Selling the Value - Part 1

Whether you are an internal training professional or an external training consultant, the key to selling the value of training is to start with really understanding what the people at the top levels of the organization need to help them achieve their business goals.

When I was an internal performance consultant, a top ranking person in the company said to me, “Bob, going to training is kind of like going to the dentist and it is just one of the necessary evils in life.” This person had never been to one of my programs, but I knew I needed to overcome his initial perception so that I would not be viewed as part of a “necessary evil” and show that I created real value for the organization.

My first jobs were in sales (becoming a sales trainer was how I started my career in training and development) and I now have my own training business. Yet it is still a real challenge to prove my value to the people that matter the most (the ones that sign the checks). My challenge to you is to figure out what matters the most to the people at the top and define your value. Do this so that the next time someone has an issue, they think of bringing you in to help solve their problem. After you have developed the reputation of being a problem solver, you will be seen as a business partner and will be invaluable to the organization.

I encourage you to take the following actions the next time you want to have a direct impact on the business:

• Go to the highest ranking person in the organization that has nothing to do with Training and/or Human Resources and simply ask what they need from you to help them achieve their goals given the fact that you have experience in… (you have to complete the sentence). Note - If you can’t get to the highest ranking person, go as high as you can go.
  
• Be very receptive to what they are saying even if it does not fall directly into the area of training. Be honest with yourself and ask if what you are doing today is really more important than what the top people in the company want you to do.

In close to ten years of Training and Development experience, one of my most successful programs was the facilitation of a weekly conference call that promoted interaction between field sales and the home office staff. Although it was not really training, it was the one of the most successful programs because it was what the VP of Sales wanted. In addition, the President of the division could clearly see how this weekly conference call directly contributed to his division’s ability to meet an $11 million net operating income target.

In summary, the first step in selling the value of training is to understand what the people at the top really want, and then define what you bring to the table to help them achieve their business goals.

In my next article, I will discuss the next step in selling the value of training - how to communicate your impact.

Bob Riess is the President of The Customer Connector and can be contacted through www.thecustomerconnector.com or at (859) 240-2550.