Any good salesperson will possess the ability to give you a smooth pitch about their product or service, answer any questions in a professional way, and then seal the deal before you have even noticed. However, any great salesperson won’t necessarily do much talking. Instead, they will listen to what you require rather than just assuming and always have your best interests at heart. But managing to turn good salespeople into great ones will often come down to training, where you not only improve and enhance their natural adeptness, but also introduce new concepts and ideas. Having said that, furnishing your workforce with additional skills and extra knowledge isn’t always straightforward, especially if your sales staff haven’t mastered the skill of listening yet. If this is the case, then you may need to adopt a different approach, such as e-learning.   Why use e-learning for sales training? In order to improve confidence, impress customers and increase conversions, sales staff will need to know everything about the product or service on offer. With this knowledge, they can identify the problems a prospect is encountering and explain how the benefits of your product or service can overcome them. But finding the time to introduce training is an obstacle nearly every company faces and something that presents additional challenges for sales managers. Staff don’t always have time to attend a training course and probably don’t want to either. However, e-learning enables any sales team to brush up on their knowledge or recognise the importance of listening at a time and in a place that suits them. With online e-learning courses available on a wide range of devices, this can even take place on the daily commute or during quiet sales floor periods. It doesn’t cost that much to implement either and you also benefit from the ability to monitor the learning progress of employees through data reporting tools. But to make the most of any e-learning course, here are 5 tips that should also result in a smarter sales team:   Use micro-learning In spite of the advantages that e-learning can bring, there is a danger of overwhelming your staff. In fact, a report by Sales Performance International warns that sales training can be too much of a good thing, as approximately 50 per cent of learning content from multi-day sales training is forgotten within five weeks. Therefore, you should look at using micro-learning instead, which breaks training down into more manageable bite-sized chunks. In addition to being easier to understand, smaller sales training modules can also lead to more impressive retention levels too. Take TED talks for example, which feature thought leaders and industry professionals teaching us about a wide variety of different subjects through 15-minute videos.   Introduce an element of competition There is a good chance that your sales staff are already engaged in some healthy rivalry with each other to achieve the most number of commissions in a month. However, you may also want to introduce an element of competition to training as well. If members of staff are motivated to outperform fellow colleagues when training, they will be more likely to learn with greater efficiency. As long as a framework is in place to ensure employees can’t skim over subjects and modules, there is no reason why this can’t benefit their learning experience. At Wranx, competition is an integral part of our gamification solution. We show employees what position they are currently occupying on a leaderboard made up of colleagues, which encourages them to take on additional tasks.   Reward employee achievements While achieving first place in a competition can provide a certain level of satisfaction, sales staff will want actual rewards as well. Thankfully, it is possible to establish an achievement-based training program through e-learning. Members of staff will want to hear they are doing a good job while carrying out their daily responsibilities, but also during training. So, use specific examples of their success instead of generalising, as this could adversely affect morale. In its Path to Excellence initiative, Best Buy awarded the sales force with badges when they utilised concepts previously taught in training. The levels of recognition also correlated with how much each store was selling too.   Provide detailed feedback In the workplace, supervisors can be on hand to provide analysis and feedback on how a sales call went to help improve that particular employee’s future performance. Therefore, it makes complete sense to adopt a similar procedure with training. But through e-learning, sales managers and supervisors are given access to a whole host of learning metrics that are far easier to understand and explain than simply gauging opinion from a telephone call. A similar approach was utilised by Walgreens for its "Well Experience" training exercise. This simulated a pharmacy environment and provided employees with insight into new store layouts as well as "go live" performance coaching. As a result of knowing what they did right and wrong, employee confidence levels rose from 42 per cent to 90 per cent.   Share success stories Seeing as employee attitude affects 40 to 80 per cent of customer satisfaction according to the National Business Research Institute, members of your sales staff must always adopt the right frame of mind in the workplace. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible if certain employees are experiencing a dry patch in sales. So, you must share success stories of when training helped a particular individual boost their sales statistics in order to generate greater interest in learning. Whenever an employee closes a deal at Yesware, they have their very own "closing song" played across the office, which the rest of the team must get up to and dance in celebration. Putting the spotlight on individual accomplishments that have come about through training will pay huge dividends to your organisation’s overall prosperity. So, when the time comes to boost your sales team’s skills and expertise, consider adopting an e-learning training solution, which uses microlearning, introduces an element of competition, rewards employee achievements, provides detailed feedback, and shares success stories. Share this post with your own audience

