Sales Training Vodcasts 1

Running Head: SALES TRAINING VODCASTS

Instructional Design Study Proposal:

Training Vodcasts for Specialty Retail Salespeople of the Millennial Generation

Ryan Tanaka

University of Hawaii, Educational Technology

October 1, 2009

Sales Training Vodcasts 2

Proposal Introduction

Books will soon be obsolete in the schools. Scholars will soon be instructed through the

eye. It is possible to teach every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture.

Our school system will be completely changed in ten years.

- Thomas A. Edison, New York Dramatic Mirror, July 9, 1913

The use of visual instructional technologies began its ascent nearly a century ago with the

introduction of film technology and has progressed ever since, and along the way, supported the

benefits of multimodal presentation. Most recently, digital file compression methods led to very

small mp3 and mp4 file formats that maintain high levels of multimedia quality and spurred the

invention of portable media players, such as the Apple iPod, that became massively popular

devices for people to store collections of music and videos to listen or watch when and where

they want. An entire Millennial Generation (born between 1980 and 2000) of people are native

to this type of digital technology. Vodcasts – video files developed for playback on portable

media players – offer an ideal learning medium, catering to Millennials’ preferences.

Perhaps coincidentally, Millennials share many of the same characteristics as salespeople

and this is why Millennials are expected to comprise a dramatically greater number of the sales

positions over the next five years. This may be also why salespeople have found vodcasts to be

appealing as training tools. Salespeople are a group that largely lacks sufficient training,

particularly on the buying decisions process that would better allow them to become more

customer focused. Can vodcasts be an especially effective means of providing training to

Millennial salespeople on a sales approach based on the buyer decision-making process? This

study will set forth an educational intervention to answer that question using vodcasts as the

technology tool and a sales approach based on the buyer decision process as the content matter.

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Literature Review Abstract

Literature on sales training, vodcasting (i.e., video podcasting, the use of video content playable

via portable media players) and related topics was reviewed. The review found retail and

training industry members recommending better designed and more ongoing sales training

focused on engaging and satisfying customers. Trainers report asynchronous training success,

particularly for salespeople, whose customer interactions inhibit face-to-face training. Limited

formal studies on educational vodcasting were identified. Many universities and companies use

podcasts and vodcasts, but their assessments are only informally reported. The literature speaks

favorably of vodcasts, as a multimodal, convenient learning medium. Literature also suggests

vodcasts would cater well to Millennials (born 1980-2000) due their technological expertise,

visual learning capabilities, motivation to learn, and desire for mobility.

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Literature Review Introduction

People shop for a variety of reasons. The salespeople attending to customers often

seemingly function only as cashiers and many do not take the initiative to approach customers.

Consumers are exposed to a greater breadth of products, information sources, and social

influences and could often benefit from the help of sales staff. Meanwhile, the popularity of

portable media players, such as iPods, and the advancement in multimedia production and

broadcasting technologies, has led to an increasingly popular electronic communication, called

podcasts, which are played on those portable media players. That popularity carries over to both

universities and corporations, which seek to take advantage of podcasts as distance learning

instructional tools. Can video podcasts, also known as vodcasts, be used as an effective tool to

provide sales training? Is there a specific subpopulation within the retail sales force for which

training vodcasts would be most effective? This paper will explore and review literature in order

to determine whether there is a specific need for training within the field of retail sales and the

potential for success that video podcasts may hold as the training medium.

Literature Review

Background

Everyone goes shopping. Shopping at stores is something we all do, but retailers often

do not understand why people are shopping and how to interact with them (Pooler, 2003). A

retail store’s salespeople largely determine how much customers will enjoy their experiences and

whether they will purchase from it (Sussman, 2008). The revenue generated from sales is vital to

a company’s profits and is the key determinant between success, survival, and failure

(Longenecker, Moore & Petty, 2000). According to Forseter (2007), retail salespeople approach

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only about half of all customers and it is estimated that if store personnel approached all of its

customers, store’s sales would increase by 7%.

The importance of the sales function for a business is what prompts some companies to

spend vast sums on training their salespeople (Salisbury, 1998). According to

TrainingIndustry.com (2008), it is estimated that several billions of dollars a year is spent on

sales training. Sussman (2008) notes, “If executed properly, employee training in retail can yield

increased revenues, higher productivity, and motivated employees” (p. 52). Particularly in the

current economic recession, Rackham (2009) states there is no better time for companies to

invest in training for their sales force.

Insufficient retail sales training

However, retailers spend relatively little, per employee, on training, because they often

do not recognize the relationship between sales training and sales growth. Instead, they view

sales training as an expense (Salisbury, 1998). Sussman (2008) finds that once a retailer

provides staff with introductory training at the start of their employment, it invests little in

ongoing training and is reluctant to do so because of the full turnover of sales staff in typical

retail establishments. Companies are often reluctant to provide sales training because of the

inability to schedule sales staff to come together at a common location for an extended period of

time (Leigh, 1997) and the resistance by experienced salespeople who are reluctant to change

anything that has proven successful to their selling (Salisbury, 1998). However, Rackham

(2009) believes the our current economic recession can motivate even those experienced

salespeople previously resistant to training to improve upon their skills and sales methods.

