The future of work is most definitely upon us, whether we’re ready or not. Millennials are playing an active role in changing how we all work, from expectations around technology to success measurement to how, when, and where “work” occurs. And, this makes sense. PWC says millennials will make up 50% of the workforce by 2020, so it’s only natural they’re taking the rest of us on a journey of adaption when it comes to the way we approach day-to-day business life.
Next week, Highspot will be in Atlanta with the largest collection of talent and training professionals at the Association for Talent Development International Conference, and the timing couldn’t be more fortunate, as adapting for the new needs of an emerging workforce is top-of-mind at organizations worldwide. We’re excited to have an active role in the conference’s sales enablement track (we’re sponsoring it, in fact!). Sales enablement can play a positive—and significant—role in delivery and measurement of training efforts. Check out these sessions to learn how to up-level your sales training and reach your growing millennial talent pool with technology.
- Sales Enablement Lunch ‘N’ Learn: Succeeding with Sales Enablement in 2017
Sunday, May 21, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
In this panel, speakers will share personal experiences with building structured, measurable sales enablement practices-including fostering processes, people, training, and technology for best results. They’ll also cover common (and uncommon) issues to consider as you research and roll out sales enablement in your organization, including adjusting for the needs of up-and-coming talent.According to panelist Scott Comptois, the emerging workforce challenges traditional training models. “They’ve grown accustomed to on-demand knowledge when they need it, rather than accumulating and storing knowledge for later use (think Google and YouTube). This creates an urgency in the shelf-life of training materials, shortening them to the point that it needs to be relevant in the moment, which requires us to provide content as close to real-time as possible. A second dynamic is the age of spin which millennials have grown up in, which means many have a need to “calibrate” their learning from multiple sources, rather than trusting a single source.”
Panelist Don Schmidt expanded on this concept, saying that five years ago you could train everyone the same way. “With millennials increasing their share within the employee ranks, training has shifted to more diverse learning methods. He says millennials tend to be kinesthetic learners and have no desire for memorization compared to GenX who are more visual and auditory. That change has spilled over into the need to “flip the classroom” so that the homework comes before the class (via eLearning) making it possible for the in-class learning to rely heavily on kinesthetic exercises.”
- Using In-Context Training to Improve Sales Results
Monday, May 22, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
This session is all about the learn the business benefits of aligning content and training to the sales process to deliver the information and instruction sales reps need, when they need it. Just-in-time, in-context training is a game changer for today’s sales rep because it delivers the right information, right when they need it—which is usually right before speaking with a client.Highspot’s own John Tintle will cover how to apply in-context sales enablement for guided selling, playbooks, customer-facing content, and training/sales rep development. Not surprisingly, modern salespeople are always-on, it’s how the role works now. John points out that, “to win, these sellers need strategies, tactics, and tools that are more flexible and powerful than the competition. Leading sales enablement features such as in-context training help them pursue their goals with greater confidence than ever before. They can transition from one task to another in seconds, armed with the precise information they need to close deals anywhere, anytime.”
Join John and learn how to arm your sellers with the right training at the right time—in a way they will actually use.
If you’re in Atlanta, we hope to see you there. Check out these sessions along with the multitude of other learning opportunities available, and have a great conference!
