Interclean_Training_and_Mentoring

New Training and Mentoring Needs Eugene Wells University of Phoenix April 1, 2009 Training and Mentoring Now that InterClean has successfully hired the most qualified candidates to join the sales team, it is now time to develop training and mentoring programs. First, InterClean management will have to see what type of training and mentoring methods are best suited for the new and current employees. Next we will have to set a policy of performance standards that the training methods will have to cover including: delivery methods and context for training and mentoring. A time-frame will have to be set and adhered to allowing for adequate time for evaluation methods and feedback to be performed. Finally, alternate methods will need to be established for employees that need additional development. What is Training' Before we can establish the needs of InterClean’s training program we first need to identify what is training. Training can be seen as a system of planned courses intended to improve the performance of an individual, team, or the organization itself (Cascio, 2005). With this definition established, InterClean will now see what type of training and methods will be best suited to improve the performance of the new, and current, InterClean sales team. First thing to do is to prepare the entire sales team by letting them know what they should be learning in respects towards the sales departments guidelines (Cascio, 2005). Every employee should know his or her own job requirements from the job analysis that was provided when the hiring process was being conducted. Once we have introduced each sales team member to the idea of “what” they need to know then we can begin the assessment phase of training. The assessment part of the training exercise begins with management determining where training is needed the most. InterClean management has determined that training with an emphasis on a team environment is needed before individual training needs can be addressed. Since an essential part of being a good sales person includes detailed knowledge of the products and services provided, sales training is usually the responsibly of the marketing, or buying, department. Training Objective The main goal of the marketing department’s training is to instill confidence in the sales team so that they boost their ability to sell InterClean’s products and services. The tools used by the marketing department will include knowledge of the product, the competition, and effective sales technique. For InterClean to be successful, training will have to be ongoing, regularly scheduled training sessions, rather than the usually annual training seminar. The marketing department will be essential in training the sales teams about what new products have been added to the inventory and what new products are coming in the near and distant future. Each marketer/buyer will have an agenda to push the products and vendors they represent so they can make the most sales. These training techniques will both increase the marketers/buyers sales stats as well as bring more profit to InterClean. It is important that the marketers/buyers stress how the companies’ best interest is to make more profit but by being more informed about InterClean’s products and services, they too will make more money by commission. To become a good sales team, the marketing department will need to hand out as much information about InterClean’s products and services that can. This information should be as extensive as possible, as if it will be the only resource used by the sales team to best InterClean’s competitors. If at all possible the marketing department should always demonstrate the products and services in person; or at least show a demonstration from the manufacture. Next, the marketing department should give the sales team specific details about the competition. The sales team will need specific information detailing why InterClean’s products and services are superior to the competition so that they can convince customers. The marketing department should also let the sales team know that the price of products and services is one of the most crucial concerns. The sales team should be able to quote the price ranges for each product and service provide be InterClean and be aware of the “rock bottom” price that the marketers/buyers are able to accept. Finally, for the training to be successful the marketing department will have to instill some type of excitement or energy into the presentation. One way to accomplish this is to let the sales team know just “what is in it for them,” by giving statistics about how the training can improve their final sales count. If their sales count is not affected then the training should focus on improving customer satisfaction, which as everybody knows, a happy customer will tend to buy more supplies and/or services. Performance Standards Once training has been completed, the next step is to observe the behavior of the employees, trainees, back in the work environment to see if they exhibit any positive influence on their job descriptions and the organization as a whole. There is a direct correlation between the desired effects of the training process and the actual results derived from an individual’s training. To measure the performance of the entire InterClean sales team, management has decided to employ the use of performance standards as a measureing tool. Before a performance standard, and performance rewards, system can be instated management must first identify which standards apply to the sales team as a whole. InterClean will be focusing on the following performance standards: • Customer Satisfaction • Client Retention • Increased Revenue/Referrals • New Product Integration The first step in developing successful performance standards is to establish an InterClean basic standard level. These basic standard levels are to be based on past experiences and sales data. Once these levels have been properly defined then they can be applied to each sales person based on their job descriptions. The next step is to carefully inform the sales team how each member will have their job performance monitored and also rewarded. It will be through the job performance monitoring that management will see what is working and what needs additional training or managerial support. InterClean should see the sales team’s communication with the organization strengthened due to these performance standards. Team members are encouraged to bring up any performance standard related problems to management. Through this, management can take a more proactive approach towards solving these problems before they become impossible issues, possible saving InterClean thousands in revenues. In the end the main goal of these performance standards is to encourage the sales team to increase sales and also retention. Time Frames The training and mentoring process continues for new hires even after each has been properly trained. The next step is to set a predetermined time frame for each sales team member to achieve the sales objectives and measure a positive return on investment (ROI) (Tock, 2006). The clearer the sales objectives are the easier it is to show the effects of training, positive or negative. The use of a time frame gives the sales team an additional objective they can be measured at. When it comes to getting feedback from an employee, InterClean has adopted a system to evaluate each employee every 3 months. Quarterly reviews coupled with continuous feedback will help shape how and why training is conducted. Summary During this economy InterClean will inevitably loose some very valued employees as well as gain some new ones. One thing that management will have to look into is how to retain the employees that w currently have. One way to make employees feel more important is to enhance their job satisfaction through proper training, which includes performance standards with a rewards system. InterClean can also begin recruiting additional qualified employees that now find themselves in need of a job. In the end it is essential that InterClean keep its employees informed with the latest training and orientation methods. This will ensure that the sales team has the necessary tools to make sales that can best the competition and make the most sales. . The submitted assignment is my original work. I have cited and acknowledged all materials, ideas, and words of others I have used, adapted, or paraphrased in this document. Submitted by: Eugene Wells References: Cascio, W.F., (2005) Chapter 8 Work Place Training. Managing Human Resources: Productivity, Quality of Work Life, Profits, Seventh Edition. Retreived March 30, 2009 From: UOP Library Tock, E. (2006) How to Achieve Higher Sales Through a Well-Developed Sales Training Effort Fitness Business Pro Retreived March 30, 2009 From: http://fitnessbusinesspro.com/stepbystep/sales/0206StepbyStepSales/