Alternative perspective to sales training

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The majority of sales training conducted, addresses sales methodologies

(TrainingIndustry.com, 2008). Hodge and Schachter (2006) state that most salespeople are

trained to view their job from a selling perspective, but instead, they should adopt the customer’s

buying perspective to better align their actions with the needs of the customer. According to

Kodz, Atkinson and Perryman (1997), approaching selling from the customer’s perspective leads

to significantly higher sales effectiveness. Specifically, they state

Selling skills…require an understanding of the processes through which people go in

making a decision… As competition is increasing and customers are becoming more

sophisticated and demanding, customer service, a customer orientation, and selling skills

are increasingly important. (p. 48)

Customer-focused sales training

Leboff (2008) advocates that any sales training address how people buy if trainees are to

become effective salespeople. Similarly, Pooler (2003) states that retailers need to understand

why people shop. People shop for a variety of reasons – not just to fulfill specific product needs,

but also as a means of recreation and socialization (Puccinelli, Goodstein, Grewal, Price,

Raghubir & Stewart, 2009; Samli, 2004). According to Pooler (2003), shopping is a large part of

people’s self-actualization process in working towards fulfilling their emotional needs. Further,

because people have different levels of shopping need, their needs for information will vary.

Retail salespeople need to better understand the decision-making process a shopper goes through

when deciding their purchase and provide the shopper the information needed, at the time it is

needed (Pooler, 2004). If the retailer can better understand and help consumers to satisfy their

higher level psychological needs, retailers could improve profitability by charging higher prices

because consumers will not be as price sensitive (An Tien Hsieh & Wen Ting Chang, 2004).

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People go through a buying-decision process that includes problem or need recognition,

information gathering, pre-purchase trial and evaluation, purchase decision, and post-purchase

evaluation (Pride & Ferrell, 2009; Puccinelli, et al., 2009). That the decision process in buyer-

seller interactions follows a methodical process would seem to lend itself to the use of sales

scripts for sales staff (Leong, Busch & John, 1987).

According to Salisbury (1998), successful salespeople stick to sales scripts. They may

not know exactly what they do, but they know it works, so they are reluctant to change it. The

difference between experts and novices is that experts have more elaborate knowledge structures.

Successful, experienced salespeople have a plethora of sales scripts that they call upon to adapt

to the great variety of sales situations they encounter (Leong, Busch & John, 1987). Leigh

(1987) states that inexperienced salespeople are especially in need of sales training that allow

them to obtain a mental picture of the sales process and develop a cognitive selling script. Such

sales training would allow inexperienced salespeople to obtain the skills that would make them

effective salespeople without going through numerous trial-and-error selling experiences and

rejection, which can be traumatic and lead to high turnover (Leigh, 1987).

Leong, Busch, and John (1987) found that highly successful sales agents “engage in a

more extensive determination of client needs and attempt to satisfy them with a greater variety

of…recommendations than do less effective” (p. 176) sales agents. According to Sussman

(2008), specialty retail stores, in particular, can benefit from training its salespeople because of

the stores’ focus on a customer’s shopping experience.

Asynchronous sales training modules

Sussman (2008) states that high turnover and scheduling issues make short e-learning

modules effective for training sales personnel. Asynchronous e-learning video modules offer

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convenience and conceptual clarity to learners who might not otherwise meet for a face-to-face

class (Copley, 2007). However, Richardson and Swan (2003) found that learners prefer

environments in which there is significant social interaction. Constructivist learning theory

suggests that social interaction leads to greater learning, as compared to more directed learning,

by helping students to construct knowledge (Hiltz & Spencer, 2003). Still, Russell, Kleiman,

Carey and Douglas (2009) found that electronic self-paced courses with minimal student

interaction can be as effective as electronic courses taken as a group, particularly when the

learners are highly motivated. The anytime, anywhere possibility of learning through

asynchronous online modules offers a very appealing convenience (Hiltz, 1998; Ndahi,

Charturvedi, Akan & Pickering, 2007). While people seem to prefer synchronous learning

activities (Hiltz, 1998), they often cannot fit those synchronous activities into their schedules and

instead engage via an asynchronous medium (Hiltz & Spencer, 2003). By utilizing an

asynchronous medium, learners are not under short and inflexible time constraints to participate

in activities and can instead do so more thoughtfully (Lively, 2007). Also, Macurik, O’Kane,

Malanga and Reid (2008) state that asynchronous training sessions are much less disruptive to

worker’s schedules and provide an especially efficient means for an organization to provide a

particular training to multiple staff, at multiple times, at multiple locations. In their study,

Macurik, et al. (2008), found that workers generally found asynchronous video training sessions

to be as effective as synchronous, face-to-face training.

