Training small business owners can conduct

Author: Dr. Cheryl Cottle

In the article entitled: The acquisition of knowledge in business gives one a competitive edge, I wrote about the methods of training and development that larger companies and organizations use to train their employees and management staff. While these methods have been traditionally used by large companies and organizations, smaller companies and small business owners can also take example and integrate an education plan into their overall business vision. Similar to larger companies and organizations, small business owners can also develop an educational philosophy as a means to educate and develop themselves and their employee; and also create a culture of learning. Like your eco-friendly plan that shows your appreciation and dedication to the preservation of the planet; let your educational philosophy also reflect how you value your employees' development. Show your appreciation for the human side or the socio-business aspect of your business goals and vision. 

Larger organization focus on conducting several types of training to meet their organization's goals and small businesses, can too. Some of the training programs conducted include, product-based training, technical training, employee-task-based process-oriented training, psychosocial preparedness and customer-based training. 

Product-oriented training is designed to educate the employees who work in this area with the product that the organization or business focus on. For example a small business that focuses upon manufacturing bags and jewellery will need to teach their sales staff on how the product is made. Another business that deals with the production of cakes will also need to educate their staff on the type of products that goes into making each type of cakes — and similarly, if your business specializes in candle or soap making. These are just some examples that a small business may be engaged in. 

Process-oriented training is also critical to the growth of your business. Employees must be trained in the various processes that facilitate the operation of your company. Whether it is customer-services, marketing, production, shipping and handling, handling customer order; regardless of the process, employees must be taught how to, to ensure effectiveness. 

Technical training should also form part of your training and development program. Your employees require training on the technical processes of your business; and you too. If you are using computer based technologies to facilitate your business process, train your employees. When you purchase a new piece of technology make sure that you have a contract that covers repairs, parts, upgrades, online and direct management support and continuous training and development, from the provider. Make sure that you receive the product operational manual, and at the time of sale, make sure that your employees are a part of the adoption, and that training is a part of the implementation. 

Psychosocial preparedness training is also important to small businesses to ensure that your employees are able to make the transition, for example with the implementation of a change process. For example, the way that you manage your inventory might change from a non-computerized method to a computerized approach. Another change that may occur is that you might decide to incorporate a — point-of sale system for cashing and inventory management. With the advent of change, not all our employees easily embrace it. Some can be resistant, and if our employees are resisting it could have a devastating impact on our return of investment. What do you do if this happens? Or rather what do you do to prevent it and to make the transition smoothly? You might suggest firing that employee and hiring others. Remember though that the recruitment process could be very time consuming and costly. Your change management team, often recommend that you should include your employees as part of your decision making for the change, so that they will be familiar with the change when it is implemented. What this does, is that when it is implemented, the employee or employees will be prepared to accept it and run with it — so to speak. 

Psychological Preparedness Training is conducted to prepare your employees with the change, particularly those who might be or are resistant to the change to see the importance and value of the change process. You can also conduct psychological preparedness training with your customers, particularly if you introduced a new way of doing business. For example, you might have introduced a new way of shopping and payment — like online shopping. 

Customer-service training is also a key training type that you should engage in for the sustainability of your business, regardless of its size. Great customer service skills help you to establish a good customer-relationship with your clientele — and it is very crucial to the management of your business. Your clients are who keep your business growing and developing. It is that part of our business that is people-focused and is the heart beat of your business entity. You therefore must learn how to communicate and interact with them. It is important to know how you form relationships with them and keep and maintain them. 

Customer’s services training can focus on how you communicate. How you talk to your customers. What you might say. How you respond to inquiries face-to-face, over the telephone or through email. There are other ways that we can interact with our customers’ particular in this day of social media and blogging. Integrating social media and having a business blog are two great ways to reach your clients and build a relationship with them. For some small business owner, these technologies are quite daunting, and many are resisting integrating it into their business; and for those who have, there is a learning curve. Enhance your knowledge in this area by taking a course or you can recruit someone to specifically perform this task within your business. Customer service is also about respect and how you value the "other". In addition, it is also about having and showing love and compassion to them. I will like to recommend that you introduce an element of spirituality into you business so that it becomes a part of your business philosophy and business culture. 