On account of the fact that classroom-based teaching no longer provides sufficient stimulation for employees at corporate training, different ways of learning have been given greater priority in recent years, such as on-the-job and gaining knowledge through peers. The importance of both is emphasised by the 70:20:10 Model for Learning and Development, which is typically credited to Morgan McCall and his colleagues Michael Lombardo and Robert Eichinger working at the Centre of Creative Leadership (CCL). After asking nearly 200 executives to self-report on how they believed they learned, McCall summarised that: "Lessons learned by successful and effective managers are roughly: 70 per cent from tough jobs 20 per cent from people (mostly the boss) 10 per cent from courses and reading" Lombardo and Eichinger also expressed their rationale behind the 70:20:10 model in the book The Career Architect Development Planner: "Development generally begins with a realisation of current or future need and the motivation to do something about it. This might come from feedback, a mistake, watching other people’s reactions, failing or not being up to a task - in other words, from experience. The odds are that development will be about 70 per cent from on-the-job experiences - working on tasks and problems; about 20 per cent from feedback and working around good and bad examples of the need; and 10 per cent from courses and reading." To this end, more and more businesses are trying to figure out how they can support this type of learning model. But at the same time, this might be a bit of a pointless exercise, as Generation Y (millenials) are changing the way we learn in a different way. Not only do millenials now outnumber other generations in the workplace, they are also extremely good at learning and personal development. This is not necessarily down to the 70:20:10 model either, as technology, understanding, and attitude are proving to be more important factors in their overall development.   The use of technology Seeing as millenials have grown up alongside technology, it is perhaps no surprise to hear that they are using the digital tools at their disposal for skills and knowledge acquisition. All it takes is a quick search on Google or social networks like Twitter and Facebook to discover more information about a particular subject. What’s more, this can all be done through the instantaneous convenience of a mobile device. But in addition to watching how-to videos on YouTube, reading books on their tablets and listening to audiobooks on their smartphones, this generation is also more than willing to pay for learning resources too. In fact, nearly 25 per cent of millenials spend more than $300 per year on personal development resources. Consequently, employers must adopt a different stance towards training instead of reviewing the 70:20:10 model for answers. A better approach would be to help members of staff in their digital quest for knowledge. The employer can then be sure that any online activity is supporting their career, learning and personal development. Another option is to enlist the services of an e-Learning training provider that already has digital capabilities in place, such as gamification or spaced repetition solutions, which can easily be modified and adjusted according to the employer’s requirements.   Understanding the importance of soft skills Another reason why the 70:20:10 model does not always apply to millenials is that they have and are still acquiring knowledge from other sources away from the workplace. For example, millenials have been educated by their parents much more than previous generations. This doesn’t refer to academic subjects or home schooling, but rather transferable soft skills such as emotional intelligence. At school, millenials were also taught that securing a place at university or finding full-time employment didn’t solely depend on academic prowess. It was equally important to be a well-rounded individual who knew the value of working in a team and helping others that needed assistance. Therefore, charity work and team sports were regarded as significant as classroom subjects. Upon entering employment, millenials are equipped with a great deal of knowledge but also a wide range of soft skills as well. While this has extensive advantages in terms of carrying out day-to-day responsibilities, it can also bring about numerous benefits as far as training goes too. Millenials will need little convincing that different or alternative training methods are important and are bound to enjoy a different approach to classroom-based teaching. However, they will still require support on identifying areas that need improving and constant feedback on their performance.   Learning away from the workplace Again, it is necessary to look back at the education of millenials for this particular point. At school, this generation were encouraged to attend afterschool clubs or develop an interest in subjects that required the acquisition of different skills. From playing football and performing in shows to learning a different language or new musical instrument, a lot of personal time would be invested in clubs and communities. But regardless of where or when these activities took place, the lines between "learning" and "having fun" became blurred, something which has carried on into the working lives of several millenials. So today, millenials are not only happy to increase their learning or skills acquisition away from the workplace, they almost expect it. They also want to have an active interest in training and contribute to this activity, rather than simply being a passive member of the classroom. However, this doesn’t mean to say you can simply force training onto your members of staff when they aren’t at work, as millenials recognise the importance of personal time too. For this reason, you must be flexible with your approach to training and provide numerous opportunities for when, where, and how it can happen.   How Generation Y are changing the way we learn While some sections of the workforce will still exhibit the learning behaviours described in the 70:20:10 model, millenials are increasingly abandoning this mind-set due to their previous experiences. Therefore, employers must recognise that the use of technology, the importance of soft skills, and learning away from the workplace must be critical considerations when devising a modern-day training strategy for Generation Y employees. Share this post with your own audience

