Learning and Development Trends You Don't Want to Miss

Learning and Development Trends for 2018 - VR is big.

Given that the half-life of a learned skill is a mere five years, change is happening faster than ever before. Companies are evolving their business models and development strategies to align their workforce with new customer demands. Learning and development trends reflect the rapidly changing skills required for current and future jobs.

After talking with many learning and development leaders and combing the blogs for emerging trends, I’ve assembled my list for the coming year. Following are the key learning and development trends. Love the list or don't, I welcome your comments.

Make finding and keeping talent a strategic business priority

According to an article in Training Magazine, 1/3 of companies are increasing their budget for learning and development over the next 12 months.

Offer leadership training and development to millennials

A recent article on Forbes.com provided 13 reasons why this is a smart initiative for organizations. The key takeaway? Adapt or die. I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true.

Companies who invest the right mix of resources in developing the largest generation in our history will reap vast rewards. They will attract and retain more millennial employees, they will be among the companies who gain access to millennial record-breaking innovation. And they will cultivate strong leadership for the future.

Short single topic videos

Think YouTube. Brief, one topic video tutorials have become the norm and this pattern is driving learning and development trends in the same direction. Dubbed, “microlearning’, single topic videos sync with increased demand for value people have for media that vies for their attention.

Increasingly managers and employees will create their own quick training videos. As a matter of fact, I create brief screen share videos to train my employees on new tasks and I know I’m not the first.

Mobile learning

Training and development trends for mobile learning will take front and center stage. With people spending more time on their phones, it makes sense that mobile optimized eLearning will be essential. For example, in a webinar replay available for viewing on Talent & Development.org, the mobile focus came through loud and clear.

Not just for consuming learning and development content, but for creating, sharing and interacting. “The value of connecting content curation and big data to improve learning materials by measuring content effectiveness” is immense.

Make learning and development trends fun.

VR and AR aren’t new, but with the costs are coming down and technology improving, indicate a bright future in learning and development. Many people have kinesthetic eLearning styles and VR allows them to learn by doing.

The trend towards increased motivation and engagement with millennials workers is driving more development of gamified learning. In fact, millennials and generation Z employees enjoy playing games and engage more easily when the learning activity is fun. Gamification will continue to trend with learning and development for 2018 and beyond.

Social learning and sharing

An old saying in advertising applies here, “Go where the eyeballs are.” And the eyeballs of employees are on social media. Social sharing had become an integral part of 21st century life, so learning and development trends will too.

Organizations are moving towards omni-channel learning solutions. So, integrating all the different ways employees communicate with each other and their customers is the future. It’s not one solution, it’s a combination of several.

To get 6 specific tips for how to bridge the communication gap between generations, download my Ebook, "Teach Millennials Soft Skills".

Learning and Development Trends 2018 for millennials

Love these learning and development trends? Or hate ‘em and want to share your thoughts on these? Let me know with comments.

Mentoring is the answer to millennial soft skills gap

An open letter to everyone experiencing pain from the generational soft skills gap.

Millennial soft skills gap - the answer

Dear everyone who is Gen X or older,

I know you're tired of dealing with the Millennial, GenZ and A soft skills gap and the problems it causes. It's time consuming and frustrating. I get it. Ready for a solution? Let's try this.

Put the frustrations you have of these behaviors in a Tupperware container. Seal the lid and put the container on a shelf for a little while. You can get it back out and open the box to let those things out any time you want later.

Why do I ask you to do that? Because I know that we can inspire and coach millennials on soft skills. Interpersonal communications and relationship building skills are learnable and millennials love learning. They've been coached for everything their whole lives. Professional development is really important to them. And it’s in our best interest and theirs to take the time to teach millennials strong communication skills.

Complaining about this generation ensures failure of that goal. No one likes to be judged harshly. And no one likes being told they lack basic skills required for success either. That builds more conflict and barriers between generations, so let’s just hold off on that for the time being.

Millennial soft skills gap can be closed - by us

Next, I invite you to consider that every generation since Cain and Abel has rebelled against their parents in some way or another. Baby boomers railed against everything their parents’ generation stood for: music, social mores, military, business…the list goes on. Each generation must find its voice.

