Event-Based vs. Extended Learning

Yesterday I interviewed Tom Roth (CEO) and Ed Emde (SVP) from Wilson Learning as part of my sales thought-leader podcast series.  (Click the tab at the top of the page to see the podcasts that we’ve already published.  They’re free!)

Every reputable sales trainer and training firm knows that a stand-alone training event doesn’t deliver in significant, long-term, sustainable value.  Tom quoted a study that found only 15% of what is learned in a classroom program is retained after 30 days.  ESR has performed research that validates this as well.

It’s the post-program learning reinforcement that extends the learning over months, quarters and years beyond the live training event.  And that’s what extends the performance improvement past the 30-, 60- or 90-day bump that we see with isolated training events.

Live training still plays a critical role in a strategic, sales performance improvement initiative.  But the live training event is only one of many integrated components required for success.