Turning product expertise into better customer conversations.
A water-heater manufacturer needed to transform an existing sales training program into a more structured, repeatable learning experience for experienced plumbers.
Experienced plumbers knew the products. Selling them was a different conversation.
Plumbing companies sent experienced plumbers to a multi-day training experience designed to strengthen product knowledge, customer conversations, and sales performance.
The existing program included useful product information, sales content, activities, and marketing resources, but the pieces needed a stronger instructional structure. The opportunity was to turn those materials and subject-matter expertise into a cohesive learning experience.
The program also needed enough structure that other members of the training team could deliver the full experience—or portions of it—when needed.
How do we help experienced plumbers turn technical product knowledge into stronger customer conversations and greater sales opportunities?
Build the experience around the customer conversation.
I organized the learning around the point where technical expertise and sales performance meet: the conversation between the plumber and the customer.
Product knowledge remained important, but live training created the opportunity to do something self-study could not do as well: discuss customer situations, consider recommendations, practice conversations, learn from peers, and receive feedback.
Existing resources were used where they already did the job well. Product information and customer-facing marketing materials did not need to be recreated simply to become part of the learning experience.
Useful product, sales, and activity materials assembled into a training program.
A structured, repeatable experience built around customer conversations and practice.
Use live learning for practice—and design support around the experience.
The solution centered on a four-day facilitated sales program supported by optional preparation, structured ILT materials, realistic customer practice, existing business resources, and an optional fifth day for deeper technical development.
A focused multi-day experience for experienced plumbers.
Participants could explore product information before arriving, but the optional preparation was not required to participate successfully in the live program.
The core program connected product knowledge with customer needs, product recommendations, sales techniques, group discussion, realistic scenarios, role-play, peer observation, and facilitator feedback.
Participants who registered for the extended experience could stay for an additional day focused on product repair and maintenance using equipment available at the training facility.
What supported the experience?
Select an area to see how the different parts of the solution helped participants prepare, practice, and take useful resources back to work.
Keep preparation optional and useful.
Participants who wanted to arrive more familiar with the product line could prepare independently without creating a prerequisite for the live experience.
- Explore selected existing product information online.
- Become more familiar with the product line before arriving.
- Optionally bring a customer situation worth discussing.
- Participate fully even without completing the preparation.
Don't build formal pre-work when existing resources can prepare participants just as effectively.
Make the program teachable—and the learning useful after class.
I developed the instructional materials needed to support a repeatable multi-day experience while giving participants something practical to take back to work.
A structured delivery guide supported timing, activities, discussions, debriefs, and product-related learning so other trainers could facilitate all or part of the program when needed.
A practical participant resource supported activities, checklists, reference information, and personal notes—and could remain useful after participants returned to work.
Put the selling support where the conversation happens.
The classroom gives plumbers time to practice. The next opportunity would be to make a small piece of that support available when they're back in the field and preparing for real customer conversations.
Future Concept: Create lightweight performance support that reinforces the customer conversation without asking plumbers to return to a course or search through a large participant guide.
Customer Conversation Deck
A compact set of durable reference cards could live in a service van, tool bag, clipboard, or work folder and provide quick prompts for common moments in the customer conversation.
Instead of duplicating product specifications or existing marketing materials, the cards would focus on how to approach the conversation: discovering customer needs, presenting options, explaining value, and responding to questions.
Reinforce the selling behaviors practiced during training with a resource that can be reviewed in seconds before speaking with a customer. Current product details can remain in the manufacturer's existing product and marketing resources.
The goal isn't to put more training in the plumber's day. It's to make the right support easier to reach when the customer conversation is actually happening.