkfield. | 3-5 weeks after
completing Stage 3. ½ day. |
| 5 | Follow Up | Prospecting.
Presenting skills. Negotiation. |
Learning and Development Centre, Unit 4, Larkfield. | 3 months after joining. 2 days. |
In addition to the above, within three months of a new Media Salesperson completing Stage 3, a Learning and Development Trainer audits each person’s sales skills against objective criteria, which mirrors the learnings from Stage 2. In order to achieve a representative audit of each person, a minimum of eight sales calls are observed. The Learning & Development Trainer will produce a graph of the results which he/she will discuss with the person’s Manager. The information gleaned from the Sales Skill Audits, coupled with Manager’s knowledge of the person’s performance in areas such as conversion ratios and business growth for example, helps to identify the next stage of that person’s development.
Instead of the Trainers being responsible for all the training, this approach involves the learner, the Manager, and a Buddy taking responsibility for training as well as the L&D Team.
Evaluation
Knowledge levels are evaluated by testing at various stages throughout the programme.
Sales skills are evaluated via the Sales Skill audit process mentioned above.
Immediately following Stage 2, reaction to the course is ascertained by post-course questionnaires. Feedback is graphed and circulated to all delegates, along with details of any action that is to be taken as a result.
Four weeks after completion of the whole programme all delegates are asked the following:
| 1. To what degree did the Media Sales Induction Programme prepare you to do your job? | Totally | |
|---|---|---|
| Mostly | ||
| A little | ||
| Not at all |
| 2. Of all the things you learned during the programme, what have you found to be the most and the least useful back in the workplace, and why? | |
|---|---|
| Most useful: | Because: |
| Least useful: | Because: |
| 3 . What else, if anything, would you like to have learned during the Induction Programme that would have helped you do your new job? |
|---|
All the information obtained during the evaluation process is collated and used at quarterly reviews of the programme, which involve Salespeople, Commercial Managers and Trainers, assuring relevance and quality.
The benefits this training has brought to your overall business performance as well as your individual and team performance
- More involvement by Managers in their people’s Learning & Development
- Creation of a network of Buddies, which provides additional on-site support for the learner.
Criteria for Choosing a Buddy:
- Knows the office processes and systems well and follows them
- Communicates in ways that others can easily understand
- Listens really well
- Is a great Salesperson
- Sets a great example to others
Role & Responsibilities of a Buddy:
- To make sure that the new member of the Sales Team knows all the information listed above, and understands why the knowledge is necessary
- To demonstrate by example, best sales and administration practice
- Timescale - between now and the new Salesperson completing his/her Credit and Query
- Negotiation training to take responsibility for dealing with all matters relating to customer
- Services, credits and queries for the new salesperson
- More Trainer time available to dedicate to developing and delivering training to serve the needs of the rest of the business - a saving of 4 days’ trainer time every month.
