The Updated Approach for Building Materials Manufacturers

If you are charged with selling products to stakeholders in the building and construction trade, you know that the sales engagement is much different than many other industries – from how you engage prospects, to the sales cycle, to a host of other factors.

Where do you look when seeking a customized sales training platform – one that takes a cognitive learning approach to deliver impactful results? There are not that many models available, and many of them miss the mark. They either fail to meet the specific needs of building materials companies, or they do not provide managers with key metrics and actionable feedback to hold employees responsible for their training.

Many of the existing training solutions also cling to what is arguably an outdated model – in-person training on an infrequent basis, resulting in a fragmented and less successful learning environment. In addition, tracking return on investment is difficult, and vetting out who is absorbing the educational material (or not) can be challenging to assess.

Add in the lingering impact of a global pandemic, and it becomes a complex conundrum.

From a Distance

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we work and learn. Organizations worldwide are still working from home or taking a hybrid approach to returning to the office. Regardless of how your organization has proceeded as reopening progresses, remote work is becoming increasingly common. Therefore, getting your entire sales team in the same room for training is harder to achieve and no longer necessary. In fact, for busy professionals, remote training has a host of benefits that in-person training typically does not offer.

In-person training comes with plenty of limitations. The sessions typically only occur on an occasional basis, they require learners to memorize large quantities of information in a short amount of time, and attendees are immediately tested on what they have learned. Follow-up assessment to measure retention rarely occurs.

Users engaged in distance learning can learn on their own time in a cognitive learning environment designed to help them retain the knowledge over the long term.

Introducing Yellow Hat

Yellow Hat is a remote learning management system (LMS), a training resource engineered specifically for the needs of building product manufacturers.

Distance learning platforms such as Yellow Hat can replicate interactions with an architect, a general contractor, a home builder, or a remodeler, allowing the student to learn the information in a manner that models a real-world scenario. This leads to better results once your sales team gets back into the field doing what they do best: Engaging with prospects and customers and selling products. Within Yellow Hat, students are scored on performance, thereby increasing potential that the learning objectives are achieved and applied by the sales team moving forward.

LMS platforms such as Yellow Hat also assess learning outcomes and measure the progress of both individuals and teams, which provides companies with valuable insights.

Organizations that already had LMS training such as Yellow Hat in place when the pandemic hit were at a considerable advantage. They did not have to scramble to put together rushed, poorly-planned, and potentially ineffective distance training sessions, because the infrastructure was already in place. In addition, since Yellow Hat training programs are carried out at a user’s computer, it gives them a one-on-one learning environment, conducted at a pace that suits them, and designed to generate long-term retention of the material.

An Evergreen Learning Environment

Your prospects and clients expect your sales teams to be subject matter experts and trusted advisors. Immersing your sales team in an evergreen training environment will always keep them up to speed, allowing them to provide the highest levels of support to your targeted audiences. Training can be tailored to new team members as well as to your most experienced salespeople, and your investment in the training module can evolve as your needs progress. Through its specialty practice, CNVRT, and network of building materials manufacturing industry experts and partners, BLD Marketing can help you find the optimal LMS training solution for your building materials business.

CONTACT US TO GET STARTED