There’s no doubt about it: for your brand to succeed at retail, you must have a plan to train in-store sales associates. But with COVID restrictions, travel woes, and staffing shortages, executing a solid training program is no small task. Here are a few ways to respond to COVID era changes and adapt your training strategy accordingly.
Problem: COVID has cut down on our ability to get to stores and train in person.
Solution: Go digital with training sheets that sales associates can access anywhere.
For many indie and emerging brands, visiting every store in person has never been possible because of the expense. But the COVID era has made it even more difficult to get to every store on your list–between flight cancellations and general hesitancy to gather in person, we’ve had to shift the way we train. Luckily, digital training materials can help fill the gaps. Sending videos and training sheets online is a great way to connect with sales associates. Landing’s Training Tool can help: quickly build training sheets online and send them via a simple link that you can update any time.
Problem: Staffing shortages and stress mean sales associates have less time to train.
Solution: Make your content quick and easy to remember
When designing your training materials, make sure to just stick to the basics. Retail workers are experiencing immense stress every day–from making sure customers comply with safety regulations, to increased cleaning protocols, to staffing shortages. Focus on just the three most important features and benefits for every product. Your formula might do it all, but it’s important to be realistic about what frazzled staff will actually remember.
Problem: Digital training can feel impersonal compared with in-person training
Solution: Make a face-to-face connection even if you can’t be there in person
In today’s climate, we often forget how valuable it is to just see another person’s face. Making that personal connection helps associates feel more connected to your brand and remember your training. Consider setting up a training webinar or sending training videos that feature your founder speaking directly and personally to the associates. Don’t forget to express your gratitude: sales associates are your advocates on the sales floor and do important and essential work for your brand.
Problem: Sales associates have a lot to remember and your brand needs to stand out
Solution: Make training fun with games and quizzes
Sales associates have to remember hundreds of brands and thousands of products. Make it easy for them to remember your training with fun games and quizzes. Test them on what they learned and reward them with freebies or prizes. This helps solidify your training as a fun memory, not just another day at work.
At Landing, we’re here to help you create fun and engaging training content. Get in touch with our team for a demo of our Training Tool and to learn about the app we’re building to make training more fun, engaging, and rewarding for sales associates and brands alike.