Jeff McLanahan
Contributing Writer
Vice President of Training, Success Academy
Creating a training plan for your employees is crucial to their success as well as the success of the company. However, creating this plan may be the easiest part of the training decision process. After deciding on what will be included in the training plan, you must them decide on which employees will attend each available offering. You must decide when those chosen to receive the training will actually attend. You will need to decide the frequency in which your employees will attend the training, for example: once a year for items like the core Success Academy classroom training, or once per week for items such as the Success Profit Network training sessions. You must decide on your training budget for the month, quarter, and year. You must also decide how you will measure the effectiveness of the training that the employee attends.
Decisions, decisions, decisions!
Many trainers struggle with these decisions so I would like to share some ABC’s of Decision Making.
Ask for Wisdom. An old Chinese Proverb states, “He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.” If you need to get advice on a training plan, be sure to ask those tasked with training in your organization. They can share industry best practices as well as ideas from other groups that have implemented a successful training plan. Scheduling a training consultation is usually only a phone call away.
Back Off – See the Big Picture! When you are up to your waist in alligators, it’s easy to forget that your original intent was to drain the swamp. Don’t try to get everyone trained overnight in every position. Plan your work and work your plan. You do have a business to run and you need to meet the short-term needs of your business but you must have a plan to grow your business in the long-term.
Calculate the Worst That Could Happen! If you spend the time to train and develop your team it will cost you some labor in the short term. If you don’t spend the time to train and develop your team, those employees will be serving your customers. Which employee do you want providing service to your customers, the fully trained employee or the untrained employee?
Dare To Be Courageous! Tough decisions can be a little scary. Concentrate on why you made your decision and stand up for what you believe. When it gets busy, it is always easy to cancel the scheduled training and clear the calls, but think about the message you are sending to your employees. The message is clear that their training and development is fine as long as it is convenient and easy. What was the last great thing you achieved that was convenient and easy?
Enumerate the Benefits – Who Wins? Your final decision will have a ripple effect so create a win-win for everyone who is affected. Some existing employees may believe that you doubt their skills by requiring them to complete specific training or may just see it as a waste of time when they could be out on calls. Be sure to review your plan and communicate how it will benefit them, the business, and the entire team. Use specific numbers. One additional word or phrase may result in an increased closing percentage. One add-on sale per week may be all it takes for someone to move from an average employee to a Sales Champion.
Feel Great When You Have Done Your Best! Your training plan may include having employees completing one 15 to 20 minute online training session, like those offered from Success Profit Network, per week, each week so that you have 4 courses finished at the end of the month. While we will always strive to meet these goals, if you fall a session short, but you have done your best – CELEBRATE because you have still provided your employees with 3 training and development sessions throughout the month. This amounts to about 1.5 hours of information to help them improve their performance. But do not settle for this. Re-focus during the next month so you accomplish your goal.
Gather Trusted Advisors Around You! Don’t make a decision in a vacuum! Your management team and supervisors can be a great source of information when making your plans.
We all play a part in growing and strengthening the home services industry and our businesses. If you need a little inspiration to help get you started, reach out to a Success Academy Trainer and utilize their expertise.
Thanks for making training a priority!
Jeff McLanahan is a seasoned training executive with more than 20 years of proven success with some of the most well-known and highly respected franchise brand. In June 2013, Jeff joined Direct Energy Home Services as the Vice President of Training for Success Academy, the exclusive training partner for the Direct Energy Home Services branded businesses including One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin – The Punctual Plumber, and Mister Sparky – America’s On Time Electrician.