Unger-Global is a leading provider of professional cleaning solutions that fields a highly trained professional sales team. When Unger launched its nLite commercial window washing system last year at October’s ISAA trade show, it relied on a strong field sales organization using a comprehensive online product sales training platform produced by TechScholar LLC.
The Training Challenge
Upon the release of its new nLite line, Unger needed a high-impact, sales-focused product-training program to bring its sales force up to speed quickly and to keep training costs under control.
The Unger sales team did not need cookie-cutter “sales training”—they were already proficient at sales. What they did need was powerful information about the nLite products and how best to sell them.
“nLite is a cost-saving product for commercial window cleaning and its return on investment numbers are terrific. We needed a product training program that could highlight that and support the launch,” explains Jeff Graveline, director of Marketing.
Unger Global also wanted a program that could be easily delivered to its widely dispersed sales reps.
The Solution
The TechScholar team of writers and designers created a Product Training Module (PTM) for nLite based on marketing collateral Unger provided. Then TechScholar set up a branded “Unger Campus” on its Web platform, making the PTM available to Unger’s extended sales force 24/7.
“We trained about 100 reps within three weeks, and TechScholar took care of everything,” Graveline says.
Each rep spent about 35 to 45 minutes on the TechScholar nLite Campus and completed a five-question quiz to verify comprehension. Management received PTM completion and quiz score reports weekly.
If Unger had hosted three training sessions at three different locations throughout the country, the budget would have been at least $15,000. Using TechScholar saved more than 50 percent of that cost. Plus, the TechScholar product training content was more focused on sales rep requirements and came in at lower cost than comparable quality product training collateral.
Results
“With TechScholar, we trained more people, more effectively, at lower cost, and in less time than we’ve ever done before,” Graveline reveals. “This was our first test of online product sales training and it was a big success. Bill’s team conducted a survey of our sales reps after the training, and 90 percent of them reported that the PTMs helped them begin the selling process immediately. We even had suggestions for additional TechScholar product sales training topics the sales reps wanted information on.”
Graveline says, the reps appreciated being able to take the training on their own time and schedules, “which left them with more time to do what they do best, and what we want them to be doing—selling!”
TechScholar, LLC, was spun off from Strategic Direct, Inc. in 2008 to fill an identified gap in high-quality training on complex technology products for serious sales reps. At the time, companies looking for training support could choose between using the “cloud” to provide easy access to internally prepared content, or getting expert assistance in content preparation. TechScholar combines both of these, offering concise training that gives sales reps what they need to make the call tomorrow and make the sale this month. TechScholar’s founders have a background in sales strategy, incentive programs, and promotions and have worked in most major categories, including retail, consumer packaged goods, technology, distribution, and B2B product sales and services.
