Monday, September 21, 2009

How to Make Employee Management Training Work

It is vitally important for you to have leaders that are able to lead their teams to achieve organizational goals. As people move into leadership positions, they often lack the necessary skills, attitudes, and habits that their new position demands. Therefore, almost all organizations, big and small, invest in some form of leadership skills training and development for their people. However, why do the same ineffective behaviors that were exhibited before the training continue to show up?

Too often, even in the best designed training programs the learning that takes place in the classroom is not transferred back into the organization in the form of changed behaviors or improved results. It seems like there is a gap between the training conducted in the classroom, to the actual day to day, on the court implementation of the new skills learned in the training. Consider that training is only one of the elements needed to have leaders use the management skills learned in training. In addition to training, organizations have to look at ways to reinforce the new behaviors. Organizations need to have the following three elements in place before implementing Colorado management training programs:

  • Organizational culture that is consistent with the training
  • System to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the individuals going through the training
  • A coaching or mentoring process to reinforce the new skills and behaviors learned


If an organization is training for X and the culture is Y, the Colorado management training is not going to yield the desired results. For example, let's say you are training managers to resolve conflict through open and candid communication. Your training objective is to have the manager listen actively to the concerns and opinions of others and to keep these discussions confidential. However, the culture of the organization is one where managers talk openly about conversations they have had with employees and complain that their employees are whiners! No matter how great the training is the culture is not in alignment with the desired behavior. That is why it is vital for the leadership of an organization to first determine the culture it wants to have. That culture must be communicated and the leadership has to set the example on a daily basis. When the culture and training are in alignment, behaviors can change.

Another important element for Colorado management training to be successful is to assess the manager's strengths and limitations before the training. This evaluation prior to training will allow the manager to get the most out of the training. It is optimal if you can develop the training around the specific needs of each individual. Often this is not possible due to budgets, time, and resources. However, an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, using 360 Degree Surveys or other assessment tools allow the manager to go into the training with a focus of what they need to work on in the training. The manager's supervisor should play a key role in this evaluation process.


The last element in having successful, long-lasting results from Colorado management training is to have an ongoing coaching and mentoring program. After the training, the manager should have someone in the organization that helps reinforce the new skills learned in the training. Preferably, this coach/mentor should not be the manager's direct supervisor, although it could be. The purpose is to set goals for progress and periodically measure progress against the goals. The coach/mentor should be someone available for the manager to go to and be able to "run things by them" to help the manager develop their management skills. In addition, the coach/mentor should have regular meetings (monthly at a minimum) to review what has happened since they last met. These meetings need to be where both the coach and the manager have time to openly discuss the problems and challenges the manager is facing. The coach/mentor should also recognize and reinforce the positive behaviors that have been exhibited.


Businesses today can ill afford to waste time and money. That's why organizations that want to maximize the return on their training dollars will ensure the three elements discussed in this article are well in place.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Ensuring Success With Business Management Training

Written by: Chris Kennedy

The range of tasks, situations and functions that a manager has to deal with can vary from industry to industry and of course from the various sizes of the company itself. A manager can furthermore not always be expected to handle every situation in an ideal manner, largely due to the fact that business and market conditions are constantly changing and evolving all the time. But one can prepare by providing adequate business management training to managers and potential managers in order to equip these individuals with the necessary skills to succeed in difficult times.

One of the key attributes in identifying management material in terms of staff, is that the person is willing to learn, and once this has been identified then you will be able to effectively train this person in sound business management training, procedures and techniques to at least increase the chances your business has in terms of survival. Whilst many formal qualifications exist for management, such as degrees and certificates, however these formal qualifications do not necessarily make a successful manager; it is rather within the person's abilities and traits that the manager will be able to truly lead the staff and the organisation to success.

One of the key areas of business management training, and an area that is frequently overlooked and underutilised is that of diversification. This process is not a necessarily expensive and overly complicated area of expertise, but rather requires some insight into your existing client base and what they are really asking for in addition to the products and or services that you currently provide. Quite often companies would prefer to deal with one specific, and reliable company that have to deal with a variety of different companies. This opportunity can be taught to existing and future management in that they can seek out additional opportunities for the company, which can add to profitability and which in turn can relate into additional performance bonuses for the individuals that are making a concerted effort in leading the business forward.

