In the current economic environment, change has become the only prevailing constant for most companies. This environment of constant change impacts both the employees and the company equally, and both are being asked to adapt rapidly to keep their company viable and relevant. This new reality has created pressure on companies and individuals to change their training methods from an ‘occasional’ event to a culture of continuous learning. And now, with Baker Communications’ help, predictive data science is now part of the solution portfolio being brought to bear.
Founded in 1979, Baker Communications has trained over 1.5 million individuals to reach their maximum potential in the workplace. BCI offers proprietary and custom training solutions, in both virtual and on-premise, workshop formats. Those workshops are then supplemented with a full line of consulting services and selling tools that not only provide advanced insights into each seller and sales leader’s capabilities but create individualized learning and coaching solutions that dramatically shorten the learning cycle.
Baker Communications was the brainchild of Jim Baker who laid the foundation of the company over 40 years ago. Walter Rogers later became CEO and believed in the future of the company so much that he ultimately purchased the company from Jim. He has been re-inventing it by leveraging technology and data science to help do a better job of hiring, onboarding, training, and coaching. This shift to using data has helped propel BCI to an industry thought leader, and their customers to new levels of sales performance.
Reimagining Training
BCI’s methodology begins with their 5D and SOLVE frameworks, and then incorporates predictive data science and technology to create precise training and coaching paths for every individual. By mapping learning topics to an individual’s skill gaps, BCI has helped to dramatically reduce the time it takes to get sellers into the field of selling.
By focusing on data and offering multiple venues for training, BCI is able to fill skill gaps, reinforce learning objectives, as well as provide tools that help sellers and sales leaders reach their fullest potential. BCI’s methodology begins with assessments that are customized for each customer, focusing on the specific sales job role, the company’s industry, and of course their unique culture.
“Baker Communications has been reshaped through our constant curiosity about our customers, markets, community, and environment,” says Walter. This curiosity has helped the team identify market trends beforehand and stay ahead of the competition. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic forced virtual collaboration and selling across most industries, but Baker Communications started virtualizing their courseware over a decade earlier and has offered virtual workshops ever since.
In 2007, the company introduced sales coaching for managers, well before sales coaching became the best practice for achieving outstanding sales performance. Baker Communications has led the training industry in innovations and currently has plans to launch many new learning innovations, as well as user data and technology to keep their clients ahead of their competition.
Baker Communications Areas of Improvement
BCI is always looking at how to best support organizations, and innovation is at the core of the company’s culture. To remain an industry thought leader, Walter and his team challenge themselves to constantly question the status quo. When the company is constantly thinking of ways to disrupt their own processes and methodologies, they become better poised to help their customers in a world of constant change.
Over the years, the constant experiments and innovations have provided the team with ample experience in supporting the learning of individual sellers. “We have learned that not everyone will respond to the same approach and that each seller has certain strengths and areas in need of improvement,” explains Walter.
The challenge was to curate a training plan which can be customized for each participant while meeting the demands of the company and all while still offering the most effective sales transformation solution. This was the challenge that led the team to explore the use of advanced technology and data. By combining the best of technology and data, BCI has delivered on their customer promise to keep them at the forefront of their industries.
The Visionary Behind the Scenes
When Walter Rogers acquired Baker Communications, he was intent on re-inventing and further expanding the company’s service portfolio. And as of 2021, he has been successful in making Baker Communications one of the leading sales transformation companies in the world as acknowledged by leading industry analyst companies.
Walter has created and led multiple businesses in 13 countries on 3 continents, including Baker Communications. Currently, he serves as the Chairman and Co-Founder of CloudChomp as well as the Chairman and CEO of Baker Communications.
CloudChomp is a software company that helps organizations programmatically assess cloud migration opportunities, and BCI is an organization focused on the transformation of sellers and sales leaders through data and sales enablement. BCI has helped companies like Amazon Web Services, Stripe, SAP, and many others, create, implement, and sustain sales effectiveness.
Alongside being a successful entrepreneur, Walter is also a co-author of the Pathways to Growth book with Tony Robbins and has been interviewed on over 100 network shows which include CNN, CBS, ABC on topics like sales and productivity. Walter has also been featured on the cover of Elearning! Magazine with Tony Robbins and Marc Benioff, the CEO of Salesforce, and has been a keynote at several events.
Presently, at Baker Communications, Walter believes in and is creating a work culture based on innovation, creativity, and determination. Under his leadership, the team is helping individuals achieve their dreams. The employees are challenged to their fullest potential and Walter supports them in their efforts to achieve world-class performance. That support not only benefits the team but also BCI’s customers, whose outcomes are at the core of BCI’s purpose.
Prioritizing Customers and Innovation
Customers are always the priority of the team. That focus has helped Baker Communications create a loyal customer base. “We think of our clients as a part of our family and care for them in the same way,” adds Walter. Baker Communications has a wide-ranging customer base that includes dozens of large enterprises that have worked for over a decade with the company. Interestingly, the first enterprise customer from 40+ years ago is still a customer today. The customer-first approach has been a big contributor to BCI’s success.
Walter believes that tenacity, curiosity, innovation, discipline, certainty, and a great team have all been the necessary factors to prevail over their competition. Baker Communications is committed to helping customers by constantly innovating and leveraging technology to their benefit. Walter concludes, “We are constantly looking for solutions to solve pain points for sellers. We understand the areas of struggle for sellers and our outlook is to transform a good seller into a world-class seller who has the tools and skills to stay ahead of the curve and achieve their goals.”
“We empower our clients to reach their goals, their success is our success.”
