How Chesterton improves team skills and increases sales through video-based practices
AW Chesterton is a global leader in helping process industry companies and manufacturers improve the reliability and effectiveness of their process platforms. The company is known for its award-winning pump and valve sealing solutions, application expertise, equipment maintenance and anti-wear products, and knowledgeable, hands-on local service.
Founded in 1884 and headquartered in Massachusetts, Chesterton has an extensive sales force in 113 countries around the world.
challenge
With an extensive sales force responsible for selling Chesterton’s complete suite of products across all major industries, from pumps and seals to coatings and lubricants, team members can expect to receive in-depth product knowledge sessions combined with sales enablement activities at Chesterton University.
The two-week in-person training session includes homework assignments at the end of each training day, requiring learners to create and upload a video solution to a proposed sales situation.
The company’s LMS was not the ideal platform for this mission. Learners found it very difficult to record videos using the LMS. Recording and uploading videos took up valuable time and frustrated learners on a daily basis. Each file from every learner had to be accessed by the L&D leader, checked for issues, and passed to the mentor for review. We then repeated the entire process in reverse, from the mentor to the L&D leader and finally to the learner for feedback.
This long and difficult system has prevented learners from enrolling in and completing sales training programs. The process of identifying learning outcomes was thorough for mentors and facilitators. L&D leaders found it clunky and inconvenient. Strategically designed training curriculum and audio content turned into an unpleasant training experience for all involved. Even worse, it negatively impacted the organization’s learning culture. Without cooperation among learners, efforts to improve the skills of sales members would have been insufficient. The company’s sales were slow and it was unable to motivate its global sales team.
strategies and solutions
Chesterton tried Rehearsal, ELB Learning’s video-based practice tool, and was impressed with how efficiently the platform addressed his pain points.
L&D managers were impressed with the ease of navigating the platform, its simplicity, and how effectively the tool helped them upskill their sales teams faster and ultimately drive more sales. The 150-license rehearsal platform was accessible to all learners involved.
Distribution of tasks to learners via rehearsal was easy and immediate. Facilitators and L&D managers can simply record a scenario with expectations and immediately distribute a quick and clear overview to all learners without lengthy pages of instructions or scenarios.
Accordingly, learners were able to immediately apply their knowledge and skills, record videos, and submit assignments directly to their mentors/facilitators. In addition, learners received real-time assessments through the application’s AI tools. This allowed learners to dramatically improve their sales demo and soft skills by repeatedly dealing with workplace scenarios and honing their knowledge and skills.
Rehearsals have made a big difference in the way Chesterton trains.
The ease of use of the rehearsal platform has led to the enthusiastic participation of mentors and sales leaders, a complete change from the pre-rehearsal era. Distributors in different countries can experience sales training without traveling, and Chesterton learners in Chile and Mexico can train in their native language. Facilitators can easily assign tasks and assignments to learners during and after training.
result
Chesterton experienced amazing results from the start. The entire company, not just sales, benefited from rehearsals. Within two weeks of using this tool, I could see a huge difference in my learning outcomes. It’s trending upwards on all fronts, and two years later we’re still seeing the same amazing and consistent results.
– Mark Orlando, Chesterton Global Training Manager
The rehearsal provided an easy and intuitive sales learning experience. Learners were engaged with the training content and mentors and enthusiastically completed the assignments. Mock sales calls and elevator pitches strengthened team members’ communication and confidence. It provided a safe place to fail, practice, and hone your sales skills. This greatly facilitated training course participation and completion. By using rehearsals, learners were able to vary their delivery, use fillers effectively, and ask the right questions of prospects. As more leaders became enthusiastic about using the platform, developing well-rounded salespeople became a collaborative effort. This fostered a competitive learning environment based on common goals and objectives. This tool was the gateway to enhanced analytics and consistent reporting for L&D leaders. Video archiving has generated a library for accessing before and after videos, using snippets for other corporate activities, and creating best practices/performance support solutions and other sales resources. Multiple mentors provided balanced and comprehensive feedback. An automatic notification system simplified the process and ensured a quick response.
A six-month check-in revealed the following metrics:
Rehearsing improved my sales skills 30-40% faster than before. Furthermore, it is now possible for leaders to acquire sales member qualifications and hone their skills. Sales and overall revenue increased by more than 10% within a year. Today, our sales members have expert product knowledge and are ready to propose any scenario. Accelerate time to proficiency, adaptability, and performance for both internal (sales teams) and external (global distributors) users.
Made our life so much easier! Run sales bootcamps and other training camps across teams, locations, and countries. The results are consistent and amazing. All learners/users who have experienced Rehearsal have nothing but good things to say about the platform. Even those who were initially skeptical of video embraced the tool because they could witness changes in eye contact, communication, delivery, and more. We continue to use Rehearsal to build on our strengths, overcome technical challenges, and rely on analytics to move us forward as an organization.
– Mark Orlando, Chesterton Global Training Manager
