A Benefit from The Pandemic: Do Factory Employees Train Best? Thoughts from DPHA Fellow Jeffrey Valles, Colonial Bronze.

It has taken you years to build your company’s best practices, then 2020 comes and this pandemic wreaks havoc on them. This constant journey into the unknown has forced us to discover new business practices and learn about the technology that makes them work. Some have worked okay, others have been a detriment, and some have been wonderful additions. Now we have the opportunity to see which of these new tools are simply a short-term seal or something that we can further leverage to make our companies better in the long run.

One of my favorite additions is the rise of virtual training done by the manufacturer at the factory, replacing or supplementing the independent sales representatives’ training. For years I have been touting training being done by the people who work full time with the brand and are intimately involved with the products from concept to distribution. As talented as a local sales representative might be, they simply do not have the same level of knowledge and focused passion that an engaged, full time factory employee does.

I have sat through too many PK sessions where the bullet point-heavy PowerPoint presentation came from the factory and the rep is forced to methodically read from the factory’s tedious point by point script. These sessions are painful for all involved, especially the manufacturer as their new product story is dead on arrival. This industry standard practice puts nobody in the best possible position to succeed and, in certain situations, can actually harm a brand. If the vendor's exciting new product message is not captivating, it will create little showroom enthusiasm leading to the frustration of all players by this missed opportunity.

Today’s successful brands are creating intricate products with attractive styles, in dramatic finishes, all supported by continually improving technical foundations. If you were a salesperson at an Audi dealership, would you want to learn about its new electric automobiles from a salesperson that handles multiple auto product lines? I think you would prefer to be introduced to the product by an eloquent Audi team member that works and lives with the product every day. Both people are good at what they do, and to obtain the optimal result they must leverage their individual knowledge base effectively. Let the independent sales representative work the market and the factory do the training.

I believe that training is a factory function and should not be tasked to the local sales representatives simply because it is cheaper. Today, training can be effectively delivered virtually and once we are able to travel, knowledgeable factory people will be able to host effective product knowledge meetings in showrooms.

An important pandemic note to this is that no matter how good a virtual meeting can be, it is a distant second to a live meeting. There is nothing better than in-person training delivered by a knowledgeable factory employee. A person who lives the brand’s culture and is accompanied by actual product samples supported by a well-crafted and rehearsed presentation. That is the best way to introduce a product to the actual people who will be presenting your new, soon to be a hot, hot design, to the designers, builders, plumbers and design engaged homeowners.

As a vendor, why would you not want to completely control how the showroom salespeople are introduced to your brand and its stream of new and exciting products?

As a showroom, why would you invest in a product line that would not take the time to properly educate and motivate your sales team?

As an Independent Sales Representative, why would you want to take your valuable time and minimize the opportunity of a product line you work so hard to promote and support?

As a vendor, wouldn’t you prefer that your local representative is out in the field driving business to your distributors, supporting the products in the field and keeping the showroom sales people motivated with a positive feeling about your product mix?

It is time to agree that the best step for vendor brands is to train the showroom salespeople with full-time employees. The vendor brands that adopt this educational discipline will make the showroom salespeople stronger brand evangelists and allow their local independent sales representatives more time to leverage their local market knowledge to drive customers to these highly trained showroom salespeople.

It is paramount for brand success to always work to place the best possible person in the best possible situation to succeed.