Analysis from G2 discovered that in case your gross sales reps don’t really feel they’re studying and rising in your group, you’re in danger to lose upwards of 60% of your complete workforce inside 4 years. So, what makes impactful coaching that leaves your learners feeling empowered?

Shawnna Sumaoang: Hello and welcome to the Win Win Podcast. I’m your host, Shawnna Sumaoang. Be part of us as we dive into altering tendencies within the office and the best way to navigate them efficiently. Right here to debate this subject is Debra Bonomi, world gross sales enablement supervisor at Rakuten Promoting. Thanks for becoming a member of, Debra! I’d love so that you can inform us about your self, your background, and your function.

Debra Bonomi: Hello Shawnna. Thanks a lot for having me right here as we speak. I actually am wanting ahead to this dialog. I undoubtedly have a really numerous background in coaching and improvement. I began out in retail, then I joined a coaching and consulting agency, after which went into actual property, and now I’m at the moment in online marketing.

Though I’ve very numerous industries, all of my positions in these previous jobs consisted of coaching and improvement. Since constructing our Highspot coaching, I’ve moved into a brand new function even inside Rakuten Promoting from the gross sales enablement supervisor for world gross sales and shopper service groups, to now the training and improvement supervisor for all world groups.

SS: Debra, we’re excited to have you ever right here, particularly given your experience and your background. Now, you name your self an expert learner and also you focus lots on skilled improvement, together with taking a few of our programs that my group just lately constructed out inside Highspot College. Thanks for taking these, we might love any suggestions, by the way in which, after this podcast. How do you assume ongoing coaching advantages you personally?

DB: I do love these coaching programs. One in every of my prime 5 strengths in StrengthFinder assessments is learner, and that actually does describe me. I’ve all the time had a quench for information, and this has helped me in so many features of my life personally, and professionally, being a mother, buddy, and peer, actually with everybody that I work together with.

I believe by approaching each interplay I’ve from a standpoint of being open and open to listening, I be taught. I’m grateful for all my interactions with folks since I discovered completely different views or from their experiences that I’d by no means have discovered alone. This has been one of many main the explanation why I can soar industries and excel so rapidly and it’s additionally enabled me to be a useful resource for groups that I assist.

SS: Now you touched on this just a little bit in your introduction, however you even have a novel background the place you will have some expertise in enterprise improvement and undertaking administration. How do you assume that this impacts your strategy to gross sales enablement and coaching?

DB: I believe due to my experiences in each, I perceive that in the event you construct a strong basis, there’s no restrict to what will be achieved, and this paradoxically makes it extra agile. I put a whole lot of effort and time into constructing the inspiration of any of the enablement applications I’ve been concerned with and the trainings. Some folks can do that as taking a step backward earlier than we transfer ahead, however I don’t. I do know it’s critical for profitable outcomes. My prep and discovery part takes essentially the most time in the entire tasks that I’m concerned with.

I eagerly search out talent gaps, course of wants, communication wants, and desired outcomes, and I’m always asking why and so what to myself. I discuss with the stakeholder from each stage of the funnel or course of concerned in what I’m constructing, in order that the coaching is complete. It is sensible, and it can also embrace these nuggets or ideas that fill within the hole.

SS: I like that. Highspot proper now’s actually attempting to assist our different clients perceive what attractiveness like, so I’d like to get your perspective and your opinion on what attractiveness like relating to gross sales coaching.

DB: I wrestle with this as nicely. I are inclined to wish to maintain going till the coaching covers 110% or provides outcomes which might be 110%. I’m undoubtedly engaged on this myself, however at its core, I really feel like good coaching is when the gross sales groups know their objectives, they’ve the instruments to attain these objectives, they know the best way to use these instruments, after which give them a platform to share real-time suggestions. A gross sales rep’s function modifications with every shopper or prospect interplay, so enablement and L&D need to be as agile to assist them and whether or not it’s content material wants or firm data, business insights, or any information wanted to assist constructing that shopper rep relationship.
I believe a key change we have now made right here at Rakuten to our coaching since rolling out Highspot, which we discovered out of your platform is breaking down trainings into modules. As an alternative of getting hour-long classes, we’re now beginning to create brief focused trainings which might be job or talent particular. This manner we maintain the learner’s consideration in addition to when the reps return if they’re educated on one thing, after which they don’t must have that data for say, 4 months, whether or not it’s like filling out part of a contract. This manner when the rep goes again, they don’t need to scroll by means of hour-long movies like they used to attempt to discover that part. They’ll simply go proper to the focused video, which has been incredible.

SS: I like that, and that’s all the time incredible to listen to. Now, I do know that you’re passionate and love studying, however how do you share your love for studying along with your gross sales reps to actually inspire them to enhance their information and expertise?

DB: I like this query. No pun meant. First I set up relationships with them to actually perceive them and their wants, after which to get their buy-in. I believe typically I do that as people and typically I do it on the group stage, however I do the identical issues no matter both of these. I discover out what their background is, what their ache factors are, what would make their job simpler and extra pleasurable, and what they should obtain their success, after which I ship. I believe that’s an important factor.