The voice of millennials includes key notes of work/life balance, a connected world and making earth a better place. Those are pretty good goals, don’t you think? Why wouldn’t we want to receive the excellent benefits that this generation can offer the world?

Finally, I suggest that we embrace this new generation for who they are. They aren’t going away, so we might as well make the most of having them here, right? Millennial expert, Jack Dorsey explained on the CBS Early Show, how much this generation has to offer. Their tech skills are extremely valuable, they are highly educated and share concerns for making the world a better place. Soft skills can be taught and this generation is quite willing to learn. Let’s coach them so we can all benefit. So, how does that sound?

Sincerely,

Margo

If you'd like some specific steps to help millennials improve their communication skills, download the free Ebook, "6 Actions to Take Now to Teach Millennials Soft Skills".

6 Actions to Take Now to Teach Millennials Soft Skills

Success Mindset Secrets About Referrals From Millionaires

Elinor Stutz-Smooth Sale, Success Mindset Expert

This is very special guest post from success mindset specialist, sales expert, author, speaker, top-rated influencer and founder of SmoothSale,  Elinor Stutz.  

Before Law of Attraction became popular, early positivity proponent Napoleon Hill talked about the importance of the success mindset. Later, Jim Rohn and Tony Robbins encouraged people to keep a positive attitude to attract more of what they wanted in life.  The highest paid salespeople know their success depends on surrounding themselves with excellence. And that includes their referral partners.

Here is a harsh reality: The referrals we receive reflect the ones we provide.  A top producing sales strategy is to understand your client’s perspective first, so that you may bridge it with yours to find common ground. And, so the real question is, are you providing the quality of referrals you would like to receive? Are you projecting the success mindset you want to attract?

The norm is for people to make introductions in the hope of making money on the back end.  An old saying heard in the IT field is,‘garbage in and garbage out.’ But what if an outstanding introduction comes your way, will you pay it forward?  Will you project the success you expect to have, even if the result comes much later? Let me share a story that illustrates the better type of connections and referrals.

Years ago, I met Linda at a conference. At the time, her expertise was in marketing and mine was in sales. Since then, we both expanded our knowledge, became authors, and have continued our friendship. We have also provide ongoing promotion of one another.  One day, Linda sent me an introduction to John.  I enjoyed an invigorating conversation with him. John then volunteered a referral to me of his own.

My success mindset of 'paying it forward' yielded a referral goldmine!

The pay it forward conversation was with Greg.  Our initial dialogue was in consideration of my being a guest on his podcast.  Greg then sent me a copy of his book to read. The subject matter was meaningful and motivated me to voluntarily provide a review of the book on Amazon. And I did have the opportunity to be interviewed on Greg’s podcast and share my story with his audience. The conversation was compelling. Afterward, we spoke about working on a potential project together. And I reciprocated the gift of his book by sending him a copy of mine.  The ‘pay it forward’ concept continued as I recommended another colleague as a guest for Greg’s podcast.

When we are in good company, appreciation for one another develops. Admiration brings about ideas for the better referrals and our success mindset expands. Over time, Linda and I became admirers of one another and came to recognize the people that may help each of us further.

Beware that the opposite of providing excellent referrals is that some contacts from our network may find us intimidating. Those of us who  continue to grow, may scare off others in our circles.  Accordingly, unpleasant remarks may come our way.  Take note, because the negativity can creep into all areas of our lives where we allow it.

Our success mindset is determined by the people we are around the most

Consider the type of people with whom you keep company.  Are your peers negative or positive minded people? If your answer is ‘negative,’ do you find these people holding you back or stalling achievement? And if you are among positive people, are you in the habit of promoting and referring one another? If the referral partners you have do possess a passion for excellence, perhaps a change is in order.

Concentrate on those friends and peers who share a success mindset, reciprocate and help one another achieve more. Strive to develop a dynamic network for the better opportunities to come forth.  When you do, you too will enjoy the chain of ‘pay it forward’ high quality referrals.  These lead to the Smooth Sale!