Additional benefits to asynchronous learning

Asynchronous learning also allow learners to take the time they need to absorb their

material and reflect upon it and their activities (Lively, 2007; Salmon & Edirisingha, 2008).

According to Fiddler and Marienau (2008), reflection is important for learners to convert their

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experiences to meaningful learning. Lowe, Rappolt, Jaglal and MacDonald (2007), state that

reflection is thought to be of significant importance in implementation of learning from short

learning modules into practice. Additionally, the likelihood of reflection can be increased if the

learning process and practice context are conducive to the use of reflection. Smith, Clegg,

Lawrence and Todd (2007), state that reflective activities during and after the application of

learning into context encourage deep learning. Moreover, Smith, et al. (2007), cite Stefani,

Clarke, and Littlejohn (2000) and state that when those reflective activities are tied to a

workplace context, learners are enabled to “develop a sense of their own personal and

professional development” (p. 163). Stefani, et al. (2000), suggest that reflective learning

activities are particularly valuable in allowing workers to conduct formative self-assessments on

their achievement of specific learning tasks, in order to gauge their progress towards a larger

learning goal.

Early audio-visual mediums of training

While printed instructional media has been used for many centuries, it was not until the

1900s that audio-visual media became a popular form of training technology. Use of film began

in the 1910s, followed by photographic slides in the 1920s, radio in the 1930s, and audio

recordings and overhead slides in the 1940s. The U.S. military was the most prominent user of

audio-visual training technologies as it trained personnel for World War II, producing thousands

of 16mm films and distributing hundreds of thousands of film copies (Kearsley, 1984).

According to Kearsley (1984), one of the most significant developments of audio-visual

training technology was the near worldwide standardization of 35mm slides and closed-loop

audio cassettes. This technology was relatively quick and inexpensive, while being suitable for

both group and individual training. This development was later followed by the use of

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videotapes and video cassettes which offered similar benefits, as well as lower cost and more

flexible production and editing processes.

A number of factors supported the rise of video as a training tool. According to

Cartwright and Cartwright (1999), although the production time of a video training is about ten

times that for classroom training, the time and cost savings of video are reaped through repeated

presentation. Through video, students can obtain just-in-time instruction that does not require

instructor travel, is consistent, and is inherently interesting. Also, Kearsley (1984) states that the

video training and visual literacy arguments were backed by substantial research to support the

advantages of audio-visual training media.

Further improvements in technology allowed video to make its way from being stored as

analog data on tape and cassettes to digital data on optical discs, such as CD-ROM (Compact

Disc-Read Only Memory) and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). These forms of training delivery

technology offer substantially greater content storage, more editing opportunities, cheaper

production costs, and the ability to include interactive playback (Cartwright & Cartwright, 1999).

According to Kearsley (1984), that “interactive characteristic makes videodisc a bridge between

audio-visual/film/video technology and computer/communications technology” (p. 38). He

further notes that as a result, the videodisc medium offers a random-access rather than sequential

presentation.

The technological progress made by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) in the

early 1990s not only resulted in the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 file format standards that enabled

video to be presented on CD-ROM and DVD, but it also laid the groundwork for further digital

multimedia standards. MPEG subsequently led the development of the MPEG-1 layer III (mp3)

and MPEG-4 (mp4) file format standards that allowed previous formats of audio and video to be

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compressed into much smaller file sizes while still offering high playback quality (Apple, 2009).

These new file format standards in turn revolutionized the music industry and spurred the

invention and growth of small, portable digital multimedia devices to store and play entire

collections – even thousands of songs – stored in these new file formats within the portable

media player. Apple’s iPod is one such portable digital media player, launched in 2001, that was

embraced by a wide demographic of people who sought the capability of customizing and

playing their multimedia collections on-demand (CBS Interactive, 2009).

Podcast and vodcast background

The exponential growth of these portable digital multimedia players is credited for the

proliferation of podcasts (Brown & Green, 2008), which has been a well-received mode for

asynchronous distance learning (Agnvall, 2007; Brown & Green, 2008; Copley, 2007; Gronstedt,

2007, Jan). Podcasts are audio or video files that can be listened to or watched either using a

computer or digital media player, such as Apple’s iPod. According to Brown & Green (2008),

“[t]he term ‘podcast’ like that of ‘radio’ or ‘video’ can refer to either the content or the method

of delivery” (pp. 4-5). Podcast files are typically downloaded via the Internet by subscribing to a

podcast feed (Brown & Green, 2008; Checho, 2007), but can also be transferred by disc, to be

manually imported to and exported from, the media library where podcasts are stored on a local

computer (BusinessKnowledgeSource.com, n.d.). Video podcasts, also known as vodcasts, are

increasingly popular due to the growth of video-enabled portable media players and phones

(Gronstedt, 2007, Jan). The term vodcast arises from the delivery of video on demand, VOD,

files (Sacred Heart University, 2009) and is also used interchangeably with the term vidcast

(Agarwal, 2006).

