Training has a very important role in the direct selling industry. As a distributor, you train your teams, receive training from your company, learn how to run your business from your team leader, catch up on the latest and greatest trends and media outlets, find out how to use new products, and so on. When you are the trainer, it’s important to know how to train others effectively. Nothing is worse than sitting through a long training meeting and leaving more confused than when you started. One of the best ways to avoid this is to make sure that the training you do caters to multiple learning styles.

My son recently started third grade. A few days after school started, his teacher passed out a quiz to help evaluate how each student learns best. My son came home so excited: “Mom, I’m a kinesthetic learner! Now I know how to learn better!”

Whether we’re young or old, everyone has a preferred learning method and this matters. Consider the three main three learning styles as you think about how to train your team.

• Visual: Be prepared with PowerPoint slides and other visual examples of what you’re demonstrating. For example, if you are training about hosting a virtual party, include screenshots walking the person through the stages of the party step-by-step. If you are training on a product, have the actual product on hand and show how it is used. Be specific. Present using pictures, graphs, or anything else that will help those you teach to understand.
• Auditory: People need specific, descriptive audio examples. Be thorough in your explanations. If you have a PowerPoint presentation, talk them through it. Record your training so auditory learners will be able to listen to it later.
• Kinesthetic: Teach with hands-on examples. If you’re teaching someone how to use products, let them try them out from start to finish.

I can’t tell you how many training calls I’ve participated in, feeling completely confident about what I was learning. A week later, I go to do what I was taught and draw a blank. If I took notes or the trainer sent me a follow up e-mail with written instructions, I’m much more able to accomplish the task at hand. This is because I learn best using all three learning styles. Some of us learn just by hearing while others need to see and do. It may sound overwhelming, but training for each learning technique reinforces your message and makes  it stick for a long time.

Other training tips

Be prepared to answer questions. You train a wide variety of people. Some of your trainees will catch on quickly and ask advanced questions; others may struggle with the concepts and have basic questions to answer before progressing to the next level. You don’t have to know all the answers, but you should know where to find them and teach your trainee where to find them, as well. You can’t sell confidence if you’re not prepared to promote it.

Focus on the product. If you’re training someone on a brand new product that you’re expecting them to sell, you should how that product works, what it does, and what makes it better than all the rest. If it’s a tube of mascara, have it with you as you explain all of the benefits and have them try it out, too. You need to be able to demonstrate why the better result from your product is worth the change from the product they already like. Saying, “Hey, you should buy this new mascara,” isn’t enough. Showing up with long, thick eyelashes and relaying the many benefits and advantages of using mascara is likely to lead to sales.

Follow up. Follow up with those you have trained to make sure they understand and remember what you taught. Make yourself available as they go through the steps you taught them to set up a party or give a demonstration. Once they feel confident, reinforce the steps by repeating them aloud one more time. Training this way addresses the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic aspects of learning to help your trainee better absorb what you are teaching.

Keep training. Training is a part of everyday life; it isn’t something you can do once and never expect to do again. Continue to update your team anytime a new product comes out, corporate headquarters makes a change, or when there’s a new product to introduce. Keep your team in the loop so they’ll be stronger, happier, more confident, and more efficient. Remember, you’re training them to be successful and success doesn’t happen overnight. It comes through a lot of time spent learning: hearing, seeing, and doing.