Even industry pioneers need help optimizing the learning journey
As the world leader in corporate sales, Sandler empowers 50,000 learners each year — and people love their programs. Alumni describe courses as “a master class in sales” and say they “no longer lay awake worrying if I'll hit my numbers.” Selling Power recently named the business to its Top Virtual Sales Training Companies list, and organizations of all sizes rely on Sandler to learn advanced strategies and improve revenue performance.
Still, the product team knew they could make the experience even better.
There were training videos to refresh, content to update, and learning paths to create. More importantly, the team needed to ensure that content could be matched perfectly to Sandler’s sales competencies.
Sandler had big goals for modernizing the learning experience and knew they’d need a specialist to achieve them.
Searching for the right competency mapping partner
Sandler has long relied on an internal team of experts skilled at turning sales knowledge into valuable content. They’ve influenced thousands of companies to purchase multi-year plans based on individualized training recommendations. But now, it was time to take that guided experience to a new level of engagement.
Specifically, Sandler wanted to offer dynamic training journeys and personalized learning paths. But, before their assessment providers could customize recommendations, the team needed to ensure they had the right materials.
“We needed expertise on crafting competencies and mapping them to our massive content library,” says Head of Product Lisa Ellis. “This was a key step in integrating multiple assessment providers with our LMS to drive personalized learning.”
Sandler knew how important it was to get this step right. The competency mapping process ensures organizations accurately certify and recognize skills, which helps learners better communicate their abilities and pursue the best possible career opportunities.
However, there was a catch. The level of expertise Sandler needed was typically found in industrial psychology — the kind that comes with a high price tag. So when Sandler discovered digital credentialing leader Accredible also had deep expertise in competency mapping, they jumped at the chance to partner with the Professional Services team instead.
Embedded expertise for the win
With Accredible, the process moved quickly. Why? Because it’s not your typical professional services provider. The team is 100% focused on helping organizations achieve their online learning journey goals — even if they don’t use the Accredible platform.
Yes, the team has deep expertise in digital credentialing. But rather than leveraging that insider knowledge to sell solutions, they rely on it to help companies grow programs over time.
“Our goal is not to sell our customers on a specific product,” says Professional Services Strategist Daniel van Rooyen. “Instead, we try to solve their needs, even if it doesn’t have to do with our platform.”
Ellis agrees.
“From day one, Accredible became an extension of the Sandler product team as part of this project, whether in data collection, reporting, or consulting on next steps,” she says. “We found the Professional Services team to be thoughtful and always helpful in providing updates and refinement.”
That’s because Daniel understands what companies need to succeed in the digital learning space and knows how to help them achieve it. He’s been certified by the University of Oxford and SalesHood and worked with top-ten institutions as an elearning consultant before joining Accredible. So when Sandler engaged Accredible Professional Services, he got to work immediately.
The first step was deep-dive research to better understand the 73 competencies Sandler’s assessment partners had already identified. It was a lot to cover, and Sandler needed to know which sales proficiencies were truly essential.
After a thorough review, plus interviews with 25 stakeholders across eight organizations, the team narrowed that initial list down to 15 core competencies for two key roles: sales leaders and sales reps.
“It was a huge lift to help our team distill our thinking,” says Ellis. “We now had a workable list of requirements for integration points that would make assessment provider reporting possible with our new LMS.”
With Accredible’s interactive competency map, Sandler now had a framework for strengthening existing content.
Paving the way for long-term success
Today, Sandler is on its way to modern, comprehensive skills training.
“We now have a strong competency framework that maps to our content AND to our two current assessment providers,” says Ellis.
It’s the kind of model that would excite any executive team or HR department. Instead of telling employees what they need to improve, advisors can now show them exactly how to achieve it. Participants will learn the specific skills they need to grow in their roles, in turn empowering organizations with a clear path for upskilling and reskilling.
At a time when 94% of employees say they’d stay at a company longer if it simply invested in helping them learn — and when it costs up to two times a person’s salary to hire a replacement — it’s the kind of competency framework businesses need to increase retention and reduce voluntary turnover.
In other words, Sandler’s project turned out to be a great model for other companies to follow.
“Accredible Professional Services brought valuable expertise and consulting that has shaped not only this piece of a larger project but influenced and elevated the Sandler team’s point of view on personalized learning and competency measurement,” Ellis says. “Our work together also saved valuable resources and time.”
With a robust framework in place, Sandler is now free to focus on modernizing the learning journey and digital credentialing program — securing its place as a top sales training destination for years to come.
Interested in learning how your company can achieve similar results? Get in touch to discuss how Accredible’s experts can create a framework with you.