Podcasts for teaching and training

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Podcasting is no longer being used for just entertainment purposes. Podcasting is

increasingly being used for educational purposes (Harris & Park, 2008). Many universities,

including Duke, Michigan, Purdue, University of California-Berkley, Stanford, and Indiana,

already use podcasts to give students access and listen to prior lectures or other communication

from their instructors. Although vodcasts can also be viewed on computers, the portability and

size of the view screen are significant considerations for using vodcasts to facilitate learning

(Brown & Green, 2008). In his study of providing audio and video podcasts of university

lectures, Copley (2007) found that 100% of the students that obtained his vodcasts preferred to

view vodcasts via their computers, rather than their portable media players. He also found that

the only students that did not take advantage of the vodcasts were those who were satisfied with

the audio-only podcast version, did not know what a vodcast was, did not own a portable media

player, were reluctant to download the large video file, or were just not interested.

Among corporations, IBM, Herbalife, and Pal’s Restaurants utilize podcasting for

training their employees (Islam, 2007). Other corporations providing employee training via

audio or video podcasts include EMC, Sun Microsystems, MCAP, and Capital One. An

employee survey by Capital One indicated that over 90% of its podcast users felt the training

podcasts were beneficial for themselves and the company and they would recommend it to others

(Agnvall, 2006).

Agnvall (2006) writes that the sales personnel at IBM and EMC appreciate the mobile,

just-in-time accessibility in learning that podcasts provide, especially given that they would have

difficulty fitting in a face-to-face training session into their schedules. Sales personnel at those

companies indicate that they listen to the podcasts between customers. At MCAP, the podcasts

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are well received because they provide timely, on-demand coaching in the tidbits that the

workers can utilize and more readily absorb.

Harris and Park (2008) state a number of perspectives explain the growth in educational

podcasting. First, podcasting allows educators to interact with learners asynchronously. Second,

podcasting empowers learners and satisfies their needs for just-in-time instructional content, so

that they may review that content at their convenience and as many times as they wish. Finally,

podcasting allows educators to reach a broader community.

Multimodal presentation

According to Brown and Green (2008), vodcasts can be beneficial in learning complex

concepts because of its multimodal presentation. Kelly (2006) states that most adults learn

through sight far better than they do through hearing. Moreover, knowledge obtained through

sight is retained longer than that obtained through hearing. However, when learning occurs

through sight and hearing together, retention is vastly improves (Kelly, 2006).

The Metiri Group (2008), noted that “[s]tudents engaged in learning that incorporates

multimodal designs, on average, outperformed students who learn using traditional approaches

with single modes” (p. 13). Gellevij, Van Der Meij, De Jong and Pieters (2002), found “that in a

realistic context, multimodal instruction leads to better outcomes than unimodal instruction.

Training time is shortened, learning is improved, and cognitive load is not altered” (p. 238).

Those findings are consistent with the theory that instruction utilizing multiple mediums, such as

text and pictures, is cognitively processed into memory better than instruction that uses just a

single medium (Gellevij, et al., 2002). By using a combination of audio, video, pictures, and

text, vodcasts have become a well-received asynchronous mode of teaching and delivering

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training or to provide information (Abreu, et al, 2008; Agnvall, 2006; Copley, 2007; Gronstedt,

2007, Jan; Gronstedt, 2007, Jun).

The Millennial Generation

Podcasts are an ideal training tool for one generation in particular: the Millennial

Generation (Islam, 2007). The Millennial Generation is the population born roughly between

1980 and 2000 (Deyrup, 2007; Sibson Consulting, 2009; Sweeney, 2006). According to Deyrup

(2007), Millennials are sometimes referred to as Generation Next, Generation Y, the Net

Generation, or the Echo Boom Generation. According to Mumford (2006), Millennials are the

children of the Baby Boomer Generation, and there are nearly 80 million of them. Millennials

excel in multitasking, are extremely comfortable with technology, and are frequently time- and

place-shifting, digitally (Mumford, 2006; Sweeney, 2006). This generation grew up during the

emergence of the World Wide Web and other digital technologies, and are therefore regarded as

digital natives (Considine, Horton & Moorman, 2009)

According to Sibson Consulting (2009), Millennials are highly motivated, goal oriented,

and typically interested in sales occupations. Sibson Consulting estimates that Millennials only

make up about 20% of the current population of salespeople; however, they found Millennials to

be very enthusiastic about sales occupations and expect that number to dramatically increase

over the next five years.

Millennials are particularly interested in lifelong learning and occupational skill-building

(Alch, 2006). According to Sweeney (2006), the use of multimedia, such as vodcasts, as

instructional tools are the key to engaging Millennials. The majority of Millennials are visual

learners (Islam, 2007) and prefer multimedia learning over text-based learning and distance

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learning over face-to-face learning (Sweeney, 2006). Considine, et al. (2009), state that

Millennials are very active users of information communication technology.

