Cover Story – By Joe Gozdieski and Wendy Eicholzer
Tracking effective training for new reps
We know that there are many avenues for data collection in the training world, including the liberal use of SurveyMonkey for effective real-time data collection, “smile sheets,” quick post-training evaluations, certifications and assessments. We can also measure skills application by capturing role-play observations and ratings. Today, we can even leverage artificial intelligence (AI) and sales-enablement platforms.
So much data, so little time.
With access to all this data, how do we know what is most valuable to us or where to focus our attention? And if we have data that demonstrate improved skill or behavioral “performance,” how can we ensure that it was the training intervention that led to the positive change?
As a sales training leader, you likely conduct a regular cadence of new-hire classes across the calendar year. Perhaps, like the commercial effectiveness and training (CET) team at Acadia Pharmaceuticals, you believe there is plenty of data to show turnover negatively impacts sales performance.
Since we know that sales performance is often considered the gold standard for measuring the impact of training, the CET team decided to use this metric to verify and establish benchmarks for data-driven organizational change. They started with the premise that new hires can have an immediate, measurable impact in their roles.
How and What Did Acadia Measure?
With the hypothesis that new hires can make near-term impact on their business and sales performance, Acadia partnered with Whole Systems and developed the following strategy to collect “before and after” sales data from territories with new sales specialists:
- SurveyMonkey was used to distribute a survey to all new-hire managers to determine what skills or behaviors the new hire needed to improve following initial training, and to assess how much time it took them to be effective in their roles.
- Utilized sales performance data in the territory for the year prior to the new hire, and then again at 12 months following each person’s start date.
The Results – CET Center of Excellence
Acadia was able to show how effective training of these new hires resulted in near-term improvement in sales results upon their arrival in territory:
- New sales specialists demonstrated a 20% increase in territory sales performance in their first year vs. the same territory the year prior.
- Sales managers (n=32) rated their new hires a nine on a 10-point scale on their “ability to effectively execute their job responsibilities on day 1 post new-hire training.”
- All 2022 commercial field training new-hire classes received an average score of 4.5 out of 5.0.
Acadia found that new sales specialists were prepared to succeed. They were aligned to business and marketing strategy upon entering the field, brought positive energy, new perspectives and a level of motivation that can make all the difference. As such, they were also able to act as change agents within the existing sales force. Finally, they were comfortable and confident being new to Acadia, but not new to role.
Looking at sales data within territories before and after the arrival of new hires allowed Acadia to:
- Demonstrate that new-hire training contributed significantly.
- Highlight the knowledge and positive cultural impact that new hires bring to the commercial field team.
- Create a compelling business case that the organization bought into for the value of additional new-hire training. Leadership approved initial training to be increased from one week to two weeks and approved the addition of advanced sales training.
- Demonstrate how training can be an effective driver of the content needs for regional and national meetings.
The CET team leveraged this data to show the organization that hiring and training new people can affect near-term change, and cemented CET as a trusted cross-functional partner within the company.
How to Utilize Data within Your Organization
When measuring training impact with data, less may be more. There were many potential numbers and types of data that the team could have leveraged, but the compelling story about how training impacted new-hire performance at Acadia only required a few inputs and was mostly told through the one key metric of sales performance.
As you consider gathering and utilizing data within your own organization, it’s critical to keep a positive mindset for you, your department and those new to the organization. As you work to inspire passion and confidence across the organization, ensure that you have a simple system to measure training outcomes. This system will offer you the “gift” of feedback so you can create an environment of continuous improvement and ultimately drive positive organizational change.
Joe Gozdieski is senior director of commercial effectiveness and training for Acadia Pharmaceuticals. Email Joe at jgozdieski@acadia-pharm.com. Wendy Eicholzer is president of Whole Systems. Email Wendy at weicholzer@wholesystems.com.
