There are ways of finding the right trainers, and by doing so you can lock in a good, reliable training program for your business. You can also choose corporate trainers who will be able to deliver major benefits across the board in terms of productivity and business cost efficiency.
For any trainer, it is important to establish credibility with the training audience. Any internal trainer will have difficulty in being “all things to all people” which is why using external trainers can be such an important asset. For internal trainers it can be very difficult to establish their credibility to people who are higher up the corporate ladder from them.
Training needs- The defining basis for picking a corporate trainer
Your training requirements will define the type of corporate trainer you need. The best methods of picking a corporate trainer are all business-based.
For example, important strategic forms of training like leadership training require advanced skills and proven performance with an outside consultant being able to add the credibility and objectivity to the training:
Choice of trainers is further qualified by:
- Areas of specialization: Specialists in specific forms of training are naturally more effective and can provide a continuum including advanced training where required.
- Training parameters: The skill levels of training must be in line with organizational needs.
- Corporate goal relevance: Meeting corporate training targets is essential.
- Cost benefits: Training cost benefit values are based on the cost of training relative to the value of the productivity of trained staff.
You’ll find that your definition of a trainer is very like a job advertisement, where successful candidates have to demonstrate their skills and experience as suitable for the tasks.Looking for experts- What to look for, and why
The best trainers really stand out. The level of expertise is critical in training. Finding experts is comparatively simple when you know what to look for:
- Reputation: The best trainers are the acknowledged experts in their fields, and they have excellent reputations
- Proven track record: The track record is easy to investigate. Top trainers advertise their achievements, with good reason. They have some of the top businesses and corporations in the world as clients.
Performance criteria for corporate trainersPerformance criteria for training is actually your decision. You know what you need, and a top trainer should be able to deliver.
For example, a customer service training program should provide a range of obvious benefits:
- Communications in a customer service context
- Problem solving
- Positive sales values
- Sales techniques
- Performance standards
- Understanding of corporate goals and business concepts
In practice, you’ll find that the best trainers can go beyond your expectations.Evaluating trainers- Measuring success through productivity
The success of a training program is very easy to measure. Productivity is the benchmark for performance.
In the case of our customer service example, productivity would include:
- Increased sales across departments
- Fewer complaints
- Better and quicker resolution of problems and issues
- Increased customer satisfaction as measured by surveys
- Clear performance improvements in related tasks
Training defines business performance. The right corporate trainer will achieve exactly what you want, the way you need it done.
Timothy Millett, head trainer at i perform, has extensive expertise in performance training, sales training and customer service training. Tim has helped participants from organisations such as SWIFT and UBS achieve peak levels of personal performance. For more information please visit Leadership Training.