Millennial learning preferences

Millennials tend to be very impatient and get bored sitting through the average

instructional lecture (Sweeney, 2006). Moreover, providing training in short, small chunks is

more conducive to the effectiveness of sales training (Eyre, 2008). Gronstedt (2007, Jun) states

that research conducted by EMC finds that the optimal length for vodcasts is five minutes.

Additionally, Millennials prefer experiential activities to be incorporated into their

learning (McGlynn, 2005; Oblinger & Oblinger, 2006; Sweeney, 2006). According to Oblinger

and Oblinger (2006), Millennials learn well through exploration and discovery, whether on their

own or with peers. McGlynn (2005) states that that active engagement creates stronger

connections by promoting deeper processing and learning. Specifically, McGlynn indicates that

using examples relevant to learners and asking them to develop their own examples create

meaning and connection for them in relation to the material they are learning. That in turn, helps

their subsequent retention and retrieval of knowledge acquired (McGlynn, 2005). These issues

of timing, mode of delivery, and job-related focus as viewed by the training industry as crucial to

the provision of training (Armstrong & Sadler-Smith, 2008).

Literature Review Conclusion

The sales function, and thus sales personnel, plays a critical role towards determining the

profitability and success of a retail sales business. Currently, there is a great need for training of

salespeople – due to both our economic recession and the general inability of salespeople to

understand, engage, and satisfy consumers. Sales training should focus on helping salespeople to

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understand and facilitate purchase decision-making from the buyer’s perspective. Such training

would be particularly beneficial to sales personnel in specialty retail stores.

Asynchronous training modules, specifically in the medium of vodcasts, offer a

promising training medium to allow busy sales staff to squeeze in just-in-time training, between

attending to customers. Podcasts and vodcasts have become a popular instructional tool at many

universities and corporations. Whereas podcasts rely upon audio, vodcasts offer video on

demand and cater to multimodal learning to allow better understanding and retention of

knowledge.

Vodcasting as an instructional tool could particularly meet the preference of the

Millennial Generation. Millennials are digital natives who gravitate towards and are engaged by

this type of multimedia information communication tool that enables them multitask and remain

mobile. The use of vodcasts for sales training is especially promising for Millennials because

many of them hold jobs in sales and that their employment in that field is expected to

dramatically increase. Implemented thoughtfully, in small modules and facilitating reflective

and experiential learning, vodcasts are seemingly an ideal tool to provide training to salespeople

of the Millennial Generation.

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Sales Training Vodcasts 23

Intervention

Goal and objectives

Are vodcasts an effective mode of providing sales training to the Millennial population?

Literature suggests that vodcasts offer the flexible, asynchronous, multimodal learning

appropriate for the bite-sized topics of sales training, while accommodating the work demands of

salespeople and engaging Millennials. Therefore, the overall objective of this instructional

design study is to determine the effectiveness of vodcasts for providing sales training to the

Millennial population.

The terminal objective of this instructional design is that the learner completing the

training should successfully generate a buyer-focused strategy for selling their products or

services. The training, if fully developed, would teach all five steps of the decision process

buyers go through when making a purchase and how the salesperson can facilitate that process.

However, to narrow the scope of this study, instruction relating only the first two of five steps of

the buyer decision process will be developed for testing, using separate vodcast modules of

approximately five to seven minutes long. The goal of the first module is that the learner will be

able to successfully determine the buyer’s problem or need. The goal of the second module is

that the learner will be able to successfully determine the information to provide to the buyer to

address his/her problem or need.

System analysis

The overall system that the instructional modules are designed to affect is the Hawaii

small-business, specialty retail store. Sales training is deemed to be an important driver in

impacting sales revenue, and thus, profitability of a retail store. Specialty retail stores, in

particular, focus on discretionary consumer spending and can benefit from the type of sales

Sales Training Vodcasts 24

training to be developed that addresses the satisfaction of buyer’s needs. Further, retail stores

generally do not provide much, if any, training in this regard. Training is also among the first

activities to cut back on during economic recessions, as we currently face.

Within the Hawaii small-business, specialty retail store, salespeople tend to fall into three

different groups. The first group is comprised of ownership. Owners of small businesses often

are involved in hands-on roles within their businesses. The smaller the business, the greater role

the owners typically play, including interacting with customers. The second group is comprised

of managers. As retailers grow and operate larger or multiple store locations, owners may hire

managers and assistant managers to oversee retail operations. These managers assist customers

and are often the people that provide initial and on-the-job training to their salespeople. The

third group is comprised of cashiers and salespeople whose duties focus upon assisting

customers in making purchases.

Within the retail store system, there are two primary issues that deter retail owners and

managers from investing time and resources towards training their salespeople beyond what is

deemed essential to complete sales transactions. One major deterrent of sales training is the high

turnover within the retail system. Many retailers face full turnover of staff every year or two.

