Everyone needs sales and personal development training. Even you. The challenge is how much and what kind.

With thousands of training options, it’s difficult to select the best programs.

I just got an email solicitation telling me to “create a unified approach to learning management.” Huh? What does that mean? Wouldn’t it be a better message to suggest “a real-world approach to learning success”? Or am I missing something?

Last time I checked, training and education were all about the learner.

The email meticulously listed every element of current-day training, from classroom to mobile app. It left out one small item – RELEVANT CONTENT.

What’s your approach to training? To learning? To education?

The haunting words of Jim Rohn have rung in my ears for more than three decades. “Formal education will earn you a living. Self-education will earn you a fortune.” And with the state of the economy and training cutbacks, this message is more urgent and relevant than ever.

What’s your self-education plan for the next 24 months? Are you learning about sales and success as many hours as you’re watching TV? Or are you waiting for the training department to give you new information?

The classroom environment is in total transition. With the maturation of e-learning and the addition of mobile and tablet (OK, iPad), information is being transferred in new, faster and better ways. “Just in time” has given way to “on demand.”

For the classroom to remain a relevant and vital part of anyone’s learning success, several elements must be present, and beyond the classroom (or in place of it) the same elements apply.

Transferability and acceptance of the information:

• Information, examples, lessons, modules and instructors must be real-world.

• Information must directly relate to the learner and his or her challenges.

• The learner must understand, accept and agree with the information provided, or it’s an exercise in futility.

Excellence of the presenter and the lessons:

The trainer’s presentation skills are the fulcrum point of transferability. The mentality of “getting through the material” rather than being dynamic is a sure death knell to the success of the outcome.

Presentation of content:

• Sales systems don’t work; selling strategies do. But they must include other important aspects of the engagement process, such as buying motives, value proposition, reputation, belief in what you sell and love of what you do. NOTE WELL: “Outcome” (what happens after the customer takes ownership) is NEVER in a system, yet it’s the most important part of the selling process. “Value” is never presented in terms of the customer in any selling system, yet it’s the true differentiator from competitors.

Reality bites:

• How much of an expert are YOU on business social media?

• How many new sales have YOU made?

• How many sales has marketing made with the slide deck they’re asking you to present?

Measuring success beyond the classroom:

Are you measuring the wrong return? Return on investment is a wrong measurement.

• Measure return on human capital (including turnover).

• Measure return on sales (individual performance, not just total increase).

• Measure return on profit (not just gross numbers, net bottom-line revenue).

WHEW! That’s a brain-ful. But if you do it right and make the investment, it’s also a full wallet.