Transform Sales Training with Just-in-Time Video

percent for text-based information. Video is also an easily shareable medium, making it ideal for collaborative learning.

Finally, video is the most trackable medium you can use for training. Sales executives can keep track of not only who is watching which videos, but also use scoring mechanisms to see who is actually learning from those videos. This data can be correlated with sales rep performance to see the overall impact that training initiatives are having on sales.

Video Must Be in Context

While video may emerge as the most important medium for sales training, correct implementation is just as important. For maximum effect, video must be more than adopted, it must be presented in context.

Context-switching is a notorious productivity killer. The American Psychological Association states that "brief mental blocks created by shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone's productive time." This translates to significant costs on the sales operations side when sales reps are asked to visit a plethora of separate intranets and portals to access everything from training videos to marketing content. It also helps to explain why, according to a Qvidian 2014 Sales Execution Survey, 88 percent of missed opportunities resulted from sales not being able to find or leverage internal resources.

To keep sales reps at their maximum productivity, context-switching should be avoided at all costs. For those adopting video as their primary method of sales training, this means that video must be seamlessly integrated into the systems already in use by sales teams, namely their existing CRM system. Rather than sending sales reps to yet another intranet or learning portal, give reps an in-context connection. Relate the needed learning to a specific lead they are working or case they are addressing. Organizations that revamp their training practices by putting just-in-time, in-context video training materials right at their sales reps' fingertips inside their CRM system have a better opportunity to boost their sales efficacy and productivity.

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Lisa Stuardi is senior vice president of marketing and business development at uStudio, where she is responsible for driving adoption of uStudio's platform and product lines, as well as extending the business through strategic partnerships and integrations. Prior to joining uStudio, she was the founder and principal of Bright Spot, a business consultancy working with early-stage ventures in the media and entertainment space.

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