Another major deterrent is the nature of the retail system. The priority of salespeople is to attend

to the stocking and appearance of store merchandise and to assist customers in making their

purchases. Salespeople are staffed at different times throughout the day and week to perform

this function within the system. The common availability of salespeople and sporadic demands

of time of these primary job functions make it difficult for retail owners and managers to provide

organized training. For these reasons, it is probable that most retail salespeople do not bring with

them much knowledge on buyers’ decision process and are not provided training that affords

Sales Training Vodcasts 25

them of that knowledge. If anything, retail salespeople might be self-taught this knowledge

through on-the-job experience.

Target Population

Many salespeople of specialty retail stores appear to be young in age and belong to the

Millennial Generation. Few of them are likely to see their sales position as a long-term career.

Instead, their job may be part-time or short-term employment as they attend school, work a

primary job, or try to determine their career interests. High retail turnover is attributed to the

temporary and short-term commitment these young salespeople give to their retail jobs.

However, it is forecasted that Millennials will hold a substantially greater number of

positions within the sales industry over the next five years. Moreover, Millennials are

considered to be very motivated towards self-improvement and therefore, attracted to sales

training opportunities to assist with their career advancement.

Millennials are also deemed to be very competent in using technology tools. They are

also considered to be comfortable with the visual mode of learning and engaged by video-based

technology, such as YouTube. However, because Millennials tend to multitask, quickly and

frequently shifting between multiple activities and locations, technology that functions in short

bursts are most appealing to them; hence, the popularity of Twitter and text-messaging. The

majority of this population is said to own and be competent in computers and/or personal video

media players (such as the video iPod) that are needed to play the training vodcasts of this study.

For these reasons, developing short sales training vodcasts would seem to be effective by

taking advantage of these expectations and tendencies of Millennial salespeople.

Sample Population

Sales Training Vodcasts 26

A sample of 15 to 20 participants will be used to test the instructional vodcast modules.

The sample population who will test the two instructional modules developed would optimally

be young adults who belong to the Millennial generation, are currently employed in sales

positions, do not have knowledge of the buyer decision process, and would utilize the

instructional vodcasts while working in their specialty retail store. This population could be

identified and selected through direct contacting of Hawaii small business, specialty retail store

owners, based on common store location or association affiliation. For example, the researcher

might approach the Hawaii small business owners operating in certain Honolulu shopping

complexes where these types of stores are abundant. As another alternative, the researcher might

work with an industry association such as the Retail Merchants of Hawaii to reach local retail

business owners. Once those owners agree to assist the study, the selection of the actual

salespeople would be the decision of those retail store owners. One further requirement for test

participation would be that the test study participant have access to and be competent in utilizing

technology capable of playing the vodcasts.

Targeting a test sample of retail store employees adds potential complexity and

difficulties in actually completing the testing of the instructional modules. Utilizing that test

sample and selection process may result in less motivated test participants. Therefore, an

alternative to identify test participants would occur by relaxing selection criteria such that test

sample participants need not be currently or previously employed by a retail store. This would

likely result in a greater number of willing participants. In this case, the only selection criteria

would only be that they be young adults belonging to the Millennial Generation, do not have

knowledge of the buyer decision process, and have access to and are competent in technology

capable of playing the instructional vodcasts. Under this modified criteria, a large test sample

Sales Training Vodcasts 27

would likely be comprised of the researcher’s University of Hawaii peers or personal associates.

Whether the test population is employed in a sales capacity or utilizes the instructional modules

in an environment that mimics the retail store will be obtained through post-instruction data

collection. The researcher will attempt to ensure that at least three to five of the test participants

do have some level of experience or familiarity with retail sales; these participants will be used

for the initial trial testing that involves one-on-one post-instruction interviews to provide a

formative assessment.

Design of the instructional modules

The researcher will serve as the subject matter expert on the content of the instructional

modules. The researcher has a background in business administration and marketing, as well as

experience in retail sales. Literature on consumer behavior will further supplement the

researcher’s knowledge on this subject to be taught.

The overall development of the instructional modules will generally follow the

systematic design of instruction model by W. Dick, L. Carey, and J. Carey (i.e., the “Dick and

Carey” model). The intent of the initial trial testing of the two modules and one-on-one

interviews is to provide an opportunity for formative evaluation and revisions prior to testing

with the larger sample group. The researcher’s immediate family members, classmates, and

ETEC advisors might also assist in providing input during this trial period.

Each of the instructional modules themselves would be designed and organized in a

manner that follows Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction. Hence, after conducting a pre-test,

each module would:

1. Gain the attention of learners;

Sales Training Vodcasts 28

2. Inform learners of objectives for both the individual module and the overall

instructional effort;

3. Stimulate learner’s recall of prior learning;

4. Present instructional content;

5. Provide guidance;

6. Elicit practice performance of the intellectual skills taught;

7. Provide feedback;

8. Assess performance through a post-test; and

9. Enhance retention and knowledge transfer.

The bulk of instructional content and activities would be provided through the two

instructional vodcasts developed. The first instructional vodcast covers a sales approach based

on the first step in the buyer decision process of determining the consumer’s problem or need.

