Don’t Let It Die in the Classroom: How to Ensure Your Training Drives Action

It’s a familiar story…

You invest in training. The materials are strong. Attendance is solid.

Franchisees nod along. Feedback is positive.

But weeks later, everything goes back to how it was.

❌ No new behaviours.

❌ No shift in performance.

❌ No return on your training spend.

The issue isn’t the content, it’s the drop-off after delivery.

Training isn’t a box to tick. It’s a catalyst. But only if it leads to real-world action.

And that final piece - Action - is often where the whole thing falls apart.

And here’s the hard truth:

If it doesn’t change behaviour, it wasn’t training - it was a presentation.

Let’s make sure your franchisee learning doesn’t just sound good… but actually gets put into action.

The Franchise Group That Meant Well… But Missed the Point

I’ve seen firsthand what happens when training is done to a network, not with it.

In my first franchising role 25 years ago, I was Group Manager for People Development at Snap Franchising Ltd. We had around 180 franchise outlets across Australia, New Zealand, China, and Ireland. I led the L&D team, providing sales and business skills training group-wide, supported by a technical and an operational specialist trainer.

But here was the problem…

The business was set up in silos.

• Field support operated in isolation from L&D and were divided into two regions with managers each leading their teams their own way, no common approach, no shared priorities.

• Marketing ran its own initiatives – and defined its own strategy, disconnected from both training and field operations.

Everyone was doing their best.

But we weren’t doing it together.

There was little collaboration. No coordinated follow-through. And certainly no shared accountability for turning training into behaviour change.

So even when we ran high-quality training, franchisees would return to their centres and hit the same barriers. They’d try to apply what they learned, but without reinforcement from field support and without momentum from aligned marketing efforts, the impact quickly evaporated.

The result?

✅ Good training

❌ Minimal change

❌ No measurable improvement

❌ A whole lot of wasted potential

❌ Resource duplication and inefficiency

And the worst part? People start assuming “training doesn’t work” - when really, it was just missing its most vital ingredient: Action.

Over time, the learning and development function suffered cutback after cutback. After several years of banging my head against that structural brick wall, I moved on - joining another franchise group with a strong culture of collaboration and trust.

And between us? We set the world on fire. (But that’s a story for another day!)

This isn’t about blame. It’s about structure.

Training fails when it lives in a silo.

Because no one, no matter how talented, can carry learning across the line alone.

Next, we’ll explore why even well-received training often fails to produce results and the shift you must make to turn learning into lasting action.

Why Training Fails to Deliver Action

Training often gets applauded when it’s delivered, not when it’s applied.

Slides are shown. Concepts are introduced.

Franchisees leave feeling inspired… and then walk straight back into a whirlwind of day-to-day pressures. Within days, sometimes hours , good intentions fly out of the window and the learning vanishes.

This isn’t a motivation problem. It’s a transfer problem.

Let’s look at the evidence:

• 40% of learners fail to apply what they’ve learned on the job

• 70% of learning transfer falters within 12 months

• Only 50% of training investment leads to measurable business improvement

So why does this happen?

Because too often, we treat training as an event rather than part of a performance system.

We assume:

• Knowledge = behaviour

• Attendance = engagement

• Presentation = implementation

And that’s where it all breaks down.

If we don’t design for what happens after the training, we’re setting the entire investment up to fail.

Let’s make it tangible. Without structured follow-up:

• Franchisees revert to their old habits

• Field support can’t reinforce what they weren’t part of

• Leadership can’t measure what hasn’t been tracked

• Marketing keeps pushing messages disconnected from new behaviours

• And the ROI you expected? It simply never arrives.

This leads to:

❌ Minimal change

❌ No measurable improvement

❌ Resource duplication and inefficiency

❌ A whole lot of wasted potential

Next, let’s look at what effective, action-oriented learning really looks like and how you can embed it across your franchise network to ensure change sticks.

What Action Really Looks Like

When training leads to lasting change, it’s because action was engineered into the experience from the start.

It’s not about hoping franchisees apply what they’ve learned, it’s about designing for it.

I saw this done brilliantly very early in my career, when I went through a SPIN Selling learning program. The learning was rigorous. We role-played, we were recorded, we were critiqued. But what made the difference? Ongoing coaching, structured reinforcement, and constant evaluation from our district managers after the training ended.

The program didn’t stop at content delivery. It climbed the full ladder of learning using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a design structure, moving from awareness, to understanding, to real-world application, and finally to ongoing reflection and improvement.

That’s what action looks like.

Here’s how it plays out in a franchise setting and how you can build it into your programs:

Set Clear Action Outcomes

Don’t just ask, “What do we want people to know?”

Ask: “What do we want them to do and how will we support them in doing it?”

Your learning outcomes should be phrased in terms of observable behaviour change, not vague intentions.

For example:

“Franchisees will be able to identify qualified B2B prospects and schedule meetings using a defined call-to-action script.”

