While we conduct training that encompasses ½ a day or 2 ½ half days, we have learned to make it a fun, highly interactive, and participative process. This is what our clients want. A lot of what we have learned about new training methods come from the words of my friend and mentor, Brad Lea, who says that great training has 4 key components. Without any one of them, the likelihood that your behavior will experience change is very small.
4 Crucial Components to Proper Training
Great training MUST have:
- World Class Content
- Repetition
- Practice
- Accountability
Ever since I learned this from Brad, we have changed our training to encompass all 4 elements. Before that, we only had world class content, some (though minimal) repetition, and virtually no practice or accountability. Brad is an expert on this subject because he built LightSpeed VT around these 4 principles. It’s why we created Jerry Acuff VT, my own virtual training platform.
In it, you’ll find 125 lessons accessible 24/7 with everything I currently know about goal setting, selling excellence (without being pushy or aggressive), and building valuable business relationships (even if people don’t like you, ha). We even teach how you coach selling in the field in real time.
Train Yourself in 10 Minutes
Nearly 95% of our lessons are less than 5 minutes, and they have a brief quiz to reinforce the content, with practice and accountability built in. This approach results from surveys we’ve conducted to determine what our clients want. Given the feedback, we are creating resources that sales managers and reps can use in the field–if they want to build their selling capability.
As an example of the quick-study approaches our clients can take, we sell the #1 Business Book summary service offered in the world, www.readitforme.com. Through this medium, you receive a top-selling business book a day, along with the summary to be completed in 12 minutes. You can actually read 100 book summaries per year in less than 30 minutes, twice a week.
That’s what I call gaining a competitive edge in a limited amount of time.
Be A Lifelong Learner
While the nature of training is constantly developing within the 4 key components, it’s important to never lose your personal drive to improve. The power of keeping our expertise fresh and new is the most powerful part of being a lifelong learner.
Are you a lifelong learner?
Are you listening to podcasts and accessing virtual training? If not, your competitors may be, and when they fly past you because they have adapted to the new approaches to training, you may just end up in a bit of a professional jam. Don’t be beaten by your competition just because your competitors are accessing resources available to you, too. You could be changing, learning, and growing, even if it’s 10 minutes at a time.
It’s your choice. To gain that competitive edge and become a lifelong learner, visit Jerry Acuff VT; you’ll find the right areas of training for you.
