At Trico Manufacturing, employees become the teachers in on-going program
When Nick Kroll joined Trico Manufacturing in February 2001 as the vice president of sales, he knew that one of the toughest challenges this small Pewaukee-based business faced was training sales and marketing people to thoroughly understand the company’s products, services and overall value to the marketplace.
He also knew that small organizations usually don’t have a designated trainer and have limited resources for training, and that product knowledge is sometimes scattered throughout the organization, or lodged in the heads of whoever has been there the longest.
Kroll’s answer to this challenge was a Peer Product Training Initiative. On his office door, he posted a list of product categories. A team of eight sales, marketing and customer service people were asked to sign up for a specific product category and train the rest of the team in a two-hour group session.
Trico’s product line includes lubricating equipment for bearings and machinery, spray cooling and micro-drip dispensing for metal-cutter operations and central lubrication systems.
While the agenda for the session and the manner of presentation was up to each presenter, all presentations had to be hands-on, PowerPoint-based, with handout materials that could be used for future reference. The presentation must include product information, technical features, benefits and application information.
Each team member was responsible for signing up for a product category. As it turned out, since there were six major categories, two teams of two presented for the most expansive product segments. Single individuals covered the other four segments. Signup was handled on a first-come, first-serve basis, and no teams or product segments were assigned.
When several team members expressed discomfort with the role of presenter, but yet stated their desire to step up to the challenge, three Trico employees with an extensive knowledge of Trico’s product line were designated as resource people to help the trainers craft their presentations. They were to act as guides, assisting with direction and draft evaluation only.
Sign-up was completed by mid-February, with the first two sessions taking place in April, two in May and two in June. Trainers were responsible for scheduling their sessions with three to four weeks’ notice in the designated month. Attendance at each training session was mandatory for the eight participants, and each session was subject to a peer review to be completed at the end of each session.
Kroll hoped to accomplish several goals through the initiative:
How well did the Peer Product Training Initiative work? After the first two sessions, Kroll was optimistic. PowerPoint was a totally new experience for the first session’s presenter, so she sought out one of the resource people to help her. The second session was one of two sessions being presented by a team, so they worked on balancing the presentation between them. That session also included a short tour to the shop floor and product demonstration room, which yielded important questions concerning the need for clarification of the installation instructions included with the product. To facilitate follow-up, the marketing representative and one of the presenters agreed to keep notes.
Both sessions began with an overview of the products and moved to a product application focus. Sample products lined up on a table at the front of the room were used for illustration during the Powerpoint presentation, so there was a good mix of visual, hands-on demonstration and verbal explanation. The team approach worked especially well in this regard. While one presenter manipulated the product, the other provided technical details. When too many details caused the presenters to become bogged down in charts and the group’s eyes started to glaze over, analogies helped everyone visualize the problem: "It’s like air stuck in a straw, so the oil can’t get past the air block," or "It’s like putting a piece of Saran wrap around a plate."
When too many detailed questions were making it difficult for the presenters to continue, Kroll suggested that people save their questions until the end of that section. Several topics emerged out of those lively question-and-discussion periods, including packaging issues, installation steps and pitfalls, the need for catalog updates, marketing ideas, and customer service concerns.
A great idea also emerged out of the question periods. As the two recorders were writing down the questions, someone said, "If we have all these same questions, I bet our customers do, too." The idea was floated that if the questions could be addressed in a question/answer section added to the Web site, it might reduce the call volume of customers calling in with the same questions.
At the end of the training session, Kroll asked the presenters if they had gained a deeper understanding of the company’s products and if this experience had been useful for them. One team member (who works in customer service) said that she learned a lot from her partner (who is a sales representative) because he is so knowledgeable.
But knowledge is a two-edged sword: her partner said he was one of the few people in the company who had had extensive training on these products, but doing this presentation has shown him how much he takes for granted a certain degree of knowledge within the company.
Before they left, participants were asked to fill out a "Peer Evaluation Worksheet," which assessed the presenter’s understanding and presentation of the material, time allocation, the use of handouts and physical samples and the use of PowerPoint as a presentation tool.
The adage "Teach what you need to learn" certainly applies here. One presenter, while holding up a product and looking at the PowerPoint slide that revealed a discrepancy said, "I never realized this until I looked closer at the picture in the catalog." A congenial spirit of learning permeated these sessions, and people appeared to thoroughly enjoy learning about the company’s products from several perspectives.
But all is not rosy. Kroll cautions regarding several pitfalls:
Professionally and practically, the Peer Product Training Initiative Program appears to be a success, Kroll said. Employees gain confidence in themselves as trainers and a more thorough understanding of the company’s products. Outside sales representatives can bring their field knowledge to the table and help the company respond to the customer’s needs rather than just sell products. They are more of a resource now, Kroll says. Managers, meanwhile, can see their employees in action, and can share new information with them.
The presentations were only the first step in a multi-step process, according to Kroll. The first tier of training was product-oriented, followed by the second tier, which focused on applications and competition. Two more sessions are planned for this year to take the training a step farther, Kroll said. While last year’s focus was mainly on sales, this year the company will incorporate engineers and operations-oriented staff into the training. Customer involvement will also be sought, with input on how and why they are using Trico products and services.