Each time I ship on something that I’ve interacted with them or inquired with them, I can see their shoulders enjoyable. I see them smiling extra, after which I begin to see them becoming a member of increasingly more of my future coaching classes as a result of I’ve constructed that belief with them. I like my job and I’m not simply saying that. I really love not solely studying about this new business and studying about what I can do to assist folks, so it’s straightforward for me to be genuine in my enthusiasm and my assist.

SS: Nicely, I like that, and no pun meant to that as nicely. Now you will have 98% lively participation in your coaching and training programs in Highspot, so clearly you’re doing one thing proper and your reps like it. Are you able to share greatest practices for a way you drive rep engagement in your studying applications in Highspot?

DB: Positive, I’d like to. Initially, one of many key learnings out of your Spark Convention in 2022, which was my first ever attending, one of many key learnings that we walked away with was to get senior management buy-in, and that message was pushed house repeatedly at your convention, and we bought it. One in every of our main coaching releases just lately was with our CRM, SalesForce, and the necessity was recognized by our CFO.
It was an ideal alternative to get our CFO and our CEO to assist these coaching modules being constructed inside Highspot on Salesforce. That in flip bought different senior leaders to affix in to assist and likewise when it comes to holding folks accountable. I believe this was a significant factor in our participation charge. We nonetheless wanted to make the coaching stick, not simply to have folks take it as a result of they had been instructed to as a result of senior management was holding them accountable. That is the place the invention basis work kicked in. Having a full 360-degree understanding of how this coaching will impression end-to-end makes it extra priceless, extra relatable, and drives engagement. When a rep is aware of that they’re requested what they want steerage on, after which they get that steerage, that builds belief with the enablement and coaching groups.

One other key greatest observe was using the Highspot platform to vary the supply to these brief focused movies with assessments. They love the problem of the assessments that Highspot provides us to do, in addition to the in-time demonstration of their studying after which additionally offering assist documentation, I believe is essential too on the backside of all trainings in order that they might put it aside as a useful resource. I believe this was very completely different from our earlier studying and improvement platform talents that we’ve had previously.

One other key integration for us was that Highspot truly syncs these focused coaching modules proper into Salesforce, and that has been large. Gone are the times of a rep taking a coaching, not utilizing it for six months or longer, after which attempting to recollect the place they will discover it inside a number of platforms. Now, whereas they’re on the display in Salesforce, they usually’re doing a job, in the event that they don’t bear in mind the best way to do it, proper on the right-hand facet Highspot has the power to have us have the coaching proper there so they might click on on it, it stays in the identical display and provides them steerage, which has been excellent. Thanks for that.

SS: Incredible. I like the very best practices that you just simply shared there. What outcomes have you ever began to see out of your reps who’ve engaged within the coaching?

DB: Sheer pleasure and I imply that wholeheartedly. There’s a pleasure in being extra environment friendly, assuaging their frustration, and realizing the best way to do their job. Now they’ve extra time to be artistic or simply to have conversations with their shoppers. We’ve undoubtedly seen a rise in our CRM errors, but additionally we’ve gotten extra full profiles, which might not have essentially come up as an error previously. The reps didn’t know the best way to fill in all of the fields, so that they left them clean, and once more, that didn’t come up as an error, however we had been lacking, as an organization, priceless information from our shoppers to assist us make extra knowledgeable choices on forecasting and enterprise wants.

We have now additionally recognized the following stage of coaching wants primarily based on all of this. A lot of our duties are interconnected and as soon as we launch coaching in a single subject, another subjects which might be woven into it at the moment are highlighted. Now we have now reps in these departments coming to us asking for coaching to be included and typically included in earlier modules. An awesome instance of that’s the CRM coaching I talked about. We initially simply included steps inside the CRM, however now we have now our authorized division reaching out saying, hey, can I add a lesson inside that to offer them a greater understanding of what a contract is or the best way to fill out the contract, not simply the best way to add it into the CRM?

SS: Great. Now, as we take into consideration perhaps among the KPIs or the important thing efficiency indicators, what metrics do you monitor as we speak to know the impression of your coaching applications and particularly the impression on productiveness, and the way does Highspot assist you monitor a few of these?

DB: Highspot has given us analytics to a stage that we really have by no means had earlier than. As an alternative of providing a coaching session and ready for suggestions from group members in the event that they wanted extra coaching, which typically suggestions by no means got here, now we have now the power to proactively view the coaching course stats. When applicable we construct sensible pages related to a coaching subject, some small focused sensible pages, and a few extra in depth ones. We will additionally use the scorecards from these sensible pages to see if there’s a rise in content material engagement, utilization, the pitching on these subjects, all of them from the coaching that had been launched.