In addition to researching your customer's needs and requirements can open the door for additional opportunities outside of the core business area of the company concerned, as effective business management training can be utilised in identifying opportunities of gaining market share as a middleman and outsourcing the provision of the products and services in demand. Needless to say this merely takes some calculation in terms of mark up and management thereof in which instance the outsourced products and services will increase the bottom line without the need for expensive product and process manufacturing facilities.

Successful business management training, provided to the right people can make the difference between a growing and thriving company or a stagnant and unproductive business unit, and the investment in the human capital of the company is well worth it.

Business Management Training is a vital and often overlooked business requirement today. Visit Training Lynk at http://traininglynk.com/ for more resources.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Management Training - The Key to Corporate Success

A project is a provisional and exclusive endeavor, with a characterized starting and end, to come to exact goals and objectives inside time, allowance and mechanical constraints. Project management assists us to accomplish task goals by optimizing methods through correct designing, association and share of assets and integration of sub-processes inside the project. project management abilities are in demand by a broad variety of parts, extending from technology and building to IT, wellbeing care and administration.


In general, Denver management training programs are required mostly by individuals wo desire to launch their vocation in the area or employed professionals who desire to accelerate their vocations, by enhancing their proficiency to inspire persons, competently handle convoluted tasks, and discover sophisticated administration methods to double-check cost-effective outcomes for their company.


Similar training is also sought by corporate leadership looking ahead to train task managers and workers to boost their organizational effectiveness; smooth and simplify their workflows; boost coordination between groups employed on a task over borders; and double-check on-time consignment of a task with higher earnings margins.


To select a Denver management training program that works for you, it is essential to meditate upon your objectives and yearned outcomes from the course. A number of universities and organizations offer hordes of this programs, online and offline, with diverse curriculum and at diverse grades to assist their goal audience. The knack is to select a program at a befitting grade that teaches you in abilities that you and your commerce require. You furthermore have to glimpse if you are involved in connecting a program that encompasses general administration abilities or not.

Top 5 Sales Management Training Blunders

Written by: Stephen Rosen

Sales coaching is the management No. 1 activity that drives sales performance. The only problem is that managers have not been taught how to effectively coach. Coaching is a skill that takes time to perfect and unless effectively coached or trained managers make all types of blunders.

Do You Want To Increase Sales Performance?

Transforming your sales managers from good to great coaches can have a dramatic impact on sales. In fact, sales coaching is the management No. 1 activity that drives sales performance. The only problem is that managers have not been taught how to effectively coach. Coaching is a skill that takes time to perfect and unless effectively coached or trained managers make all types of blunders.

As the head of sales or as a frontline sales manager you can greatly enhance the performance of your sales team if you can develop great coaches.

Coaching Blunder #1 – “Telling vs. Asking Coaching”

As a sales manager you probably were a top sales rep. You may still see yourself as a problem-solver, like “If I solve this rep’s issue then she/he can make the sale.” As a result of your action orientation you are likely to tell the salesperson how to solve the issue. “Telling” does not create self-managing salespeople. In fact, there are numerous downsides to the tell-first approach.

First, you are not empowering your sales reps, who may perceive you as being a micro manager. Second, you are also creating a dependency on you to be their problem-solver. This creates endless emails, phone calls and resulting in needy reps. And third, you are not developing them. One of the critical areas for development is the ability to be a self manager.

Be aware of when you are in “tell” mode and remind yourself, when you have fallen into a bad habit.

Coaching Blunder #2 – “I’ll get to it Coaching”

Time management is a challenge we all face. With emails, meetings and administrative work what is a sales manager to do? If sales results are what you desire then the easy answer is to do the activities that will drive the greatest revenue. Generally we do the busy work first as they are the easiest to. It feels good when we are up to date on our emails. The stress is reduced when we have all our reports in on time and we have followed up on all our messages.

But all those activities don’t contribute to the bottom line. If great management training can have a direct impact of up to 19% more sales, why is coaching not the #1 priority?

Stop making excuses and get out of the office. Get out in the field and make coaching your #1 priority. Your boss will thank you and your reps will make lots of money.

Sales’ coaching is the No. 1 management activity that drives sales performance. The only problem is that managers have not been taught how to effectively coach. Business consulting is a skill that takes time to perfect and unless effectively coached or trained managers make all types of mistakes. This is the 3rd in a series of coaching pitfalls that mangers should avoid.

