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Peter Vail

Mailbox February 2001

Peter B. Vaill

OD newsletter November 1974

Peter Ostrow is the VP/Group Director and principal analyst for Sales Effectiveness at the Aberdeen Group, a leading provider of fact-based research focused on the global technology-driven value chain. Peter has been focused on sales and marketing best practices for 25 years, beginning with a long-time stint at advertising firm JWG Associates. As JWG’s third employee, he participated in every aspect of the company’s sales growth, from $1M to $135M, until its acquisition by Monster Worldwide’s TMP AdComms division. At TMP, Ostrow deployed additional CRM, pipeline management, lead generation and competitive intelligence practices as VP, Global Sales Administration. He then spent five years as VP of Business Development with MarketOne International, a global provider of lead lifecycle management services to technology sales and marketing executives. At Aberdeen, Peter oversees research consumed by end-users in Marketing, Sales and Service management roles. He also leads the Sales Effectiveness practice, covering the technology, service and consulting enablers that enterprise sales forces deploy to become best-in-class organizations. His research is widely publicized and covers topics such as sales training, sales intelligence, CRM/SFA, sales performance management and integrating technologies around customer acquisition and retention.

Peter Ostow

Before joining CCL, Peter Ronayne spent 15 years as a dean and senior faculty member at the Federal Executive Institute (FEI) in Charlottesville, Virginia. While at FEI, he directed the flagship Leadership for a Democratic Society program, launched FEI’s Center for Global Leadership, and co-founded the institute’s “NeuroFed” program on neuroscience and leadership.A senior faculty member and portfolio manager at the Center for Creative Leadership, Pete’s multidisciplinary background and experience serves the Center in his design and delivery responsibilities for open enrollment and custom programs, and various Global Solutions clients, with a focus on public sector leadership and organizational development.Pete co-edited The Trusted Leader: Building the Relationships that Make Government Work, a collection of essays on values-based and collaborative leadership in the public sector. He co-authored Biography of an Ideal, a history of the US Civil Service and The Toxic Boss Survival Guide: Tactics for Navigating the Wilderness at Work, and he is the author of Never Again: The United States and the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide since the Holocaust.

Peter Ronayne

You know better than anyone else that learning and development is an asset to your business. For your business leaders to recognize this value, it’s important to position L&D as an investment and show that the dollars you spend translate into positive business results.If you’re wondering how, this article looks at what you should consider when building an L&D budget and how to demonstrate the business impact of your training programs.Connecting the Dots Between L&D and Business GoalsKnowing what your team spends and the return on investment of your efforts is key. Put simply, your C-suite execs want tangible metrics. Although 77 percent of leaders say that upskilling is a priority for their organization, 60 percent of HR professionals feel that budget constraints prevent them from taking action. That’s according to the Bridge-sponsored Future of Upskilling and Employee Learning 2024 report. In practice, this means you must make a strong case for learning and development. So, what’s the solution? Further findings show that businesses need to see the impact of learning and development presented in a way that stakeholders across the business can recognize. As such, survey respondents who say L&D is an organizational priority are more likely to capture and use an array of metrics to share the value of their strategies. These include:Return on investment Employee productivityTalent mobilitySkills assessmentsPresenting a clear budget that outlines how your strategy will solve current challenges shows the value and signals to your organization that your team is closely aligned with its goals.How to Build an L&D BudgetAllocating your L&D budget requires careful planning and foresight to predict and adapt to current and future objectives. There are several approaches you can take to account for these needs.Analyze Past Performance and SpendingReview your budget over recent years, the items included, and the number of employees each year. These figures will give you a cost per employee for each year and show you any underlying trends. With this information, you can predict any near-future costs you might expect to incur.Benchmark Based on Industry StandardsLooking at average spending data in your market or industry can give you insight into what other teams are spending and where they’re using their budget. This method is helpful if your information has gaps or if you need to provide evidence that supports your investment.Anticipate Future Skills NeedsIdentifying the critical skills your organization needs today and in the future can help you build a budget based on high-priority employee development programs and associated costs. Focus on the upskilling and reskilling initiatives to close current and anticipated skills gaps and allocate spending based on the areas that will keep your organization competitive.Evaluate Your Organization’s ObjectivesYour organization has specific goals, and your budget must reflect them. Prioritizing budget spending based on the anticipated business impact shows your execs that investing in L&D will drive results through employee performance.Key Costs to Factor Into Your L&D BudgetList the items in your budget, including an estimated cost or existing spending for items you currently use. For example, account for essential items such as:Ongoing subscription fees for an LMSOne-time purchase and setup feesThird-party learning contentExpenses associated with in-person training External trainers and SMEsHow to Get Buy-In for Your L&D BudgetFocus on how these resources will positively affect performance per your organization’s strategic priorities. Below are some examples to help you communicate the value.Highlight the Potential Risks of NoncomplianceAlthough the compliance risks might be different for each organization, the reasons to comply are the same. Completing mandatory training keeps your business and customers safe and protects you from any legal or financial penalties. For instance, data compiled in an e-book by Bridge and its sister companies found that in 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission reported fines for financial noncompliance totaling around $5 billion. That’s where an LMS comes in.To make your business case, connect your organization’s specific compliance requirements to the financial penalties for noncompliance. For instance, using a learning platform can keep your organization secure by tracking certification expiry dates and automating enrollments.Demonstrate the Impact of Upskilling and ReskillingWhile compliance training and risk management are important parts of any L&D function, they are only a fraction of what learning can do. A deliberate strategy means moving beyond risk mitigation to show the true value of training and development. Training makes your people more proficient in their roles, which is why giving them opportunities to identify and take ownership of their career development and growth directly benefits your organization. In fact, Bridge-sponsored research finds that high-performing organizations are nearly four times more likely to excel in employee development.Aligning employee goals to organizational performance allows you to strategically deploy employee development and upskilling programs and track the business impact. To present these benefits, you’ll want to show evidence of where this training has led to greater application of skills and how it benefits your business as a result. You should also identify the costs associated with not addressing skills gaps.Connect Learning to RevenueShowing the link between L&D and ROI presents the potential value of your initiatives to stakeholders. For example, Gallup research illustrates that a lack of employee engagement costs the global economy a massive $8.9 trillion each year. According to a Bridge-sponsored report, providing employees with opportunities to learn and grow is one of the top factors influencing engagement.Show How Training Improves Employee ProductivityShare how training your people gives them the tools to perform their roles more effectively and efficiently. For example, one Bridge customer cut the average time to onboard new hires from nine months to just three. As a result, it saw a 10 percent increase in sales revenue and a 50 percent decrease in turnover. You should also highlight how the right learning platform drives productivity. Using an LMS to create and deliver relevant, actionable training that your people can access on any device means faster training completion rates and less time away from day-to-day tasks. Plus, learners are more likely to retain the knowledge they learn.Find a Learning Platform That Works for Your OrganizationSaaS management platform Zylo predicts that as of 2024, less than 20 percent of midmarket organizations use single sign-on apps and platforms. Without centralized visibility, findings suggest that these organizations are at greater risk of a cybersecurity incident.Outline the potential risks and costs associated with security breaches and how the right software solution can mitigate this risk. You’re more likely to get your IT stakeholders on board when you present a platform that reduces vulnerabilities by seamlessly integrating with your existing tech and giving them complete visibility.Review Your Tech NeedsWhen building your budget, consider solutions for trimming costs that also increase efficiency. For instance, if you deliver in-person or instructor-led training events to a remote or distributed workforce, you’ll likely find that e-learning can reduce your costs—especially when adding up costs like hotels, airfare, and venue hire! You should also look for ways to consolidate your existing employee development tools into an all-in-one corporate LMS.

