Engaging my Sales Associates in training

By tomorrow, I will have a sales staff for an upper end, retail jewelry boutique. The next step is to bring them up to speed and train them, both in our product and how to sell it. Any suggested reading, websites, or personal experience?

Originally Posted by tbaldwin By tomorrow, I will have a sales staff for an upper end, retail jewelry boutique. The next step is to bring them up to speed and train them, both in our product and how to sell it. Any suggested reading, websites, or personal experience?

How extensive will the training be?

I will have approximately 2 weeks to train them in a long and detailed line of fine jewelry. I must put my training together from the ground up, with pictures and descriptions, very little else. It has been suggested that I put together an eLearining system of some sort....NO IDEA HOW....I am a really great manager and business women, I know how to motivate, keep people playing on the same team, I've been told many times that I could sell snow balls to an Eskimo...just not sure how to teach that in a "plan before the incident" type of method...my previous experience was a teach as you go, lead and oberserve, coach day by day. I've never had any kind of traditional (or not so traditional) training for selling, it just came naturally to me...

Originally Posted by tbaldwin I will have approximately 2 weeks to train them in a long and detailed line of fine jewelry. I must put my training together from the ground up, with pictures and descriptions, very little else. It has been suggested that I put together an eLearining system of some sort....NO IDEA HOW...

The elearning could be a secure website with pictures and descriptions (product knowledge) that you put together. You could also have an area for "policies and procedures" which outlines how you want the sales people to operate. Another area could be for selling procedures such as an outline of the selling process for your specific offering. You could include a selection of questions to ask consumers and responses to common consumer questions. The list goes on...

Thoughts?

I will be putting all trianing on a secure website, however, there has been discussion regarding a testing system online as well, with a test at the end of each section after review. I am not a super technical person, however, I do learn very quickly. I simply have no understanding of how to put some kind of test, and the answers online. I assume that the investors would like this kind of system so that progress of learning, as well as retention of knowledge, can be monitored from off site. There will be a grading system on knowledge that will influence annual pay raise.

I guess I'm not so stumped as to content as how to facilitate the process.

Originally Posted by tbaldwin I guess I'm not so stumped as to content as how to facilitate the process.

Have you considered collaborating with a web designer?

I have thought about that, however, I don't know that I will have a budget for that. I know that there are programs available to create online polls, etc...such as what we are doing now, as well as multiple choice radial buttons, etc...although, I'm not sure how to google that...

Originally Posted by tbaldwin By tomorrow, I will have a sales staff for an upper end, retail jewelry boutique. The next step is to bring them up to speed and train them, both in our product and how to sell it. Any suggested reading, websites, or personal experience?

Do you expect your customers will be upper income or high net worth? I sold for years to high net worth, so may be able to offer some suggestions

Susan

Originally Posted by tbaldwin I have thought about that, however, I don't know that I will have a budget for that. I know that there are programs available to create online polls, etc...such as what we are doing now, as well as multiple choice radial buttons, etc...although, I'm not sure how to google that...

Are you looking for something like this?

• http://www.hostedtest.com/
• http://www.questionmark.com/
• http://testcraft.com/

Thank you for the leads! I'll check them out on the train this morning and get back to you!