In today's digital age, online learning has become an integral part of sales training and development. Modern learners, having grown up in an era dominated by digital technology, are accustomed to engaging with content online. They expect learning experiences to be interactive, accessible, and relevant. However, engaging sellers in a virtual environment can still be challenging. As an L&D professional, it's crucial to understand the key components of driving engagement and adoption in online training programs.
Online sales training for these modern learners needs to be based on a strong curriculum and a foundation that includes pre-work, interactive learning sessions, assignments to apply new skills, and coaching sessions to allow sellers to practice skills and hold them accountable for implementing what they’ve learned.
But even the best programs need the support of strong implementation and engagement to succeed.
In this article, we share best practices and tools L&D professionals can use to make online learning more engaging. These tools are based around four key principles to driving online engagement:
- Create a cascading communication plan: One email and a mention at a team meeting about the online training isn't enough to get your sellers to stop what they’re doing and engage in the training. Communicate the why behind the training, tie it to strategic goals at the company, communicate across different levels of the organization from senior executives down to peers, and communicate early and often. Read on to get a communication plan template.
- Gain learner commitment: You need buy-in and ownership at the participant level. One of the most powerful ways to drive that is through a commitment contract. When someone commits to something in writing, they’re much more likely to follow through and do it. Continue reading to access a free commitment contract template.
- Ensure accountability: Maybe motivation at the beginning of the training is high, along with engagement. But as the weeks drag on, participation peters out. Ongoing accountability can keep motivation high throughout the entire training.
- Own and drive engagement proactively: Online training rarely works with a set-it-and-forget-it mentality. Assign an engagement champion responsible for monitoring progress and implementing a communication plan such as the one outlined below.
1. Create a Cascading Communication Plan
Download the RAIN Group Communication Plan Template. >>
How are you communicating this training within your organization? Who are these messages coming from? When should you send the messages and via which medium? What’s in it for each participant to engage? How can you boost motivation and excitement in the beginning and throughout the training?
These are all important questions to ask, answer, and address with your communication plan. The communication plan is a vital and often overlooked aspect to successful online training. Consider this: you’ve spent months building or contracting for the training, tailoring it for your organization, and integrating it into your organization, but when you launch it to learners, you hear crickets and you’re immediately on your back foot trying to get users to log in and participate.
All of this (or at least most of it) can be avoided with a well-thought-out communication plan.
A cascading communication plan will make sure that across each level of the organization—executives, managers, and learners—receive relevant, timely, and consistent messages regarding the learning initiative.
The primary goal of a cascading communication plan is to ensure that information is delivered effectively and efficiently throughout the organization, minimizing misunderstandings, promoting alignment with company objectives, and generating excitement about the initiative. This approach is particularly useful during times of change, such as is the case with changing sellers’ behavior with sales training.
Outline a plan that covers communications pre-kickoff, during delivery, and post-training. Think about:
- Message creation: Develop clear, concise, and consistent messages aligned with the organization's goals and objectives for the online learning program. Make sure the message focuses on the participant, underscoring the importance of the training and the why behind it. Include any incentives such as awards or games in your messages.
- Sequence and timing: Determine the order in which information will be shared with each level of the organization and the timing of these communications. You don’t want to send messages too early as busy professionals forget, but you also don’t want to send them too late.
- Communication channels: Identify the most effective channels for each level, such as face-to-face meetings, webinars, emails, Slack posts, recorded videos, and so on. Hint: an effective communication plan will have a mix of each of these.
- From: Assign specific communication responsibilities to leaders at each level, ensuring they understand their role in the process. This includes specific messages coming from executives (to communicate the importance of the initiative and tie to strategic priorities), from managers (via emails and in team meetings to constantly keep it top-of-mind), and even from peers (sharing quick wins where they’ve implemented the training).
- Feedback and monitoring: Establish mechanisms for gathering feedback and monitoring the effectiveness of the communication plan, allowing for adjustments as needed.
When you’re ready for the kickoff, consider beginning with a live webinar to generate excitement and communicate clear expectations. For example, you could host a 30-minute interactive session that highlights the program's benefits and key modules in the training, as well as answers participant questions. Communicate the program's importance, participation expectations, requirements, and cadence.
Part of planning includes identifying the incentives offered throughout the program, such as participation rewards or contests for best skill application or results. An example of this could be a monthly drawing for a gift card among participants who complete all modules on time.
Finally, be sure to communicate with learners, reinforcing their progress and recognizing participants regularly and proactively. Share success stories, best practices, and tool usage to keep learners motivated and engaged. For example, highlight a top performer who successfully applied an approach learned in the program to close a major deal.
