“Knowing your audience” is the timeless adage used when communicating your message in a group setting. In the corporate environment, training is designed for the thinker, or the cube worker who can take in information over a several hour or day format through listening and in-depth conversation and then apply that knowledge over time to implement the processes. This type of training just doesn’t work in the home services space! But, because we know our audience, we know our skilled trade employees are mostly hands-on and experiential learners.
In order to achieve an impactful training session, we have to align our wants with their needs. We have to give to get. We want them to understand and practice our company culture, our focus on the customer experience and our operational processes. They need to have their senses engaged with a technical tip or technique to improve their technical competence. And when we appeal to their sense of purpose, their need, our wants will start to align with their needs.
The flow of the training in the home service space should be limited to an hour, maximum. Again, “know your audience” – longer than that and they will squirm in their seats because they are DOERS and want to get off to their work assignments to use those hands! Start with your wants, your cultural, customer experience and operational message. If you start with the technical, you will lose your group for the rest of the session. After going over your wants, switch to their needs in the technical portion of the training.
This is most definitely a “carrot and stick” approach, and it’s OK if that concept makes you a little uneasy; but know that it does work. You’ll find that this approach very quickly becomes a win-win for all participants involved; it is a give to get transaction. Your technicians will become accustomed to getting what they need at the end of the session, and they will begin to realize that training is give and get for them, too. They will listen to your message (want) knowing that what they need is coming soon.
When you implement this flow into your training sessions, you will see a more attentive team which will lead to a longer tenure of employees. You will see an increase in your customer satisfaction rating through positive social media and web reviews. And this will organically flow to an increase in your bottom line.
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