Success Mindset Sales Tips

1. Strive to be in the company of those who like to help

2. Reciprocate and volunteer help

3. Build a strong network of like-minded peers

4. Exchange ideas for promoting one another

5. Make introductions of the same success mindset caliber

6. Report back to the referring party on the merits of the conversation

7. Offer ideas for collaborative efforts to your peers and referrals

8. Share your personal story and vision for where you are today

9. Ask for the personal story of those you meet

10. Celebrate Success!

Success mindset and sales expert, Elinor Stutz

P.S. Send us your sales related questions to elinor@smoothsale.net.

Entrepreneur Success Starts with Step 1 - Respect

Part 1 of 5 in the RAISE Sales System blog post series for entrepreneur success. Are you an entrepreneur who struggles with sales? If so, you're not alone. Entrepreneur success requires strong sales skills and this struggle is a common problem that many business owners have. Entrepreneurs wear a lot of different hats and for most, selling isn’t their strongest skillset.

One of the secrets to entrepreneur success is knowing how to ask for and close the sale. In this 5 part blog series, I’m going to share my signature sales system, RAISE.  I created this 5-step strategy RAISE from my 25+ years of experience across multiple industries and teach it in workshops and when doing sales coaching with clients. This is the sales process entrepreneurs and sales professionals use for dramatically increasing sales.

Download free ebook "17 Sales Hacks to Close More Sales"

RAISE is the word that is spelled out by the first letter of each of the steps in the system. This post is about the first step and each post in this series will reveal subsequent steps in the RAISE system.

The R in RAISE is for respect and I love starting with respect because this is where a relationship building begins. This is where developing the know, like and trust factors starts, so you can advance to asking for the sale.

Entrepreneur success secret #1 is Respect

You can’t close the sale if you’re no longer in the conversation. Respecting the prospect will keep you in the conversation longer than asking for the sale before they are ready to buy.

First of all, respecting where the customer actually is, and not where you wish they were in the buying process is vital to entrepreneurs success. It's super essential to be aware of where your prospect is where their heads at what they care about where they are in the sales or buying process.

Two Ears and One Mouth for a Reason

One example is at a networking event or a party. You have connected with somebody and they did most of talking, while you do a lot of listening. At the end of the conversation, they say, “You're a great conversationalist!” And you think to yourself, “I said so very little and you did all the talking!” There's a reason people say we have two ears and only one mouth for a reason:-)

Why is it that the person who did the listening is a great conversationalist? Because human beings love to feel heard. When we show consideration for people and actively listen to them, they FEEL respected and valued. Plus, we find out what is important to them and that knowledge fuels our own entrepreneur success. All of this goodness also allows us to build the know, like and trust factors.

Success Story Using Respect to Sell

Now I’ll share with you an example of how amazing the Respect step is for entrepreneurs to succeed. In the late 80s, I sold construction equipment in Florida, working for the only companies in the country that had female sales. I was calling on construction sites throughout Southwest Florida and I wasn't always welcomed. One general contractor was using the old-style, less cost effective and more dangerous scaffolding on a project that was a prime candidate for using a boomlift. He wasn’t interested in hearing about a new technology solution from a woman who he perceived didn't know anything about construction.

How I Cracked the Tough Prospect

If I was going to have any shot at selling this customer a boomlift, I knew I needed to get creative. I realized I needed to respect where he was, no where I wanted him to be.

Since I knew he felt competent as a general contractor, I asked him about the project. He was happy to talk about it. After listening, I offered to deliver the boomlift the next day at no charge to him. If at the end of the day, he found the equipment effective, he could keep it and pay only for the rental for the rest of the time he used it. If not, I’d pick it up and charge him nothing. No risk for him.

When I called this customer at the end of the day, he told me I could leave the boomlift.  I had the sale without ever asking for it. What is important to know, is that I respected where this customer this prospect was and stayed in the conversation. When building a relationship with a prospect, starting with respecting where they are and what they value is the best first step. R is for Respect and entrepreneur success depends upon it.

