Most learners show high-level of motivation to learn, but this does not translate into motivation to apply! Performing the below activities is very important because it increases the seller’s motivation to attend the training, it engages sellers and managers to define relevance before the training, it increases seller’s motivation to apply on the job, and draws a picture of success to assess progress and further motivate sellers to apply.

Below are three activities to drive individual seller’s motivation to learn and apply their learning:

Activity One: Effective motivational communication from L&D and Executives to Employees and their Managers on how training effects performance.

Activity Two: Effective Manager motivation, using the below four steps:

• Pre-Training: Communicating endorsement and support for the training by setting goals and expectations (painting a picture of success) before the learning event.


• Step One: Self Assessment – learners and their managers each identify the competencies and specific behaviors that are most important to the learners’ job and evaluate learners’ current effectiveness at them.


• Step Two: One-on-One Action Planning Session – Learners and managers compare their assessments, leveraging the results to develop a target impact plan for applying specific training content on the job. Most importantly, they contract on what improvement will look like over the next three months.


• Post-Training: Conducting one-on-one follow-up sessions with the learner to discuss the content of the learning and how to apply it on-the-job.


• Step Three: One-on-One Performance “Check-Ins” – Learners and managers meet regularly across three months post-training to discuss the learners’ progress against applying learning on-the-job and general improvement against role competencies. Learners and their managers must provide concrete examples of how learners have demonstrated critical competencies on the job which allows them to articulate how learners’ behaviors should specifically change as a result of training and the actions they will take to apply them to work.


• Step Four: Multi-Rater Sales Competency Change Assessment – Employees, managers, and others each assess employee improvement against role competencies.

Activity Three: Rewarding and recognizing improved leadership behavior.

Supervisors impact an employee’s ability to apply via the three roles below.

Development Champion (Role 1). Visibly supporting employee development and performance in applying their learning.

Application Opportunity Brokers (Role 2). Create new or identify existing opportunities to apply their learning.

Change Management Partner (Role 3). Facilitate a change-friendly environment by breaking down barriers to applying their learning.

We need to enable or support Managers in improving the employee’s skills to set goals, take action, and maximize strengths and develop weaknesses, all at an individual level. We need to prepare Managers in knowing all the content, how to analyze gaps, how to coach to mastery, and how to manage performance. Our role here is to support the Managers by development coaching toolkits, playbooks, and mini-training sessions. Only if the Managers are supported with a robust coaching program can they monitor their teams and coach them for confidence and proficiency.

Apply a systematic process to shift individuals, teams, and organizations from current state to desired state. Serve as a strategic partner to change the face of organization and position it to success. This is an on-going agile monitoring and evaluation of the program. It includes ensuring content is always aligning with business strategies and initiatives, establishing regular communications and support sessions with Managers, reporting on L1-L5 metrics, identifying and addressing opportunities for improvement, sharing success stories, etc.