2. Gain Learner Commitment
Download the RAIN Group Commitment Contract Template. >>
To secure learner buy-in, communicate the “why” behind the training program. Help participants understand “what’s in it for me” (WIIFM) and how the program aligns with their personal and professional goals. For example, explain how mastering sales skills can lead to increased sales, faster promotions, better work-life balance, or other goals.
Make the program mandatory, if possible, and ask participants to sign a commitment contract agreeing to complete the training. This could be a simple online form that outlines the actions the learner agrees to commit to, such as fully engaging with the material, attending sessions, completing assignments, and so on.
Incorporate the program into individual goal and action plans and regularly review progress with managers. For instance, include a goal of completing one module per week in each learner's quarterly objectives. Encourage ongoing development, adoption of tools and techniques, and module completion.
Seek learner feedback and experiences to continually improve the program. Use short surveys or focus groups to gather insights on what’s working well and areas for improvement. Upon completion, award certificates to acknowledge their achievement. Consider hosting a virtual graduation ceremony to celebrate their success.
3. Ensure Accountability
Use accountability to drive learner engagement with the following strategies:
- Accountability Partners: Foster a sense of accountability among learners by assigning accountability partners. Sellers can even be paired with sellers from different divisions or locations to broaden their perspectives and networks. These partnerships allow learners to track weekly progress and support each other’s participation. Accountability partners can check in with each other regularly, discuss their progress and challenges, and provide support and motivation to stay engaged in the program.
- Application Coaching Sessions: An ongoing, regular schedule of coaching, perhaps conducted weekly or every other week, holds learners accountable for applying their newfound skills and using tools and resources in actual sales situations. These coaching sessions provide deadlines for training and assignment completion, offer feedback on application assignments, and opportunities to share results. For instance, you can have learners submit a short video demonstrating how they applied a specific technique or approach in a real-world scenario.
- Discuss Application: Encourage managers to discuss skills application and tool usage during team meetings, focusing on active deals and real scenarios. For example, dedicate 10 minutes of each weekly sales meeting to discussing how team members are applying program concepts to their current projects.
- Track and Communicate Engagement: Implement a system to track and communicate learner engagement. This can include leaderboards, public posts, and manager updates. For instance, create a company-wide dashboard that displays program completion rates and top performers. Reach out to participants who fall behind, offering support and guidance to get them back on track. Implement a 90-Day Sales Achievement Challenge to maintain momentum and drive results. This could involve setting specific targets for the 90 days following program completion.
4. Own and Drive Engagement Proactively
Identify an engagement champion who is dedicated to driving participant engagement, running the playbook, and communicating with stakeholders to ensure program success. An engagement champion plays a crucial role in the success of any training initiative. This could be a senior L&D team member or a well-respected manager with a passion for employee development.
Their responsibilities include:
- Dedicated and accountable to driving participant engagement: Responsible for actively promoting and encouraging learner engagement throughout the program. They take ownership of ensuring that participants are actively participating and staying engaged.
- Running the playbook: Responsible for implementing the strategies outlined in this article. They ensure that the communication, commitment, accountability, and ownership components are effectively executed to drive learner engagement.
- Communicating with participants, managers, and leaders: Serves as a primary point of contact for participants, managers, and leaders. They communicate with these stakeholders to provide updates on the program, address any concerns or questions, and generate excitement and buy-in for the initiative.
- Empowered to drive engagement: Has the authority to take necessary actions to drive engagement. They can develop and implement additional engagement strategies, address any barriers or challenges that may arise, and provide ongoing support and motivation to participants.
- Collaborating with managers and leaders: Works closely with managers and leaders to ensure their support and involvement in the program. They collaborate with them to reinforce the use of training, incorporate it into individual goal and action plans, and lead discussions and meetings related to the initiative.
Overall, the engagement champion plays a pivotal role in creating a culture of engagement and ensuring that participants are actively involved in the program. They act as a catalyst for driving learner engagement and work toward the successful implementation and adoption of the program’s objectives.
In addition to having an engagement champion, leverage strong managers to support the initiative by reinforcing training usage, leading discussions, incorporating goals into action plans, and guiding the 90-Day Sales Achievement Challenge with their teams. For instance, provide managers with a toolkit of discussion guides, email templates, and recognition ideas to help them champion the program within their teams.
Effectively Drive Online Engagement
By implementing these four key components—communication, commitment, accountability, and ownership—L&D professionals can effectively drive learner engagement in online sales training programs. Remember to continuously monitor and adapt your strategies based on feedback and program results. With a proactive and learner-centric approach, you can create a thriving online learning environment that empowers your sales force and drives business success.