The second instructional vodcast covers a sales approach based on the second step in the buyer

decision process of determining the product information to provide to the customer, given his/her

problem or need and other considerations. Modules would not be developed and no instruction

will be provided relating to the remaining three steps of the buyer decision process, though these

final three steps will be considered when the researcher generates the instructional hierarchy and

conducts other instructional design planning.

Vodcasts were chosen as the medium of instruction for the study because they present an

educational innovation. Vodcasts cater to preferences and learning styles of the target audience

via new, increasingly available/compatible technology. Audio podcasts have received praise as

an instructional support tool. Vodcasts, however, are largely unproven, because it is relatively

Sales Training Vodcasts 29

new technology with production requirements – to combine video, text, captioning, and audio

overlay – that are greater than audio-only podcasts.

Furthermore, while vodcasts are similar in ways to previous forms of video instruction,

vodcasts are different in three significant ways because they are specifically developed for

portable video media players. First, the vodcast video is of small viewing size and resolution to

match the video media player’s screen size. Consequently, vodcasts require greater thought and

selective consideration to ensure the text and visual components of instruction can be seen

clearly enough to be effective. Although many vodcast users may choose to view vodcasts on

personal computers instead of portable media players, they will need to find a balance between

enlarging the viewing size and reducing video clarity. While it is possible to develop higher

resolution vodcasts to be viewed better on computers as well, that is not often done so because of

the second significant way that vodcasts differ from traditional video instruction: vodcasts need

to be of limited screen size and resolution to accommodate the memory limitations of portable

video media players. There is a tradeoff between the number of files that can be stored within a

media player and the memory requirements of those files. Media player owners may not be

willing or able to allot a large portion of their file memory to a single vodcast. This file size

issue similarly contributes to the third significant way in which vodcasts differ from traditional

video instruction, in that, to keep the file size small, the duration of the video must be minimized.

Video length must also be minimized because the portability of the instructional vodcasts brings

with it noise and other demands and distracters of the viewer’s time and attention. Thus, in order

to increase the likelihood that the vodcast viewer will provide his or her full attention to the

entire vodcast, it must be short in time duration.

Sales Training Vodcasts 30

The researcher will begin testing once UH-IRB and the researcher’s faculty advisor

provide approval to proceed. Subsequently, the researcher will provide test subjects with a

packet of materials for the study. The packet will include the instructional vodcasts on a CD for

the test subjects to manually transfer to their computer or into their media player library.

Vodcasts are typically downloaded by users via an Internet subscription feed, whereby the user

opts-in to a particular vodcast program and those vodcasts are automatically downloaded upon

availability. Since the scope of this instructional design study is on the vodcast learning

medium, provision of the vodcasts on a CD will both control distribution of the modules within

the intended test sample and minimize complications specific to mode of vodcast delivery. Pre-

and post-instruction testing will also be conducted via paper-based methods to ease testing

implementation and data collection for test participants and the researcher.

The researcher will begin testing using only three to five participants from the larger

sample group as a means to obtain formative evaluation. This initial testing, expected to occur

sometime in December 2009, will run approximately two weeks and also include post-instruction

one-on-one interviews. Based on the results and feedback of this initial trial testing, the

researcher will modify the instructional module and data collection instruments as appropriate.

Following the completion of modifications to the instructional materials, the larger sample group

will participate in the instructional design study testing in approximately January 2010 and

conclude by the beginning of February 2010.

The researcher will develop the instructional vodcasts using Camtasia Studio software, to

combine multimedia picture and video with PowerPoint slides, as well as to include audio

narration overlay and captioning. The researcher will obtain the multimedia picture or video

files via online public domain sites, such as YouTube. Alternatively, the researcher will self-

Sales Training Vodcasts 31

create video to the extent that suitable public domain multimedia cannot be found. Such self-

created video will follow storyboards the researcher develops to fill content needs.

The resulting instructional vodcasts will be in the .mp4 or .m4v file format standard

playable by most portable video media players. Personal computers installed with QuickTime or

other compatible video playing software can also be utilized.

Committee for protection of human subjects

This study involves standard educational practices. As such, the University of Hawaii

Institutional Review Board (UH-IRB, a.k.a. Committee on Human Studies) would likely

consider this study as exempt from UH-IRB full review and provide approval to proceed with

testing.

There are no significant risks of concern for study participants. This instructional design

study involves instructional modules that address competencies within the cognitive domain.

The instructional modules and their pre- and post-tests, questionnaire of Likert-scale and open-

ended questions, and semi-structured interviews would not induce physical or mental harm.

Further, no aspect of the study would open study participants to civil or criminal liability.

