Most business owners believe that their employees are their most important asset, and the key to any competitive advantage that they have—and we believe they are right to do so.
It boggles the mind to think of the amount of collective knowledge it takes to run a profitable electrical distributor. In a fast-paced world awash in information, the job of learning never ends.
This issue features the insights of distributor execs (page 12) and manufacturer execs (page 24) about training and employee development.
Market leading businesses have developed a culture of learning and knowledge gathering and it starts with a commitment from top management and a system that hold employees accountable for their ongoing education and development.
This is easier said than done. There are many ways to transfer knowledge. Employees have widely different perspectives on the importance of learning new things and like to learn in different ways. Effective training regimens feature a lot of flexibility in training methods and opportunities.
The commitment to employee learning and development results in a serious investment in time and money for business leaders.
To support these efforts, IMARK is committed to sharing resources and expertise from the world’s leading electrical manufacturers in a variety of formats.
These resources are a great (and no cost) complement to any training program and we encourage all member employees to engage with these resources on a regular basis. All they need to access these resources is a username and password to the IMARK website (www.imarkgroup.com).
- IMARK University, powered by BlueVolt features more than 900 courses from 50 IMARK preferred suppliers. Member employees who successfully complete IMARK U courses will earn incentives in the form of gift cards that are redeemed on the BlueVolt website.
- The banner of the IMARK website features advertising from both manufacturers and service companies. These ads feature information of importance to advertisers—and to our members and their customers. Member employees who take the time to rate the relevance of the message may win a $25 gift card.
- The Product Spotlight feature on the IMARK homepage (left-hand corner) features important products from IMARK suppliers that may be highly valued by end customers.
- The Customer Solutions Center features information which is developed by manufacturers for an end user or installer audience. The information is crafted in a way that can be easily transferred directly to a customer that could benefit.
- IMARK EXPO ’23 is a virtual tradeshow that will be held from May 15-19. The EXPO will feature more than 250 short videos from manufacturers and service companies. Prizes galore will be awarded to lucky member employees who review these videos during the EXPO. Last year, more than 2,250 employees participated in EXPO ’22.
We believe that learning should be fun and rewarding for people. In addition, members earn points toward Gold or Platinum achievement when a minimum number of employees engage with these resources.
Now is a great time to make sure your company is taking full advantage of the resources available to ensure that your employees are smarter than your competition.