BlueVolt started as an idea within a distributor in 1998; with a simple idea: train employees about the products they sell, and they will sell more. The idea worked and BlueVolt was born in 2002, changing the way professionals learn and sell by sharing product content directly from suppliers, transforming salespeople into brand experts.
BlueVolt and its unique ability to help organizations increase sales through learning formed its partnership with IMARK and Equity Plumbing (now IMARK Plumbing) in 2017. With IMARK’s mission aimed at generating the highest possible financial returns for its member distributors, this paved the way for the creation of IMARK University, which offers its members access to more than 400 product training courses and a wealth of professional development information.
Product Training Helps Grow Your Business
The adage, “Knowledge is power,” is true; BlueVolt sees it every day. The best salespeople eat, sleep and breathe the products they sell. To create these kinds of salespeople, IMARK works with suppliers to curate the best product training for members helping them sell more by learning more.
Product training direct from the supplier covers a variety of materials, including key value differentiators, how-to guides, product knowledge and more. With IMARK University, suppliers have a platform to share their product training with an eager audience. The university empowers IMARK supplier members to extend their message to distributor members and their customers.
BlueVolt, with its 20 years of experience, proudly partners with IMARK to ensure its mission is achieved, creating a powerful set of brand experts and champions for those products.
Product Training Leads to Increased Sales
Data gathered during the Insights Report 2020, conducted by BlueVolt, highlighted several interesting behavior and usage trends that connected course completions and incentives to increased sales. As part of this report, a variety of distributors shared their sales data for the fiscal years 2019 to 2020.
The report states that when salespeople (based on product line and region) complete courses, sales increased ranging from 15-22% with an average increase of 18%. Every course completion represents the manufacturer’s ability to influence and train the learner on its products while expanding brand awareness to prospects.
Completed courses can be tracked with a business intelligence analytics dashboard that monitors course enrollments and completions. The real-time data helps track learners by allowing managers to verify which groups (companies or individual sellers) are completing the most courses and selling the most products. Managers can use the data as a guide to adjust which training courses and topics to push to get better sales, ensuring they make and exceed quarterly quotas. Suppliers can communicate directly to salespeople through these product training courses. Passing on such intimate knowledge of the brand improves salespeople and increases customer satisfaction and loyalty. Everyone involved at the distributor’s organization can now learn more about the brands and offer more in-depth customer service.
As sellers evolve into trusted customer resources, distributors will experience fewer product returns and higher sales.
Motivate Sellers and Build Brand Loyalty
Suppliers work with IMARK University to leverage the university’s incentive program—$BlueBucks ($BB)—that encourages all distributor members to learn more so that they can earn more. The incentives can then be converted into a variety of gift cards from major retailers that offer travel, food or even tools.
Product training works! Higher engagement means increased sales, proving the true ROI of product training.
An important trend to note for suppliers is that product training also influences what salespeople buy for personal use. Data shows that the same brands that they train on are often the same brands that they buy. It’s a win-win situation for both suppliers and learners.
The Insights Report research indicates that 95% of learners will enroll in courses that award at least three $BBs. Furthermore, it has been proven that incentivized learning helps engage audiences. Once they are engaged, key take-aways can be highlighted from each lesson, making learners more informed, powerful brand advocates and topnotch sellers.
Distributors who leverage the $BB incentive program are more likely to motivate learners to meet training requirements. As a bonus, distributors gain a sales staff that continuously builds its skills and knowledge of key brands.
Start Transforming Salespeople into Brand Experts
Once these product training courses have been implemented as part of a supplier’s go-to-market strategy, they will support sales objectives and determine how successful suppliers can become over time. By comparing course completions and meeting sales key performance indicators, distributors can identify gaps that are occurring between training goals and sales objectives. The data can indicate what sales objectives are not being met and how that relates to training that is currently available.
Completing product training is the key to transforming salespeople into brand experts. When a team has access to the most up-to-date product information, it will be equipped to confidently answer customer questions. Here are a few ways to integrate training into a company’s culture:
- Make regular brand training a part of the business
- Divide salespeople into brand-focused groups
- Check analytics on a regular basis to ensure that product experts are completing the training courses and expanding their knowledge
One final note is to ensure a cadence for checking back with IMARK University to review newly added training courses. Suppliers are always adding new information and they want distributors and other sellers to learn.
Whether professionals work directly with IMARK or BlueVolt, all parties share in one another’s success. With more than 5,000 channel partners, BlueVolt empowers businesses to connect, learn, grow and sell together.
To find out more about training trends and analytics for BlueVolt-powered universities, download the BlueVolt Insights Report 2020 at https://bluevolt.biz/3zQ3nP9.