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Note to Self: Have Employees Put Their Training to Good Use

by Paul Nolan

Jim Sollenberger is a wily human resources veteran who has forgotten more about how to run that aspect of a company than many HR directors will ever know. It’s no surprise, then, when he says he has found a differentiator that gives his company, Chicago-based Berlin Packaging, an advantage – one that helped produce a record year in 2006 and led to a sales growth rate that is triple that of the industry average.

What is surprising is how absurdly simple Sollenberger’s secret weapon is.

“The thing that sets us apart from other organizations that I’ve seen is not only are we giving people training opportunities, but we also provide opportunities to utilize that training when they come back to the workplace,” he says.

So you’re saying you train your employees and then you encourage them to use that training in their day-to-day work?

Before you laugh this off as an obvious point, ask yourself how much of what was taught in your last training session (you did have one recently, right?) is being put to use – and by how many of the participants.

In order to more easily and regularly reach its 60 full-time sales reps who are spread across the country, Berlin Packaging invested in an online, on-demand training platform that features eight different modules and takes up to 16 weeks to complete. The course was created specifically for Berlin by sales consultant Dirk Beveridge. Every new hire – whether in sales or not – is required to complete the course, which includes tests and interactive sessions.

The key to its success is giving employees the opportunity to put the information they’ve learned to use on a regular basis, including a focus on mentor roles and team projects.

“The results are in the culture as much as the numbers,” says Sollenberger. “If you’re not giving people meaningful – and I mean really meaningful – opportunities to utilize their training, you’re not getting the optimum return on your investment. If you give them all of this knowledge and no way after they acquire it to utilize it, they’re going to leave the organization.”

Getting workers to use the training you provide is the single best reason to go with customized training, says Beveridge.

“The amount of off-the-shelf training that is used in sales training today in hopes that something sticks makes me cringe,” he says. “Too often the individuals are left saying, ‘Great stuff, but how do I apply it to my business?’ There are certain fundamentals that are applicable across industries, but if you don’t take the time up front to truly customize it, your execution after the training will be minimized.”

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