A small business owner may ask why I need to conduct so many different types of training; I am not a large corporation. Yes, I agree that you are not a large corporation, but as a small company you also engage in the same business activities as larger ones; only at a smaller scale. You are also involved in the production of your goods and or services. You also engage in marketing and promoting your product or services to your customer base. You are also involved in building your personal brand and your business brand, as well as conducting research and development. You may also think about expanding your market either locally or internationally. Regardless of the size of your entrepreneurial venture you will need to conduct some level of training and or some type of training. Training is generally conducted on-site and off -site using other facilities, including higher educational facilities like private consultants and trainers, colleges and universities. In addition, how the training is approached is also significant to the adoption strategy. Training can either be employee-focused but organization – supported, or it can be organization-initiated. As a small business owner you can decide which approach best meet your budget's needs.

The Acquisition of Knowledge in Business gives one a Competitive Edge

Author: Dr. Cheryl Cottle

Customer training and education is a great business strategy for business owners to get customers and to keep them coming back. Do you think that it is important that as business people, training and education is also important to the sustainability of your business? Do you engage in on-going learning about business development, and what methods do you use to develop best business practice?

As an educator, entrepreneur trainer, an expert in the implementation of computer technology in the workplace, as well as an entrepreneur, I strongly believe that the acquisition of knowledge gives a business owner a competitive edge in the market place. 

The market place is an ever evolving place with new and emerging ways to do business, and if one has to sustain his or her business he or she must overcome the challenges by keeping abreast of best practices to circumvent any pitfalls. Having that piece of new information over your competitor, will give you your advantage. Like large organizations, training and development is an ongoing activity for employees, managers as well as people in upper management. Large organizations generally have a budget allocated to the development of their employees and often offer many incentives to facilitate education and training. Similarly, small businesses should also engage in education and development. The budget that they allocate may not be as much as larger companies and organization, but it is imperative that they do so. 

Training and development should be a part of your business plan. They should be integrated into your overall design plan and must not be regarded as an afterthought. A proactive approach to training and development will keep you updated on new knowledge that comes out in the market place, and help you to adapt more easily and quickly to any changes. 

Training is inherently the acquisition of knowledge and skills needed to perform present tasks that are vital to the operation of the various processes of your company. Training is a tool to help you to employees and managers contribute to the company and be successful in their current positions by meeting the required expectations, contribute to the company's growth and development, experience a high degree of success and attain a degree of job satisfaction (Cottle, 2003). It is a retooling and or retraining strategy that facilitates the successful implementation of the integrated systems designed to facilitate the operation of the business. 

Development on the other hand is the acquisition of knowledge and skills used in the present and in the future. It is the prerequisite to help employees meet new challenges and ensure the long-term health and vitality of a business. It is the core of which helps a business to achieve its short-term as well as its long-term vision and growth. It facilitates an organization's or business sustainability. It is what gives you a competitive edge in this era of global economies, global competition, and advance technology. 

Training and development are very important for the successful development of a company or business. It is the energy that sustains it; and it is crucial tool for meeting the economic changes taking place globally. Businesses and organization must put in place a policy for education; training and development to build its knowledge-base. Managing the intellectual capacity of your company is one sure way of being in readiness to exploit and absorbs when new market changes emerge. It enable you to maintain the proverbial saying — a competitive edge in the market place. In addition, it also facilitates the advancement of employee’s marketability. What that means is that within your sector and industry, your employees would be known to be proficient and effective. In other words they will be regarded as "high caliber" employee, thus increasing your employees’ marketability and your business visibility as a competitor to be reckoned with. 

Business owners as well as their employees should engage in education and training. Developing the intellectual capacity of your business so that you can be better positioned to exploit new ways of doing business. It would also enable you to have a greater impact on the absorptive capacity of your company. You will therefore be better able to take on new challenges, exploit new markets, exploit new products, as well as expand your client base and attract new employees and investors. 

In regards to methods of learning, there are many approaches to knowledge acquisition. You can use both formal and informal learning methodologies. Training can also be conducted in-house or at a private institution. You can also utilize your own in- house trainers; the guru among you, as well as source external trainers who will come in and design and deliver a training program specifically to your needs. In addition, you can also access knowledge from books, journals, magazine, and various online forums. I will like to share a quote by Brian Tracy, who says:

Those people who develop the ability to continuously acquire new and better forms of knowledge that they can apply to their work and to their lives will be the movers and shakers in our society for the indefinite future.

I must end by saying that I can identify with Tracy’s quote; I do believe that the business owner with knowledge; new and emerging knowledge can indeed be a great exemplar as an entrepreneur. 

Reference:
A Case Study of Three Organizations' Plans to Facilitate the Adoption, Diffusion and Infusion of Computer Technology in the Workplace, 2003 ( A Doctoral Dissertation, Dr. Cheryl Cottle, Robarts Library, University of Toronto