I have never met a business owner who is 100% happy with how their business is running. They see problems. They see challenges. They see opportunities. No matter how well things are going there are changes that they want to make and that need to be made. Far too often the changes never get implemented. The tool or technique never gets fully integrated into the company culture and soul.

Going to seminars and workshops lead to excitement and energy. The challenge with this methodology is excitement and energy dissipate. The greatest business strategies fall victim to urgency. The only way to get the changes integrated is through regular ongoing training. Learning and relaerning the same thing over and over again until it becomes part of the way it is done. No questions no shortcuts that is how we do it.

The commitment to training is what separates top companies and producers from the rest of the pack. Commitment to training prevents bad habits from being passed from one employee to the next employee when a question comes up.

With a single training session what happens is their is a boost in skill level but it starts to fade over time and the results come back down to where they were before the training occurred.

With the single training scenario you will see improvement for the first week before the results start to decline. With out followup about a month after the training session results return to the level they were at before the training.

To get lasting results training must be repeated frequently. The benefits become apparent for multiple reasons.

1. Skill builds on skill. Each training session the trainee is starting from a higher level and the results start to compound even after the training high wears off.
2. Known expectations. When a trainee knows there is going to be repeat training they understand that you are serious about the result and are less prone to slide back to the original level.

How to make it work

1. Make it mandatory. If left to their own devices most people don't want to do the work to improve their skills and are perfectly OK with how things are because their checks keep getting deposited on time.

2. Schedule it ahead of time. Make sure the people who are getting the training know when and where they need to be. Give them advanced notice so they don't schedule meetings or appointments that conflict with the training schedule.

3. Measure results. All trainings have a purpose and you have to measure the results to identify what is working and needs to be focused on in the future training sessions.

4. Get feedback. Changes = New Challenges. As part of the training process ask what situations are coming up from the new way of doing things. What opportunities are being missed. What problems are falling through the cracks. When the trainees feel that they have a voice, are being included in the process they are more excited and interested in making the training successful.

5. Rewards. Set goals and celebrate when they are reached. This is especially important when budgets are tight. The upside of spending a few hundred dollars to have lunch catered to let your employees know they are appreciated goes a long way in improving morale and acknowledging the hard work that has been done.

6. Repeat.