Coaching Blunder #3 “Laundry List Coaching”

Personal growth and change is a challenge for all of us. We all have strengths and areas for development. Mangers who decide who create a laundry list of areas for development will have little success. It is too difficult for sales rep to make wholesale changes in how they sell. Development is about working on improving 1 or 2 things and once the sales person has demonstrated that they have acquired the skill or behaviour then you can move on to the next area.

From a sales reps perspective imagine getting a field report listing all of the things you do wrong? Some reps would not even read the report. Many will read and wonder where I start. Others may read it and be completely overwhelmed.

Great coaching is about focus focus and focus. Helping a sales rep improve in one area of their job can have a major impact on their performance.

Coaching Blunder #4 “One Size Fits All Coaching”

One of the key pitfalls sales managers fall into is when the take the “one size fits all approach”.

How many times have we witnessed a sales rep working in auto pilot? This is the rep doing the same sales pitch to each customer and delivering the message in the same way. As coaches we fail to see when we go into auto pilot, taking the same approach with each rep.

Do you ever find yourself coaching all your reps the same way? Your feedback to each rep is the same? You have fallen into the rut of one size fits all coaching. Coaching differs from training. Training is about having everyone learn the same information or skills. Business coaching on the other hand is about diagnosing each reps particular area for improvement. It is about adapting your coaching style to the individual and about developing individualized development plans.

Coaching is a one to one sport. It is about growing individuals to develop to their full potential.

Coaching Blunder #5 – “Way to go Coaching”

One of the key blunders managers make is not getting a commitment to change. They have done a perfect job coaching by asking all right questions, come to agreement on areas for development but forget to get buy in on how the problem will be fixed. When the manger and rep agree on an area for development it is critical to have the rep buy in to what steps they will take to develop.

This requires a simple 3 or 4 point plan which includes what the sales rep will do between coaching sessions. The key is to have the rep develop their own next steps and your role becomes one of holding them accountable. Without this in place the odds are that there will be no change in rep behaviour or skills on the next management training session.

Great coaching means great performance. Sales organizations that embrace a coaching culture and invest in their front line managers’ ability to coach will have a competitive advantage and outsell the competition.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

What's The Role Of The Sales Manager?

There are four major issues that impact sales performance. They are:

All of these are necessary for effective sales staff performance. The competence, attitudes and the management style of the sales manager, however, is the critical issue in this formula, because the sales manager can either sabotage or contribute to the other three. There are a number of concepts that must be included in this topic area regarding the sales management function. They are the sales manager’s:

  • Self-image
  • Sales experience
  • Relationship to senior management
  • Contribution to the overall sales – as well as – corporate culture
  • Willingness to support and go to bat for his or her salespeople
  • Ability to create an atmosphere of trust and respect
  • Ability to treat each salesperson as an individual and not ‘lump’ him into a group of sales performers

The key principle a Denver business consultant must never forget is – you get the behavior you reward. If you want better margins; reward activity and success in that area. If you want new accounts, then the same rules apply. If you want more sales, again the same rules impact behavior.

One of the biggest mistakes poor sales managers make is that they fail to understand and integrate this simple, yet profound, concept into their management style and behavior.

Remember the role of sales manager is to manage…not do it, unless, of course, you are a personal producing manager.

Steps to Energize Your Sales Management Training

Here are the things that you need to discuss during your Denver management trainings to help your clients boost their sales and revenue:

Goal setting. It's very important for your clients to set their goals even before they try to market their products and services. Doing this is relatively easy; all they need to do is to spend some time figuring out the things that they would like to achieve. Ask them, how many sales would they like to close in a week, in a month, or in a year? Remind them that they must create goals that are measurable, specific, and attainable.

Proper planning. Teach your clients how to create step-by-step action plans as to how they can reach their goals. For example, if they want to increase their sales in tenfold, they must make their marketing strategies more powerful. This would mean spending more time and money in their advertising campaign and in launching promotions that can capture the attention of their potential buyers.

Sales force and sales leaders. Your clients will need to give their sales forces and their sales leaders some trainings and seminars so they will be equipped with knowledge and certain set of skills that will allow them to become better sellers. They have the option of hiring in-house or independent trainers based on their needs and budget.

Tools for assessment. Offer these people with various tools that they can use to assess the effectiveness of their marketing campaign. Then, teach them how to improve their marketing plan depending on its weaknesses.