Build in real-world application

Use blended learning to move franchisees from theory to practice:

• eLearning to cover core concepts

• Live virtual sessions to explore application scenarios

• In-person workshops for practice, simulation, and peer learning

• Workplace tasks to apply learning on the job immediately

Never waste valuable face-to-face time on slides or theory. That belongs in pre-work. Workshops should be built around practice, coaching, and learning activities that drive application.

Design Reinforcement Pathways

People don’t change behaviour from a single event. They need prompts, coaching, feedback and structure to lock it in.

• Assign field support coaches to observe and provide feedback

• Set measurable targets for new behaviours

• Track KPIs aligned to training goals

• Use dashboards, peer forums, or friendly competitions to keep momentum going

• Create opportunities for knowledge sharing and reflection, not just reporting

Climb the Bloom’s Taxonomy Pyramid

Many programs stop at “apply” but real change happens further up.

• Analyse: Reflect on outcomes, spot gaps, troubleshoot challenges

• Evaluate: Critique and improve approaches

• Create: Build plans, adapt tools, and apply skills in new, complex situations

When franchisees reach the “create” level, they’re not just repeating what they learned, they’re owning it. That’s where transformation happens.

Next, we’ll look at what this looked like in action through the Pack & Send case study, a real-world example of franchisee learning that drove behaviour change, engagement, and measurable growth.

From Knowledge to Action: How Pack & Send Got Action and Results

One of my most recent examples of how to drive real franchisee action is the B2B Sales Program we implemented with Pack & Send - a subsidiary of MBE Global with over 170 outlets across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

Back in 2022, Pack & Send found themselves facing a serious performance gap across their franchise network.

Despite a strong brand and growing B2B opportunity, the numbers told a different story:

• Lead conversion rates were low - averaging just 11%

• Franchisees were reactive, focused on servicing, not selling

• Follow-up was inconsistent - many leads went untouched

• Confidence in selling was low, with widespread reluctance to engage proactively

• 80% of sales were being generated by just 20% of the network

They approached me for help, asking if the FIVE Magic Fs Success Formula could be applied to turn things around.

It could. And it did.

Together, we designed and delivered a franchise-wide learning and development program grounded in the WICKAM framework which, if you’re not familiar, I explain in detail in this blog

👉 WICKAM The Litmus Test Your Training Really Needs

But here, I want to focus on the Action component of WICKAM, because this is where so many training efforts fall short, and where Pack & Send got it right.

We didn’t just run workshops and hope for the best.

We built a reinforcement system that ensured franchisees weren’t just learning - they were doing. And they were doing it consistently, with coaching, feedback, and performance tracking baked in.

Using Bloom’s Taxonomy as the scaffold, here’s how we structured that Action plan:

Bloom’s Level How Pack & Send Applied It

✅ Remembering	Knowledge quizzes, Kahoot competitions, recap sessions
✅ Understanding	Real-world scenarios, discussion of lead follow-up strategies
✅ Applying	Franchisees created B2B prospect lists and used workshop time to craft and rehearse outreach
✅ Analysing	Sales metrics and lead-to-close ratios reviewed via dashboards and peer reviews
✅ Evaluating	Coaching sessions, review of email/call effectiveness, adjustments to approach
✅ Creating	Franchisees built their own B2B sales process plans and refined them with support over 3 months

The Result?

Franchisees didn’t just leave with new knowledge.

They left with new skills and a clear path for implementing them.

They were supported to act.

✅ Sales improved

✅ Lead conversion increased

✅ Confidence soared

As one franchisee put it:

“I’ve attended many first-class sales training programs in my previous life with Hyundai and BMW, but this program more than surpasses the highest standard of training. I am very confident that this B2B Sales system will take my business to the next level.” - Nitan Khadalia, Pack & Send Cheltenham

And, as Raj Chandiock, Pack & Send’s VP Network Sales & Operations, summed it up almost three years after the initial roll out:

“The program has seen excellent uptake, with over 80 franchise partners already part of this journey.

The results speak for themselves - franchisees are growing their businesses, retaining key accounts, and confidently navigating the B2B sales landscape.”

Final Thoughts: Don’t Stop at Delivery - Drive the Change

The harsh truth?

Even the most brilliantly designed training program can fail if it doesn’t follow through.

Knowledge alone doesn’t create change - action does.

And action doesn’t happen by accident. It happens when you design for it.

Pack & Send succeeded not because they offered training, but because they made sure franchisees had the support, structure, and strategy to apply what they’d learned in real life.

❌ No assumptions.

✅ Clear expectations.

✅ Practical application.

✅ Ongoing reinforcement.

That’s what the Action component of WICKAM delivers and why it’s essential if you want to see real results.

👉 If your franchise network is still stuck in the “training = event” mindset, it’s time for a shift.

Move beyond content delivery. Create change engines.

Do You Want to Kick-Start This Transformation in Your Own Network?

The Franchise Growth Bundle is a great place to start, you’ll get:

• A hardcopy of the bestselling book The Ultimate Franchising Success Formula

• Full access to the audiobook

• Two months of membership to the Get Smart Learning Academy

• Two live 1:1 60-minute Coaching Sessions

• Access to the Five Magic F’s Success Diagnostic - your roadmap to achieving stronger franchisee results

Great value at only AUS$97

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