Allen Communication Wins Toyota Business for Extensive Sales Training Course
30 November 1999
Allen Communication Wins Toyota Business for Extensive Sales Training Course
12-Hour Course to Include High-End Free-play Simulations
SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 30 -- Allen Communication, a leading
online training courseware and tools developer, today announced its selection
by Toyota Motor Sales to provide an extensive sales training course. With
development underway, the high-end course makes extensive use of sophisticated
3D graphics, engaging motifs and free-play simulations to give trainees a
virtual scenario for practicing their sales skills. The course will be rolled
out throughout the U.S. in early 2000.
The interactive training course is a direct response to requests from the
sales field to offer training more regularly in a local setting. With
1,200 locations, and an annual Sales Consultant turnover rate in excess of
100 percent, Toyota determined that technology-based delivery would be the
most effective and efficient way to train its sales people.
"We feel that the CD-based delivery of this course content addresses
several on-going challenges we've had with our retail sales consultants,
namely high turnover, widespread geography, and the interruptive nature of
their job description," explained Joey Zanca, skills development manager at
Toyota. "Considering these parameters, classroom training is no longer viable
for us. But this was not just an economic decision -- the structure of this
course and technology-based delivery will better engage our competitive sales
force and help them to apply Toyota best practice sales skills, giving them
access to practice and brush-up on skills at a self-paced, on-going basis."
The sales process training is based on the Toyota Quality Experience
nine-phase process that has been researched and developed by Toyota.
Additionally, Allen has conducted cognitive task analysis interviews with a
number of Toyota's top sales people to gain additional insight into what makes
a sales experience successful. These interviews are the basis for the
simulation Toyota's sales professionals complete in this training and provides
real-world, real-time feedback.
Allen Communication's proprietary free-play simulation engine, which
allows for the rapid creation of million-path simulations for soft skills or
technical skills training, was key to Toyota's selection. Allen was the only
vendor to offer such a capability. The simulation engine has been proven with
many training courses, including courses created for the U.S. Air Force, Mack
Truck and American Express, and distinguishes Allen Communication's strong
courseware development capabilities. The engine can be used to create
CD-based training, working with the company's Quest(R) authoring tool, or is
newly available in a native Java format, for creation of simulations for
delivery over intranets or the Internet.
"The simulation really is the heart of this course," explained Diane
Carter, vice president of courseware development at Allen. "The ability to
'talk' to potential clients, probing for information from a variety of sources
in whatever order the sales person deems appropriate really allows them to put
new skills to the test. We also included a coach that can be turned on or off
-- with material derived from Toyota's top sales people -- and feedback to
directly compare actions taken to those taken by experts. Very few vendors
know how to do soft-skills simulations effectively. The Toyota course is a
strong example of our company's leadership in this area."
Zanca further explained that the simulations appeal to the competitive
nature of the sales group. "The simulations are scored, and our sales people
are driven to beat their own and others' scores, motivating them to practice
their skills again and again."
The training will be rolled out in early 2000, combining a classroom
delivery and technology-delivered approach. Playing off of a "special agent"
motif of the Toyota Sales Intelligence course, Toyota's Retail Development
Consultants will be trained in the classroom on the course and outfitted with
"special agent gear." These consultants will then roll the course out
nationwide to dealerships, teaching them how to use it effectively for quality
self-teaching.
Zanca explained that Allen Communication has been a good partner for
Toyota in the development of a course of this caliber. "We conducted a study
of several potential suppliers. In the end, we believed Allen Communication
to be the company with the balance between sound instructional design and
strong graphics capability we needed to develop quality training CDs."
About Allen Communication:
Allen Communication, founded in 1981, offers custom courseware development
and consulting services as well as a variety of tools, including Quest(R),
Designer's Edge(R) and Manager's Edge(R), all aimed at helping organizations
succeed with technology-based training. Allen Communication can be reached at
800-325-7850, (801) 537-7800, or at http://www.allencomm.com.
Quest is a registered trademark of Allen Communication. All other
trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.