Greetings!

Welcome to our Fall newsletter. Lots of great articles in this edition Enjoy!

All the best,

The ASTD BEST Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success as a result of employee learning and development. These organizations use the learning initiative as a strategic business tool to get results.

SunTrust Banks, Inc. was one of 28 winners (out of 70+ applications) that were recognized at the October 1^st ceremony in Washington DC. SunTrust's submission was a program designed to sustain the implementation of their coaching model. One of the keys to that sustainment is e-roleplay's one-on-one telephone practice. Working closely together, SunTrust and e-roleplay developed a suite of strategic coaching scenarios designed to allow Business & Commercial Bankers to practice their coaching skills in realistic roleplay scenarios. After each roleplay, Participants received feedback and coaching based on 'how if felt' to be coached by them. Participants were given additional opportunities to practice incorporating skills from SunTrust's coaching model into their coaching approach. Each participant pre-selected coaching scenarios from a 'menu' that they felt they would benefit from practicing in a safe environment.  

"SunTrust is committed to helping all of our people to shine. Practicing critical coaching skills with e-roleplay has really helped with the sustainment of the learning process, and more importantly, helping our people to be better coaches."

            Mary Slaughter, Senior Vice President Talent Management and Development and Chief Talent Officer, SunTrust Banks

"The team at e-roleplay is very proud of our contribution to helping SunTrust and all of our clients. We take our purpose - Helping Business Professionals Improve through Practice - seriously. We are very happy that the team SunTrust was recognized by the ASTD for their hard work and commitment to learning."

Randy Sabourin, Co-President, e-roleplay Inc.

"This is one of the most effective things we can do. I'm always amazed - you guys are really good at what you do. You do a terrific job at helping me be effective as a coach. This is one of the best investments this company has made."

            SunTrust Commercial Team Leader

e-roleplay Inc. now tracks Net Promoter Scores for every client and every participant and are having extraordinary results.The Net Promoter Score, or NPS^®, is based on the fundamental perspective that every company's customers can be divided into three categories: Promoters, Passives, and Detractors.

By asking one simple question - On a scale of 0-10, would you recommend this company to your friends and colleagues?  (0 = not at all 10 = It was the best ever)  - you can track these groups to get a clear measure of your company's performance through your customers' eyes. Customers respond on a 0-to-10 point rating scale and are categorized as follows:

• Promoters (score 9-10) are loyal enthusiasts who will keep buying and refer others, fueling growth.

• Passives (score 7-8) are satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who are vulnerable to competitive offerings.

• Detractors (score 0-6) are unhappy customers who can damage your brand and impede growth through negative word-of-mouth.

To calculate your company's Net Promoter Score (NPS^®), take the percentage of customers who are Promoters and subtract the percentage who are Detractors.

 Cam & Randy

A recent BMO Bank of Montreal survey revealed that personality traits outrank both credentials and education for many employers who are looking to hire new graduates. In fact, for employers in Canada's service sector, the personality traits of a new graduate will hold almost twice as much sway as  the next most important factor, their skill set (28 per cent and 16 per cent respectively, see chart below).  Skills and processes can be learned.  Who you are and how you relate with others is harder to change.  At e-roleplay, this is something we've always known, and it reflects the increasing investment that our clients are making in behavioral testing and ongoing coaching of new hires. (survey)