Tailored to perfection
By Richard Ellithorne, BMF Membership Services Manager
23 December 2019
More
and more merchants are recognising the advantages of
bespoke in-housetraining – particularly if they have a number of employees with similar
training needs.
While the BMF offers a wide variety of “off the peg” courses, they also
work with members who have a particular training need to help them
navigate the bespoke route. Having discussed what they are trying to
achieve, the BMF will identify an appropriate specialist trainer who
then works directly with the merchant to create an exclusive course for
their staff.
One company who found great value in this approach is Crossling Plumbing
and Pipeline Merchants. Operating from 14 branches, Crossling is the
north of England’s largest independent plumbing and pipeline
specialists. Founded 150 years ago and still privately-owned, staff
development is an important driver to support their growing business.
Earlier this year Crossling identified a management and leadership
training need for two of their managers and quickly recognised that this
would be an opportunity to include a wider cohort of recently or soon
to be promoted team members within the same programme. They just had to
find a suitable course for 10 delegates ranging from supervisors to
branch managers.
Having successfully used the BMF’s Selling Skills training courses
previously, the BMF were once again Crossling’s first port of call.
Their initial discussions with the BMF highlighted that the people
attending the course would not relate to a “death by Powerpoint”
training approach. They needed to be actively engaged in the programme,
and the BMF knew that Sue Reed would be the ideal person for the job.
With the trainer identified and connection made, Andrew Bell,
Crossling’s Distribution Manager was able to discuss the company’s
desired outcomes directly with Sue Reed and select the most applicable
elements from a range of options presented. The trainer was also
briefed on the company’s culture, with background briefings on each of
the delegates and why they would find the course helpful at this stage
of their development.
Andrew explained: “Working directly with Sue enabled Crosslings to
create an exclusive three-day management and leadership programme, which
not only provided the best fit for the business but was also pitched at
a level that suited all delegates – no mean feat as the group was
diverse in terms of job roles and leadership experience.”
Andrew admits that going down the bespoke route required a fair degree
of input from the business, but he is committed to helping others
develop, just as he was supported at an earlier stage in his career. In
the event he found working with the trainer to design an exclusive
Crossling programme and create content that was applicable to all
possible delegates highly satisfying.
Although the programme was a significant investment for the business,
the company are not viewing it as a one-off, but something that can be
run again and again.
“The feedback has been extremely positive,” said Andrew. The
interactive presentation style proved particularly popular and I can see
delegates using the techniques and problem-solving methods they were
taught. We will definitely repeat the course for others and will only
tweak it if we need to better fit the roles of the next cohort of
delegates.” For more information on any aspect of BMF training contact
[email protected] or on 02456 854980, or visit
www.bmf.org.uk/training
This article first appeared in the December 2019 edition of Professional Builders Merchant (PBM)
BMF training ranges from formal Apprenticeships and sector-specific
Diplomas and a Foundation Degree in Merchant Management, to on-line
product knowledge and other specialist skills training. For more
information about BMF Training click here