Sales training is about behavioral change, empathy development and practice. As a consequence a lot of retail and sales professionals have suspicions about digital learning when it is applied to sales. However digital tools can greatly improve results by reinforcing learning. Mixing digital tools and traditional face-to-face seminars is called “blended learning”. It means that the learner goes through a learning journey starting online, continuing offline and ending online for example. Here is how digital can boost your sales trainings:

1. Self-awareness

Before the seminar, learners get conscious of the gap between what they know and what they need to learn, through an online pre-quiz on the concerned topic.

2. Various learning methods

Learners have an opportunity to learn in a different way, e.g. multiple choice questions, battle quizzes, product recognition quizzes (very useful in watchmaking), etc.

3. Engagement

Learners are more engaged because they are conscious that it is longer process. If the trainer creates an online forum, they form a virtual community before meeting in real life, which boosts anticipation.

4. Efficiency

When the face-to-face seminar starts, the level of participants is more homogeneous (same knowledge base), meaning the training is more efficient, I have witnessed it several times.

5. Practice optimization

The trainer can jump faster to practice during the seminar, which is key in sales and in skills acquisition in general.

6. Measuring impact

After the seminar, an online follow-up will take place, either through quizzes measuring knowledge (on-the-spot evaluation) and application of concepts (delayed evaluation), or through a dedicated forum. Measuring performance and behavior changes on the sales floor is particularly important, as too often training is perceived as a 1 to 3 days nice gathering, but not a process bringing actual and visible changes.

Approach first

This way to blend different types of learning in your retail network does not necessarily require a huge infrastructure, like an LMS (for Learning Management System). The approach is more important than the tools. Simple quiz platforms exist online and are enough to start, even in several languages. For more advanced projects specialized agencies can help you. I recommend e-teach, a very professional digital learning agency specialized in gamification.

A long-term learning process

Growing your sales team is a lot about training. Training is also going through the digital revolution, and the trainer acts more and more as a coach giving feedback during role plays or workshops. The trainer needs also to develop analytical and monitoring skills to use the data collected online. Digital helps training to become what it should always have been: a long-term learning process. It is a major step forward in the sales team development.