We construct preliminary analytics experiences inside Highspot by the group in order that managers can pull these experiences themselves and achieve insights wanted for his or her one-on-ones with reps. These one-on-one conversations are extra focused at each reps which might be succeeding and people which might be struggling. If I had a rep attain out to me with a query, I’d truly pull up that report for his or her data earlier than I responded to them in order that I knew what to anticipate, or what their actions have been or lack of earlier than I truly began talking with them, which I’ve by no means had that potential earlier than. Plus we additionally utilized the Highspot assist groups, they usually evaluate with us on a month-to-month foundation our report card and provides us insights on our engagement, our utilization, our adoption, and extra. They undoubtedly give us a whole lot of steerage.

Then, lastly, a key name out about Highspot is the modifications and enhancements it’s making to our group that may’t be tracked or analyzed inside Highspot. I’m the largest advocate of this. After we began to construct our Highspot platform for our groups, we rapidly realized that the entire methods and the processes and content material, steerage, and communications that weren’t in place wanted to be, and that’s not essentially one thing that I might pull a report in Highspot, however in the event you construct this platform appropriately and also you really are thorough, you’ll get data that’s important to a corporation when it comes to correcting its course. I extremely suggest it. It’s a non-confrontational manner of figuring out what must be constructed out to assist our enterprise construction and our groups and it’s an added bonus that Highspot offered us that we weren’t anticipating. Thanks.

SS: I like to listen to that. I think about Debra, simply because once more, you are taking this be taught all of it mentality, how do you employ these metrics then to optimize your applications and enhance the impression that you just’re already driving along with your coaching applications?

DB: We used them to determine if the coaching was complete sufficient. Do we have to change it since errors are nonetheless occurring? Do we have to add extra subjects like stage 2.0 to the following step of this? What key learnings can we take away to incorporate within the subsequent coaching course creation? Even the sensible web page builders, just like the Highspot rep and I typically chuckle like, do you do not forget that first sensible web page we constructed, we thought it was so nice, and now have a look at what they appear to be. We will see what reps like by what they reply to and use, after which we are able to do extra of that and maintain constructing on that.

We will additionally use Highspot to find out what coaching is required primarily based on analyzing the rep’s behaviors. Coaching inside Highspot and inside their each day roles. For instance, inside Highspot, if too many gross sales reps are downloading the pitch deck, as a substitute of constructing a replica, modifying, and pitching, then we all know that we have now to coach them on that. If it’s a small quantity, the supervisor may have the ability to right this, and inside their each day roles, if the reps are usually not personalizing decks in any respect, or not utilizing the insights obtainable to them, we are able to right that as nicely. By seeing what’s and what’s not taking place, we are able to use this data to supply insights as to why initiatives are profitable or not, after which make choices on the following step.

SS: Completely love that. Two final questions for you, Debra. I’d love to listen to about perhaps a latest win that you just’ve been in a position to obtain because of your coaching applications and the way did you leverage Highspot that can assist you obtain that?

DB: Undoubtedly our CRM coaching. Highspot gave us coaching program capabilities that we by no means had earlier than. It additionally gave us some steerage when it comes to I don’t essentially know if we might’ve thought to begin breaking apart our coaching into these fast, brief, focused movies versus persevering with to do the hour-long classes.

We will measure studying in the intervening time both by questions, recorded responses of a gross sales pitch, shopper name, or pc job, and we love that they will be taught after which show proper in the intervening time. We will guarantee they took the course, not solely to get credit score for watching the whole course, etcetera, and we didn’t have the potential to do any of these items previous to Highspot, as I stated earlier than. The coaching platform is extremely straightforward to navigate, construct and monitor.

SS: Love that. Final query for you, Debra. How do you intend to proceed utilizing Highspot coaching and training to assist drive gross sales productiveness within the subsequent 12 months, and hopefully past?

DB: As a lot as attainable. We use Highspot at the moment for our gross sales and shopper service groups. It’s a tremendous software to make use of for onboarding new hires, rolling out new initiatives, compliance, or necessary trainings. Actually something that we have to measure and provides reps. The power to be taught after which show key learnings and something that we have to measure ourselves.

We’ll particularly use this for any coaching that can be utilized inside our CRM to assist our reps. As I discussed earlier, not simply the CRM-specific job, however now we’re beginning to layer in authorized elements to that coaching. I’m positive as soon as that occurs, there’s going to be one other division to succeed in out and say, hey, are you able to add this to that coaching as nicely, which is great. They love not solely having the coaching on the precise web page that they want in that CRM, but additionally they don’t have to go away the platform and begin the hunt. One factor we’ve discovered, and I’ve discovered undoubtedly, is that the extra we use it, the extra we see why and the way we have to use it.

I’m positive there are issues that I could possibly be saying extra. Identical to once we constructed a coaching course after which instantly noticed the following course wanted to be constructed. I’m clear that there’ll be makes use of for Highspot that aren’t in our orbit but, and I really can’t wait to be taught them.

SS: Nicely, thanks a lot for sharing what you will have discovered up to now, Debra. I actually admire it.

DB: Thanks very a lot.

SS: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Win Win podcast. Remember to tune in subsequent time for extra insights on how one can maximize enablement success with Highspot.