Focus Magazine - Winter 2013 - 15

COVERSTORY

Measuring Sales Training Effectiveness:
What Companies Can Learn From Clinical Trials
I By Merrill Collier

H

While the
commercial
managers were
interested
in ROI, some
preferred the more
visible yardstick of
sales performance

ave you ever been asked to measure the
effectiveness of your sales training
programs? Was the term “effective”
defined for you? Did you consider measuring
training against sales?
Measuring the impact on performance is the
“white elephant” often ignored in corporate
training. According to a recent Wall Street
Journal article, Why Corporate Training
Programs Often Fail, “U.S. firms spent about
$156 billion on employee learning in 2011. One
of the biggest problems is many organizations
don't evaluate how well employees have learned.
Or if they do, they usually stop at the first level of
evaluation — the reaction data. Companies
think that if there is a positive reaction to the
training then people will learn. But what we
know is that the correlation is very weak
between reaction to training
and actual learning.”
Most trainers commit to
measuring reaction (See
Figure 1) and the knowledge
learned (did participants pass
the exams?). Certifying
knowledge is a solid first line
of defense and provides
metrics to share with the
organization. Some trainers
even ask sales managers to
watch for positive behavior
changes in the field afterward,
but historically that’s where
training responsibility ends. In
the traditional perspective,
trainers are responsible for teaching knowledge
and skills, while sales managers are responsible
for performance. Should the trainer’s reach
extend further? The big question: Are you
willing to commit to measuring sales increases
after trainings?

FOCUS | WINTER 2013 | www.spbt.org

Kirkpatrick’s Four Level
Evaluation Model:
1. Reaction: What participants thought
about the training. Measured by
classroom evaluations.
2. Learning: Resulting increase in
knowledge and/or skills, and change
in attitudes. Measured by knowledge
demonstration or assessment.
3. Behavior: Observed positive change
in job behavior, i.e., transfer of
knowledge, skills, and attitudes as a
result of classroom learning.
Measured by observation.
4. Results: Positive results that occurred
from attendance and participation in
a training program. Measured by
performance of some type.

Measuring Return on Investment
or Sales Performance?
Like most trainers, I’m also a fan of
Kirkpatrick’s “Four Level Training Evaluation
Model” (See Sidebar) and intrigued with Jack
Phillips’ case for adding a “Fifth Level: Return on
Investment (ROI).”
I’ve been surprised to learn many companies
do not measure training ROI or sales increases.
(Perhaps trainers are not asked to measure sales
outcomes after trainings, or maybe they’re
concerned if they do, the results may not look
good.)
When I was asked to measure ROI of a new
training program, initially I was concerned, but I
knew it made sense. After using a robust formula

15
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Focus Magazine - Winter 2013

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