No company can afford the costs of bad training. You know when your training is not delivering. And once you’ve recognized something is off, seeking professional guidance is the responsible next step. But where you go from there depends on whether or not you’ve taken the time to attain a meaningful diagnosis!
Allow me to explain:
The dangers of self-diagnosis
In his book, Mastering the Complex Sale Jeff Thull describes a scenario similar to the following:
Imagine you are experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath. You wisely head to the local emergency room and they summon the head of cardiology. As you lay on the gurney she enters the room saying, “So, are you having a heart attack or just a bit of anxiety? What do you think the best course of treatment is?”
Now you have two problems: The original chest pain/shortness of breath (which probably just got worse), and a doctor asking you to make a decision far beyond your expertise.
In reality, doctors don’t ask their patients to diagnose themselves; in fact, they actively discourage it. But the patient is not shut out of the equation either. Good doctors ask patients to simply describe their symptoms, then ask leading questions to get to the heart of the problem and arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
“There is one cardinal rule: One must always listen to the patient.” – Oliver Sacks
Diagnosing a problem with your training program is pretty similar. The approach follows Thull’s thinking that responsible companies work with their clients to decide whether there is a real problem whose cost necessitates a solution. Only then should one be offered.
Treat the disease, not the symptoms
When you approach Heartwood for help with your training, the one thing you won’t get immediately is a sales presentation slideshow.
How can we sell you a solution before we’ve diagnosed the problem?
Sadly, most virtual training solutions are sold just that way – with little or no effort made to truly understand what’s wrong. If the customer is willing to buy, they are willing to sell.
Which is sort of like seeing the pharmacist for a chronic cough. Sure, the popular brand of cough syrup seems like an obvious recommendation, but without an exam by an actual MD, you can’t know if a more serious illness is the culprit – needing a entirely different course of action.
At Heartwood we use our expertise and experience to arrive at the right solution for your training problem – because we want your company back in fighting form as quickly as you do. That means prescribing the right medicine from the start, with your input.
Have a training problem? We’re ready to listen, diagnose and prescribe the right solution for YOU. Reach out here.
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