Measuring the effectiveness and business impact of sales training should be rigorous, but also practical. Many tools are available from the two traditions of educational inquiry - qualitative and quantitative - and each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
In the qualitative research method, you collect in-depth data from a limited number of sources (e.g., sales training participants and their managers). For example, you attend and observe the training session, conduct in-depth interviews with participants, and observe their behaviors on the job through attending their sales calls. You may also interview a handful of their customers to explore their behavioral changes post training, or interview sales managers to explore behavioral changes in their sales reps on the job and to gauge the impact of their new behaviors on metrics such as revenue, sales cycle, etc. The resulting qualitative data is analyzed and reported through business impact cases and direct quotations from participants, managers, or customers.
In the quantitative research method, you collect large quantities of data through surveys and data extracts from corporate databases (e.g., HR or sales), and you use statistical analysis technique to measure participant satisfaction, learning, and impact of participants' behavioral changes on metrics such as customer satisfaction, sales quota attainment, and retention of the sales force. Sometimes performance of those who attended sales training is compared to those who did not, and statistical analysis techniques are used to determine whether investment in sales training made a difference. The results in quantitative research methods are reported through graphic representation of customer satisfaction over a period of time before, during, and after implementation of a sales training program or in tables that represent quota attainment of those who attended training versus those who did not. (See McMillan and Schumacher (1997) and Marshall and Rossman (1995) for more detail on these two methodologies.)
Introducing a Blended Methodology to Measure Sales Training Impact
Both quantitative and qualitative methods have strengths and weaknesses. The methodology described in this Infoline uses a blended approach that capitalizes on each tool's benefits while avoiding its shortcomings. In this way, the methodology effectively manages the complexity of measuring the business impact of sales training programs.
Overview of the Methodology
Implementation of the methodology results in a six-phase process:
Phase 1: Context Discovery & Metrics Definition
This phase of the process consists of two steps - defining measurement requirements and preparing a "business value chain." These two steps are critical to the success of the measurement effort because they help build management buy-in for your measurement efforts. They also define the scope of the measurement effort, customize the process to the needs of your organization, and build a blueprint for your measurement activities by determining what to measure (i.e., learning outcomes, desired behaviors on the job, and metrics impacted by application of what was learned in the program).
Phase 2: Research Design & Instrumentation
This phase enables you to define the types and sources of needed data, create a research design that enables you to collect and analyze valid and reliable data, and construct data collection instruments. Successful completion of this phase ensures that you collect the right data, from the right sources, at the right time, in the right way, and with the right tools.
Phase 3: Sampling
This phase consists of the critical step of selecting representative samples of sales training participants and non-participants and their managers, peers, and customers. It is impractical, expensive, and unnecessary to collect data from all participants in sales training. Using appropriate sampling techniques enables you to collect a manageable set of data and to generalize the findings to the broader population.
Phase 4: Data Collection & Analysis
This phase is the most labor-intensive part of the process. It is when you collect and analyze data, validate the findings, and formulate recommendations for continuous improvement of the training program. It consists of four steps:
Testing business metrics data collection procedures and collecting baseline data
Collecting data on achievement of learning objectives, resulting behavioral changes, and business metrics
Analyzing data and identifying areas for improvement
Triangulating data from multiple sources to ensure valid inferences and recommendations
Phase 5: Reporting
This phase is the most visible phase of the measurement process. This is when you communicate measurement findings, conclusions, and recommendations through reports and presentations to key stakeholders and members of the organization. Clear, objective, and persuasive communication of findings and recommendations is critical to demonstrate not only the value of the sales training program but also the value of the measurement effort. Audiences for this communication include:
Sales training managers - to demonstrate accountability to business sponsors who have invested in the program
Design and deployment team - to celebrate their contribution to creating value for the organization through development of effective and high-impact sale training programs and through implementation of the recommendations for continuous improvement
Business sponsors and sale managers - to appreciate the value generated through investment in sales training
Phase 6: Data Storage & Security
Measurement of the effectiveness of sales training and especially of its business impact is not a once-and-for-all-time effort. For some programs, such as those that continue in the organization over time, you need to revisit the data collected to build trends and to measure the continuing contribution of the program. Because the data will be needed in the future, it is imperative to store it securely. The sensitivity and confidentiality of HR and business data requires that you take the necessary steps to ensure it is secure.