Participation in this study is voluntary and no compensation is provided. The researcher

will provide a consent form, along with verbal explanation of the form, to prospective study

participants to note their written approval. Study participants are free to decline or withdraw,

without penalty, from participation at any point in the study.

In order to protect study participants, all data collected will be kept confidential, to the

extent allowable by law. Identities of study participants will only be indirectly related to the data

they provide. Such data will be kept locked in the researcher’s office and destroyed upon

completion of the study.

Sales Training Vodcasts 32

Data collection

The primary purposes of data collection in this study is to determine whether vodcasts are

effective in providing sales training to Millennials and to obtain feedback on the attributes of the

vodcasts that make them any more or less appealing, engaging, and effective as an instructional

medium.

To gather evaluation data on the effectiveness of the instructional modules, the researcher

will utilize pre- and post-tests. Practice questions within the modules will serve as participant

self-assessments rather than a means of embedded data collection. Pre- and post-tests will

provide parallel questions and multiple choice answers that focus on determining whether the

learner has acquired the intellectual knowledge intended to be taught. Completion of pre- and

post-tests are expected to require 10 to 15 minutes total, for each module. Post-instruction

questionnaires will be used to collect data on the user’s background, learning style and

preferences, clarity of instruction, attitudes toward the design of the instruction and attributes of

the vodcasts, motivation towards proceeding through the modules and further application of the

intellectual knowledge, etc. The questionnaire will include approximately 40 Likert-scale

questions and 5 open-ended questions in the following areas: 1) technical and environmental

issues that impacted their viewing of the instructional vodcasts; 2) prior experience in retail sales

and knowledge of consumers’ decision-making process; 3) capabilities and preferences in

learning, viewing online videos, and using portable media players; and 4) attitudes and feelings

relating to the sales training vodcasts and specific attributes of those vodcasts. The researcher

expects the questionnaire to require 30 minutes of time to complete.

The researcher will collect data and test the instructional modules in two stages. The first

stage will be a trial test involving three to five study participants that best represent the target

Sales Training Vodcasts 33

audience. In addition to the pre- and post-tests for each module and post-instruction

questionnaire, this trial test stage will also include one-on-one semi-structured interview

questions based upon the general direction of responses to the aforementioned four topics of the

questionnaire. The researcher expects the interviews to require 20 minutes of time to complete.

In all cases of data collection, the researcher will record and collect the data via paper-based

methods.

This first stage trial testing will provide the researcher with formative evaluation

feedback so that the instructional design study can be modified as appropriate. The researcher

also expects immediate family members and education technology classmates to assist in

providing formative feedback by reviewing all or part of the instructional modules and data

instruments developed. Following the completion of modifications that result from the formative

evaluation, the researcher will conduct the second stage of the instructional design study, in

which the remaining 10 to 15 study participants engage in small group testing.

Data Analysis

The researcher will use statistics and charts as the primary means of analyzing both

quantitative and qualitative data. Specific data analysis issues to investigate include whether

there is a correlation or otherwise predictable relationship between the level of effectiveness and

appeal of visual aspects of the training vodcasts and the extent to which the participants consider

themselves to be comfortable and competent in the technology used, possess a visual learning

style, desire mobility, flexibility, and connectedness, and/or prefer distance learning activities.

Additionally, the researcher will analyze data to determine any relationship between the

effectiveness and appeal of the audio aspects of the training vodcasts and the extent to which the

participants possess an auditory learning style and prefer interaction with peers. The researcher

Sales Training Vodcasts 34

will also examine the data collected for other patterns or relationships between attributes of the

study participants and the instructional modules.

Limitations

Based on the recommendations of the researcher’s advisor and ETEC faculty, this

instruction design study will be limited to the module development and testing of only two of the

five steps of the buyer decision-making process. Additional limitations to consider are

scheduling difficulties of prospective or committed volunteer study participants, who may

encounter conflicts due to the holiday season, final exams, or winter travels and events.

Assumptions

The researcher assumes that target learners are capable of reading and understanding

vocabulary at approximately a high-school level. The researcher also assumes that target

learners can see and hear the sights and sounds of the instructional video without significant

impairment. A further assumption is that target learners have significant experience as a buyer

or salesperson in a specialty retail environment and can recall prior knowledge that will allow

them to easily relate to the situations discussed and presented in the instructional modules.

Sales Training Vodcasts 35

Timeline

Sales Training Vodcasts 36

Implications of Research

This results of this study are intended to provide evidence that vodcasts can be an

effective instructional tool when relying on previously proven instructional design and learning

theories. Further, this research should shed light on the specific attributes of learners and

vodcasts that promote the most appealing, effective, and motivating instruction. Given the

increased accessibility to technology capable of vodcast playback and trend towards distance

learning, vodcasts need to be assessed as an instructional tool. This instructional design study

sets forth an educational intervention to address this issue, provide supporting evidence, and

generate questions for further research and investigation.