In spite of the powerful and potent advantages that e-learning can provide, several businesses remain sceptical and believe traditional training methods are just as effective in teaching staff new knowledge and information. But even if you throw scientific studies or in-depth research in front of these doubters, they often come back with arguments over the financial implications of e-learning and how much investment it requires. Thankfully, e-learning has the answers to these questions as well. In fact, calculating the ROI of this training method can also help to measure its effectiveness too. So, what frameworks and metrics exist to determine just how beneficial e-learning can be?   Measuring e-learning effectiveness In order to collect and acquire the broadest perspective possible into e-learning effectiveness, it is imperative to measure multiple factors. The main ones are:   Employee feedback - First and foremost, collecting feedback from employees can help to understand how well the training was perceived. Members of staff should be asked if the course was a valuable experience and whether they liked the topics, materials, and how it was presented. However, it is important to remember that although valuable, these opinions do not have a significant or tangible impact on the organisation’s e-learning goals. Tests and evaluations - In addition to opinion, measurement must also try and find out whether the workforce’s knowledge has actually increased as a result of e-learning. Once again, this must be approached with caution, as certain members of staff might be able to apply their new expertise in a test situation, but struggle to do the same at work. Control groups - Along with speaking to and testing employees that participated in training, it also helps to assess members of staff who missed out too. This control group can help determine whether there are any correlations between the two. But in the past, this measurement has only been applicable for simple and short-term processes, which means the control group method can be somewhat insufficient. HR metrics - So far, measurement metrics have primarily concerned short-term knowledge retention, but by delving into data from HR you can see whether e-learning has had an affect on employee retention, satisfaction, and loyalty too. Even so, other factors such as income, career prospects, and corporate culture may be more important to your workforce anyway, which can’t always be changed by e-learning. Conduct any one of these exercises and you can gain a worthwhile insight into the effectiveness of e-learning. But the only way of discovering whether it truly changed the behaviour and capabilities of staff is to carry out all four. What’s more, this should also give you answers about your return on investment too, assuming you know what costs are involved with this training technique.   Understanding the cost of e-learning For all the free courses that exist online today, most e-learning will require some sort of investment. After all, 70 per cent of employers don’t even trust the credibility of free online course completion anyway. But what costs can you expect to incur when building an e-learning solution?   People - It may involve the use of digital media for training purposes, but people power is still required to create an e-learning course. This can be a combination of both internal and external consultants, as your staff may know what needs to be taught but cannot develop the necessary programs or software. You will also need to value the time of staff that actually take part in e-learning, as they could be away from their position for prolonged periods of time. Technology - Seeing as e-learning is completely dependent on technology, this is bound to be another major expense. Some companies may even need a tailor-made solution that seamlessly integrates with their existing IT infrastructure. However, others might be able to adopt a fully functioning system that simply requires a change in course content. But with over 500 Learning Management System vendors on the market according to Bersin by Deloitte, you won’t struggle to find a provider to suit your unique requirements. Content - Don’t assume that teaching materials from previous training can be used for e-learning, as classroom-based content presented on a computer screen kind of misses the point. Costs associated with content will need to take into account development as well as creation. You may also need to think about how content could be changed in the future when new products are released or updated regulations come into affect. But most e-learning courses can be amended with relative ease.   Understanding the savings of e-learning If you have already established a fully functioning training programme, you may think that all this expenditure is too costly and simply unnecessary. But you must look to the long-term with e-learning, as it can potentially pay for itself several times over thanks to the following savings:   No travel expenses - This is one of the biggest reasons why large companies are starting to adopt e-learning. Employees can participate in training at their place of work and don’t need to travel to a specific location. No need for a teacher - Regardless of whether it’s an external consultant or internal member of staff, the teacher tasked with training is no longer required. No loss of work time - Employees can choose to learn at anytime and virtually anywhere. If e-learning courses are available on smartphone and desktop, members of staff can receive training on their daily commute or at home after work. More flexibility - With traditional training, employees often struggle to learn as they are forced to swallow information within a rigid schedule. But through e-learning, more flexibility means that multiple training sessions, which could end up costing lots of money, are eliminated. More personalisation - With the ability to absorb new information at their own speed, employees will become more efficient learners. So, along with the fact that e-learning can be a more cost-effective training solution, it also has the power to increase the efficiency and speed of knowledge acquisition, wherever and whenever employees decide to participate. Share this post with your own audience

With the LMS market expected to grow 23 percent by 2018, so will eLearning. This year alone, the global eLearning market is expected to reach $107 billion and over 57 percent of organizations are utilizing some form of online and blended learning. In fact, the need for eLearning content is so great that companies are putting together entire teams of people that include instructional designers, editors, graphic designers and authoring tool specialists.