Download your free eBook "From Cold to Sold" and get the 17 secrets for converting more leads to customers.

What is the lack of soft skills in millennials costing us?

We hear it often. "Millennials make eye contact. They don't respect authority. They don't show up on time." Why? What happened? And how is this lack of soft skills impacting our culture and our businesses? Millennials who have great soft skills have a huge advantage over their peers who do not.  Studies, reports and articles emerge weekly about the severity of the challenges that employers have with hiring and managing a generation that lacks people skills. That means that members of the most tech savvy generation who have solid soft skills have a serious competitive advantage in the job market.

In his recent post, "Is Lack of Soft Skills Hindering Millennials' Careers?," Kevin Howell cited several studies that indicate the answer is "Yes".

Lack of soft skills is holding back Millennials in their careers

It's such a chronic and acute problem, that, according to a recent McKinsey study, "40 percent of employers said they have difficulty filling vacancies because younger workers lack soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and punctuality. A PayScale survey found similar results, with managers highlighting leadership and ownership as skills that Millennials lack."

What's the cause of this lackluster skill set? Too much focus on STEM education and job? Maybe. Too much screen time? Perhaps. Some studies have shown that "social anxiety with face-to-face interaction increases with the amount of time spent online."

"Regardless of the reason young workers struggle with soft skills, companies have to deal with it. Addressing the skills shortfall in the workplace means tailoring training and development toward those needs."

And that means that soft skills training for millennials needs three things:

• To be valued by millennials
• Fun for them to learn
• Include a lot of practice

Changing behaviors is hard and humans resist it. Shifting the way millennials interact in person is not going to be easy. Success will require engaging training, practice and accountability along the way.

This generation grew up with digital media and video games and they like activities to be fun. Gamifying soft skills training is essential to hold their attention.

Practicing new skills and repeating them often is how people skills behavior will change.

Follow up is the gold - From cold to sold to convert leads to sales

Nice to meet you, now what. The steps you need to take to follow-up and convert those new contacts into customers produce the gold.

Well done. You went out there and connected with some new people. Networking can feel daunting and you did it anyway! And, now what? What's the secret to converting that new contact into a referral relationship or customer? Knowing what to say and how to say it without sounding cheesy can be a challenge too.

Download this free eBook to get more ideas on how the pros follow-up and get more customers. "From Cold to Sold" 17 sales secrets for converting more leads to customers.

If you need to repeat it, automate it, as they say. So here’s the 6 step process I use and can recommend for you.

Follow-up is SO valuable for converting sales

1. Always send a quick thank you email or text the same day or the next day at the latest. This shows respect for the other person’s time by prioritizing a follow up to the conversation right away. It is more important to send this quickly, rather than for it to be a comprehensive or long email.
2. Be yourself. Authenticity is always a good approach. To pretty much everything. So, it's not surprising that follow-up emails are no different. Since people feel good when you listen to them, include something key you heard the contact you just met say. Use your own “voice” and keep it professional. That doesn’t mean uptight, just respectful.
3. Make a positive observation about the person, company or project that this contact mentioned. For example, comment on how you can see this work achieving the goals or being successful. This is more good evidence of your effective listening skills and which creates the know, like and trust factors
4. Summarize the action items you agreed to do and include any you can in this email. So, if your follow-up action requires more time or a separate email, outline how and when you will complete it.
5. Thank your new contact for the action items they offered. Because appreciation is always smart and it can be a helpful reminder to busy people who’s intentions are good and who’s schedules are full. They feel valued. And that is more know like and trust development:-)
6. Connect with your new contact on LinkedIn, Twitter and perhaps Facebook. You’re building your network and broadening that connection to social media channels is too important to miss. 

Ready for more ideas on how to use follow-up to close more sales?

Need more customers? Download free! "From Cold to Sold", the ebook with 17 secrets for getting more customers.

Download now

Now that you know the 6 steps to turn your follow-up into gold, go out there and convert more sales!

Do you have suggestions for making the follow up after making a new connection even better? Bring it! I’d love to see it, so share your comments below.