Training can impart knowledge and open up new courses of action. However, whether employees actually use these opportunities in their day-to-day sales work is not decided solely in the seminar room. Implementation requires appropriate tasks, helpful tools and an environment that enables and supports application.
As a trained transfer manager, I plan this implementation from the very beginning. A wide range of transfer measures is available for this purpose. Which of these are used depends on the specific development objective, the people involved and the conditions within the company. Not every project needs the same measures – and certainly not as many as possible.
From Gregor Minichberger, sales trainer, coach and transition manager.
Transfer is more than the time after training
When people talk about learning transfer, many think first of follow-up: a reminder email, a refresher session or coaching a few weeks later. That can be useful. For me, however, transfer begins much earlier.
Even before the training, it should be clear what employees are supposed to do differently in their daily work, in which situations they can try this out, and how successful application can be recognised. During the training, they need the opportunity to practise on real cases. Afterwards, they need suitable occasions, feedback and support in keeping it up.
Transfer is therefore not a single method. It arises from the interaction between training design, participants and organisation.
An exemplary implementation project: Understanding the customers' business model
The following example outlines a potential transfer design based on measures from my work. It does not describe a single client project, but rather illustrates how selected measures can be combined for this development objective. The selection is exemplary: the resource pool is much larger, and a different combination may be appropriate for another project.
The development goal is not simply: „Employees should ask better questions.“ They are to gain a better understanding of their customers' business model and use this understanding for higher-quality sales discussions.
To turn this into an actionable task, we translate the goal into specific behaviour:
- The employee can explain how the customer makes money.
- He asks about customers, suppliers, value creation and economic relationships.
- He elaborates on key statements instead of moving on to his own offer at the first response.
- He summarises the business model in his own words and has his understanding confirmed by the customer.
- He connects his own solution with a topic that the customer actually mentioned.
These criteria establish a common language. Employees know what to try out. Trainers can work on them. Leaders can ask specific questions and guide development.
Before training: creating direction and relevance
The manager clarifies the use case
Before the training, the manager and employee discuss which specific customer situation is to be addressed. Which customer is coming up? What does the employee want to better understand about their business model? How would both recognise that the conversation was a success?
This turns a general seminar topic into a personal development task. At the same time, the manager knows what they can come back to later.
A real customer case is being prepared
Rather than presenting a hypothetical standard case, the employee prepares for an upcoming or previously held meeting with a client. They note down what they know about the company, their assumptions regarding its business model, and any questions that remain unanswered.
The case makes the training relevant. What is learned has a recognisable connection to one's own sales practice from the very beginning.
During training: developing skills through real situations
Customer interactions are actively practised
The participants work on their own customer cases. They formulate questions, carry out conversation simulations and receive concrete feedback. The aim is not to memorise a given script. The participants are expected to try out different options and develop an approach that suits the situation and themselves.
Based on the agreed quality criteria, the reflection can be made more precise: Which question led to a deeper understanding? Where was a customer statement taken up? Was the suspected business model summarised and confirmed?
Personal questions are recorded
Helpful questions and personal phrasing are documented during the training – for example, on a compact card that is later to hand in the car or when preparing for conversations.
This simple tool lowers the barrier to application. At the crucial moment, the employee does not need to remember an entire day of training, but instead has their personally developed questions immediately to hand.
Post-training: Support application
A real client meeting becomes a transfer task
The employee uses the questions they have developed in a real conversation. The task is specific: to better understand the customer's business model, record important statements and have their own understanding confirmed by the customer.
This means the application is not left to chance. There is an agreed occasion and a clear focus for observation.
The experiences are reflected upon in the small group
In a subsequent small-group coaching session, the participants report on their conversations with clients. They analyse what went well, where they fell back into old patterns, and which upcoming situation would be suitable for further practice.
The group broadens its perspective: participants not only learn from their own case, but also from the experiences of their peers. The exchange remains focused on concrete application and next steps.
The manager revisits the learning step
In a moderated discussion, employees and managers jointly reflect on the application. What has the employee learned about the customer? Which questions were helpful? Where would they like to approach the next conversation differently?
The manager thereby assumes an active role as a sales coach. They do not check whether seminar content has been „completed“, but instead support the next concrete development step.
Which control levers interact in the process
When creating the design, I am guided by the levers of transfer effectiveness of Institute for Transfer Effectiveness. For the measures selected here, the following correlations can be described, for example:
- Clarity of expectations: The desired behaviour and the specific use case are clarified in advance.
- Content relevance: The participants work on their own clients and real sales situations.
- Active practice: Questions and conversational situations are not only discussed, but also tried out.
- Transfer planning: The application in a real customer meeting will be specifically agreed upon.
- Self-efficacy: Participants experience which questions work for them and develop their own solutions.
- Support from line managers: The manager makes the necessary preparations, asks questions and supports further development.
- Support from colleagues: Experiences and solutions are shared in the small group.
- Application potential: A real customer case creates an immediate reason for implementation.
This selection is not a complete transfer check. It shows why the measures in this example fit together.
This example draws on a much wider range of tools and support
Depending on the goal and organisation, completely different or additional measures may be useful: a short workshop for managers, a video message from the client, individual coaching, peer practice sessions, implementation newsletters, digital reminders, accompanying discussions, a shared knowledge base or regular reflection questions in day-to-day sales.
The length of the list of measures is not what matters. I check where implementation is likely to need support and which intervention can actually make a difference there. A helpful transfer design is therefore always a selection – not a standard package and not a compulsory exercise using all available instruments.
What good transfer design achieves
A good transfer design connects four questions:
- What specifically is supposed to change in everyday life?
- How can staff and managers recognise that change is taking place?
- What opportunities are there to put this new behaviour into practice?
- What support helps to evaluate experiences and continue learning?
Once these questions have been clarified, training can be tailored more effectively. Tools and supporting measures take on a clear purpose. And managers know how they can support the implementation.
You can find out more about my general approach under „How I work“. I explain exactly how to recognise and improve the quality of sales conversations on the specialist page „Recognising and developing the quality of customer conversations“.
Frequently asked questions about the transfer of learning in sales
Do all transfer measures have to be used in every project?
No. The pool of possible measures is large, but not every measure suits every project. The selection depends on what is to be changed, what obstacles are to be expected and what support is already available within the company.
Does the transfer only begin after the training?
No. Even the process of clarifying objectives, selecting real-life case studies and involving senior management prior to the training session influences subsequent implementation. Knowledge transfer is facilitated before, during and after the training session.
What role does the manager play?
The manager creates orientation, enables application and takes up experiences from everyday life. As a sales coach, they can work on communication skills with specific questions without having to experience every customer conversation themselves.
How can you tell if what has been learned is being applied?
This requires observable behaviour rather than general learning objectives. In the example „Understanding the business model“, one could discuss, amongst other things, what questions the employee asked, what they learnt about the revenue model, and how they sought confirmation of their understanding from the customer.
Let’s consider implementation right from the start
Are you planning a sales training course or a more comprehensive development programme? Together, we’ll identify what needs to change in day-to-day work and which levers are relevant to achieving this. This will result in a tailored package of training, tools and support – selected specifically for your project, rather than taken from a ready-made, standard programme.