SharePoint is an amazing tool for companies and that is why it has been named Microsoft’s fastest growing product in history. In fact, it proudly boasts that one in two Fortune 500 companies use SharePoint. The software goes beyond just content management though, and learning and development managers will be happy to know that there are a host of features that will make their jobs easier. This blog will discuss the five most important features in SharePoint for learning and development.

(As previously published in Training Industry Magaine, Oct. 12, 2015) There has been a rekindled excitement in the tech community for Microsoft SharePoint since the announcement of their latest version of the software available in spring 2016. Microsoft developers paid close attention to trends in content management, team collaboration and user experiences across devices in order to deliver value to their customers. So, what does this mean for training managers and how will it affect how they do their job?

ShareKnowledge proudly launched its highly anticipated version 4.5.5 —boasting almost 40 new features. "We’re really excited to deliver the latest version of ShareKnowledge," states Keth Crotty, VP of Business Development at ShareKnowledge. "We make a point to not only listen and take note of the changes in the training space but also what our clients need and ask for."

No dia de lançamento do iPad2 e na Nintendo 3DS (ver o vídeo com notícia na BBC) vale a pena analisar as potencialidades destes equipamentos e de outros que se anunciam como a PSP NGP (Next Generation Portable) e outros tablets e smartphones. As referências sobre o uso de equipamentos móveis no ensino  e formação (mobile learning) tem sido crescente nos últimos meses colocando-os muito para além de simples gadgets e revelando-os como ferramentas pedagógicas que vale a pena explorar (ver Mobile phones still exploding in classrooms everywhere) apesar de existir também um normal cepticismo sobre a sua utilização no ensino (ver Is Mobile a Reality Now?). O uso em equipamentos móveis de aplicações pedagógicas com Realidade Aumentada (ver PSP-based augmented reality turns school into an adventure worth writing about) e formas de interacção baseadas em gestos (ver vídeo abaixo) são uma tendência que já foi abordada aqui. O vídeo anterior apresenta o software da empresa israelita XTR3D que permite o controlo de telefones móveis, computadores portáteis e televisões através de gestos naturais (será mesmo verdade?). A Nintendo 3DS destaca-se pela possibilidade de ver imagens 3D sem necessidade de óculos especiais. Esta funcionalidade já iniciou uma polémica sobre os seus efeitos na saúde, em particular no caso das crianças mais novas (ver Nintendo New Release Raises Some Serious Debates on 3D Games). As potencialidades do iPad já foram abordadas aqui mas vale a pena também saber mais sobre a forma de usar este equipamento como e-reader (ver O iPad como e-reader - 12 artigos úteis). Sobre as potencialidades do iPad e do iPhone na formação profissional ver a proposta da Invensys Operations Management - EYESIM. Mais informação sobre recursos de m-learning pode ser consultada em Top 50 m-learning resources. Interessante será também sem dúvida o curso MobiMooc. (este post resultou em parte de diversas contribuições obtidas via twitter, nomeadamente @renatafrade, @AugmentedManc, @CarlosPinheiro, @ElearningGuru, @TheEngTeacher, entre outros)

Alguns dados interessantes sobre Mobile Learning (ver este post) na apresentação de Hugo Domingos - Revolucão mobile chegou! Estamos prontos para ela? - integrada no VII Seminário e-learning "Aprender nas Redes Sociais: Ampliar e Colaborar" (promovido pela TecMinho) que teve lugar no dia 1 de Abril no Centro de Congressos da Exponor (Porto):  No último trimestre de 2010 venderam-se mais smartphones do que PCs; Os tablets estão a ganhar peso no mercado dos equipamentos móveis; O sistema operativo Symbian (Nokia) tem vindo a perder peso ao passo que o Android (Google) tem vindo progressivamente a aumentar a sua quota de mercado; Destaque para o potencial da realidade aumentada e da geo-referenciação na área dos móveis.

A EDULEARN11 - 3rd Annual International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies vai ter lugar em Barcelona nos dias 4, 5 e 6 de Julho de 2011. É já possível consultar os abstracts aceites para a conferência. Contribuição (em co-autoria com Ademar Aguiar da Universidade do Porto / Tecla Colorida) com Schoooools.com: A Social and Collaborative Learning Environment for K-6 (abstract ID: 725).