Defining procedures is difficult, but if you want to successfully train new users, it’s something that needs to be done.

Three and a half years ago, I experienced this firsthand. I began working for an organization, and was assigned to replace an employee who was leaving. I remember sitting down with them so they could show me how to do their job. But after an hour of chatting, I still didn’t know what I would to be doing - I didn’t get a list of tasks, nor did I receive any standard operating procedures.

I was going to have to learn through trial and error.

You know it, I know it, and your boss knows it - your new user training is basically a "check the box" activity. Nobody actually walks away from training able to do their job without further assistance (and a lot of it) from you or other co-workers.

The results are in - onboarding new Salesforce users is a frustrating experience. When I speak with Admins and Trainers, the most common issues I hear about include:

• Users frequently input wrong data (or don't input any data).
• Admins and Trainers are overwhelmed by questions after the training is over.
• Sales are lost because users can't independently do their jobs soon enough.

So we developed a Salesforce onboarding mini course that will walk you through the steps of preparing an onboard training program for new users. The goal is for Admins, Trainers, Consultants, and Super Users to go through the course, and leave with an actual training plan that can be used during the next onboard training.

"What looks like a people problem, is often a situation problem. And no matter what your role is, you've got some control over the situation."

- Chip Heath, Dan Heath (from the book Switch - How to Change Things When Change is Hard)

If your Salesforce users aren't doing what you want them to do, it may be because they are stubborn jerks who hate change and refuse to follow orders.

Or, it might be that their environment doesn't make using Salesforce very easy - so they follow the path of least resistance (which is often the incorrect path).

Here's a video that discusses a principle you can follow to change your Salesforce users' behavior, and an example of one application of the principle.

I grew up watching David Copperfield, Lance Burton, David Blaine, and a dozen other magicians that you've probably never heard of. I learned how to perform a few magic tricks to entertain friends (although I never quite made it to the level of Gob), and perform at Children's birthday parties. 

One thing I learned from performing magic was that what seemed to be so impossible, was usually the result of a very simple 

The business environment is not very friendly towards trainers. Just when you have everybody on the same page, management decides to change all of your processes by introducting a new platform, application, or division.

When you put together a live training, are you just throwing together a few slides, including a couple of screenshots, and hoping for the best?

If you are, you're not alone - that's exactly how I used to do it.

One of my shortcomings in previous training sessions was that I would try and teach everything I knew. I thought the purpose of training was to share information because information would change behavior - but I was wrong. If I had the framework on the infographic below, my training sessions would have been much more effective.

I've noticed that when I speak to Admin, trainers, and managers, there is a common perception that training and documentation are two separate things. Training is a time to pound concepts and workflows into users' heads, hoping that everybody will remember all of the PowerPoint slides and the onscreen demonstrations.

My first job out of college was in Pasadena California. Just outside of Pasadena, there is a large population of Korean immigrants, and as a community service, I volunteered to teach them English.

My first class was a lot of fun - I used Keynote, and included a lot of graphics bouncing around, English words appearing on screen, and a video of Jack Johnson playing the