What You Need to Include in Your L&D Budget

The ATD SELL Conference is the only sales enablement event that’s laser-focused on developing sales capability. Want to get a free preview of our programming and speaker line-up?

During this 60-minute webinar, SELL Chair and Host Dayna Williams will lead an interactive discussion with three popular speakers: Peter Ostrow, Mike Kunkle, and Amber Watts. We’ll keep the conversation moving and the insights flowing.
Topics include:

• Macro trends in sales development
• Amplifying or revisiting your onboarding
• Table stakes for driving adoption everyone can see inside the organization
• Balancing narrative and data to communicate the value of development

Primary Capability Covered: Performance Improvement
Participation in this event, either live or recorded, can be reported for one (1) professional development point toward initial certification or recertification requirements for the APTD or CPTD credential.
 
 

Sales Enablement Trends, Techniques, and Tidbits: ATD SELL 2024 Conference Preview

ATD developed the talent development framework and puzzle to help practitioners understand the different components of talent development, and how organizations can build their own frameworks to address their unique needs. This blog series explores each component of the talent development framework, why it’s important to the field, and what resources ATD offers to practitioners who want to learn more.Employee EngagementEmployee engagement is a critically important topic for talent development professionals. Gallup’s engagement survey shows that only 13 percent of global employees are engaged. This leaves 87 percent unengaged, indifferent, or actively disengaged. Statistics like this are alarming, especially when considering that employee engagement may determine the eventual success of a company. Gallup’s research shows employees who are actively engaged bring more discretionary effort to their work and contribute more in terms of innovation and growth. A culture of engaged employees may result in lower turnover, fewer safety incidents, lower absenteeism, and higher productivity, to name a few benefits. ATD’s research for the talent development framework shows that employee engagement is a core component for talent development efforts in many companies. Employee engagement grows when there’s one objective in mind: to put the employee first. Employees who are treated with respect and loyalty feel valued by the organization. Understanding the top five barriers to engagement is beneficial for talent development professionals. According to Andrew Graham of Forum Corporation, unappreciative or unhelpful management is the single most demotivating factor in the workplace. When employee engagement is a known strategic goal for the company, working toward it becomes a daily objective. Engagement first comes by acknowledging basic needs such as belonging, enjoyment, and recognition, and then overcoming them through education, balance, and demonstration. Investing in employee engagement and talent development practices may have a more cost-effective and meaningful result than new compensation and benefit plans, according to an ATD study. We’ve assembled some additional resources to explore:• Learn why employee engagement is so essential to your organization. • Take the first step in creating a world-class and engaged workforce.• Take the steps to overcome barriers to employee engagement. • Calculate the return on investment for your employee engagement program.• Evaluate your employee engagement strategy.• Measuring the Success of Employee Engagement by Patti P. Phillips, Jack J. Phillips, and Rebecca Ray• The Manager's Employee Engagement Toolbox by Peter Garber• Coaching Employee Engagement Training by Peter Garber• Motivating Employees in the Digital Age by Sharlyn J. Lauby• Creating Engaged Employees by William J. Rothwell• For more information on training delivery and other major components of talent development, check out the ASTD Handbook, 2nd Edition (Now TDBoK™ Guide, second edition).

The ATD Talent Development Framework: Employee Engagement

Winter 2014 - The Public Manager

Despite a few who say it's not worth the effort, the value of engagement lies in its capacity to guide leaders in diagnosing and ameliorating identified workplace difficulties.

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