Basics of Training

Practical. Applicable. Inventive.

Hill Management Consulting

The Basics of Basic Training

“Never mind. I’ll do it myself.”

If you haven’t actually uttered those words, chances are good you’ve at least thought them. Finding good employees gets harder every day. Whether your staff numbers two, twenty, or two-hundred, you need folks who are honest, hard-working, possess good sales and customer service skills and technical knowledge. In most cases we settle for two or three of those characteristics, and are left to train the rest.

Employee turnover rates in the United States range from 20% to 100%+ per year depending on industry and business type. Retail is at the high end of the attrition spectrum, and skilled labor is at the low end. Economists project that the cost of hiring and training one person is equal to 1.5 of their annual salary. It seems almost hopeless – if you manage to find a person with some of the right qualities, your chances of losing them before you get your investment back is very high.

It would be wonderful if every community had a first-rate business training program for adults, but most of us are left to provide our own training. While some training is best left in the hands of accredited educators, you can develop a training program that provides your business with better employees that return your investment more quickly. Here’s how:

Identify the “Desired Competencies”

Answer the question “what will this employee be like when they are meeting my expectations?” Will they be warm and accessible to customers? Will they be able to guide a customer through an expensive purchase? Will they have the requisite technical skills? Will they develop the necessary administrative skills? If you can’t picture what the desired competencies are, you can’t expect your employee to either. And if they are failing, you must know whether it is because they lack core competencies necessary to learn the skills, or if it is because they have been poorly trained. To begin your training program, write down the list of desired competencies.

Keep it Simple

It is much easier to master one simple thing at a time than to try to learn everything at once. With each accomplishment we celebrate our success and add to our sense of personal competency, which is highly motivating. Make sure your training program is structured to be non-threatening and to enable many small successes along the way.

Using your Desired Competencies list, create a series of training “modules” that your new employees will pursue. Each module should be very limited in scope. Instead of having a “Customer Service” training, break it into discreet sections, such as “Our Business’ Brand Image,” “Dealing with Difficult Customers,” “Solving Problems,” and “Processing a Return.” Then take each module and break it down to the list of things that together would represent complete knowledge of the topic. For example, the list of competencies for “Dealing with Difficult Customers” could include:

· Empathic listening

· Acknowledging and validating a customer’s feelings

· Problem solving techniques

· Setting the stage for future training

Once you have identified the elements of each training module, its easy to develop methods of achieving competency in each element. Some elements can be taught through reading a book or article on the topic. Some elements are best taught on-the-job. You may be able to take advantage of internet training, local chamber of commerce free seminars, or inexpensive classes at your community college. For many of the elements you are the best expert, and you may wish to develop a combination of on-the-job and meeting style training to review them.

Each training module, once broken down into the elements that constitute competency, should be presented in simple outline form on a single sheet of paper. Beneath each element you can identify the preferred method for achieving each one. For instance:

Empathic Listening

Chapters 2-4 of The Good Customer Service Book

Acknowledging and validating a customer’s feelings

On the job training

Chapter 5 of The Good Customer Service Book

As your employees become ready for each training module, review the module outline with them in advance. This will enable them to envision what will be expected, and helps to set their expectations that training is important work. It will also help you maintain focus on what elements still need to be learned by your employee, so you are ready to step in with the appropriate teaching as opportunities arise in your day-to-day business.

Finally, attach compensation to successful demonstration of trained skills. You may be willing to pay a junior sales associate $10.50 per hour if they perform well, but you are able to hire a “trainee” for $9.26 per hour. Review with your new employee the skills you expect them to demonstrate once they have been with you for one year, and review the outlines for the various training modules they are expected to complete. Attach increases in pay to performance measurements that reflect excellence in learning and carrying out their new skills. Make sure your expectations are clear, and that performance can be consistently and fairly measured.

This approach to training keeps training strategic, relevant, and immediately applicable. Your employees will benefit from having a clear roadmap to success, and you will benefit from the results of well-trained, competent employees.