If you follow these steps, your Colorado management training will prove to be more effective.

Friday, September 4, 2009

3 Steps in Choosing A Colorado Business Consultant

What determines the quality of a business consultant?

The job description of these professionals is somewhat vague and thus putting a finger on how to determine the quality of a Colorado business consultant can be very difficult. Essentially, it is the job of the business consultant to increase profits, be it in the long run or the short term. Many of these consultants have different tactics for doing so. Basically, what you want from a business consultant is someone who is intelligent, savvy, and pleasant to work with. Remember, if you can't stand talking to them, it doesn't matter how good they are, you aren't going to benefit from their expertise.

Who do they know?

Arguably one of the most important aspects of the job of one of these experts is the networking. Companies, especially the smaller ones, often hire Colorado business consultants based on their knowledge of business, or where they received their degree from. These aspects are extremely important and should absolutely never be overlooked, but one of the most common overlooked qualifications is who the experts know. Often times a business needs some type of service that they have not planned for, or a service that they will only need once or twice. The top business consultants will already know someone that can do the job. Often times they will know those companies not only on a professional level, but also on a personal level. Having a contact between you and the company not only will guarantee that you will get service that is up to your expectations, but you also may get a discount depending on how well the business consultant knows the other firm.

Big Firm or Small Firm?

This really depends a lot on your situation. If you are a large firm and need constant assistance and a lot of man-power to help run your business, you should go with a large firm because a smaller firm likely doesn't have the resources that you need. That being said, if you are a large firm and you seek out the services of a smaller firm, you will likely be one of their top clients and you will get a lot of attention. Small firms also offer some other unique benefits. Most large firms work several companies in your industry. For example, if you sell bicycle parts, and seek the services of a large firm, you may be one of 100. However, if you go to a smaller firm, you may be one of two especially if the industry your in is not a huge industry. So, if a bicycle shop owner goes to the business consultant that you used and requests help in setting up the shop, you have a 50% chance at getting a contract with the shop instead of a 1% chance.

Just like every other business decision, you should fully research every expert and take everything into account when making your decision on who you should hire. Talk to other business owners, and see who they have picked, and always make sure to ask your prospective business consultant for references before agreeing to any relationship.

Management Training, What it Can Do For You

If you've ever had or considered Management Training, then perhaps you'll have some idea what to expect. You may have already had a Denver Management Training session, which has helped you to become a more efficient and effective manager. For those managers who haven't had Management Training, what can be learned through training that can't be learned on the job?

Most managers haven't got the luxury of unlimited time or resources to perfect their management techniques. They need results quickly and with the minimum of fuss. This means that they can't always learn on the job.

See what sort of thing a Management Training Course could teach you.

1. Delegation

If you have a lot of people to manage, and have plenty of work to do already, why not delegate some of your tasks to others? These could be members of your team, your equivalents in other departments or perhaps the administration team.

If you learn how to delegate well you will be able to free up your time, and become more productive and efficient.

2. Skills for the New Manager

A lot of managers are promoted into the job, and depending on the company and the industry, there may be a big jump between being a team member, and managing the department. Often new managers don't have any formal Management Training, and are left to manage the department as they see fit. They have a hard enough time between keeping former colleagues in their team happy and ensuring that the work gets done, and that any reporting or research is also carried out properly.

3. Interpersonal skills

Just because you have great technical or product knowledge, it doesn't automatically follow that you'll make a great manager. Think about the number of former sportspeople that have been right at the top of their game, but haven't made it in a coaching or managerial position. With the right sort of management training, the skills and experiences of these people can be translated into the skills needed to manage a team.

4. Speed reading

With the numerous emails appearing in our in-boxes everyday, it can almost be a full time job to read them and act upon them accordingly. In addition to emails and other electronic documents, reading reports, researching and reading technical manuals or other relevant documentation can take up a significant proportion of the day. Knowing how to prioritize and speed read can help you to decide in which order to read items that you are sent, and how to act accordingly.

5. Coaching

You may perform a coaching role as part of your job. This could be training new employees and ensuring that they are up to speed with the systems, processes and procedures used by your company, or it could to help them pass a professional recognized qualification. By knowing how to help people learn, and discovering different ways in which people learn, you can help people to learn more efficiently and effectively, and have the right knowledge quicker.

Now you know some of the benefits of Management Training, isn't it time you considered a Management Training Course?