As an Amazon seller you’re faced with new challenges each day. Some things you know how to do, it’s just a matter of doing it, other things you might need a little information on, still others you may have no idea. Sometimes you don’t even know where to begin.
It can be overwhelming.
The Great Equalizer
We live in such a connected age, information saturation is a very real thing. You know this. You experience it every day. Personal interests, social connections, business demands, entertainment, schedules and all else are all available, all the time, and often through the same channels. Our phones are snapping pictures of the fun times even as they’re reminding us of business obligations, day and night.
Technology is the great equalizer, giving each of us the same opportunities, and yet it can feel like a burden. The world keeps marching on whether we keep up or not.
This always-on, information-at-our-fingertips environment creates an almost obsessive “need to know now” state of mind. Oddly, though we can now get facts about anything instantly, to truly understand something still takes time. We get hit with new things almost constantly. Faced with something we need to know, that we need to actually take time to learn …
We might get frustrated, adding to our sense of overwhelm, or we might not even bother.
Catch 22
But if it’s something valuable, what’s the best way to learn it? You need to know that thing in order to save time, but you need to take time in order to learn it. This is a classic conundrum. And conundrum is a pretty fun word, so we’re glad we got to use it.
To the point, what’s the best path forward?
First, decide to learn it. Interestingly, that can be the most difficult step. Once you’ve determined this new thing is something you need or want, making the decision to actually roll up your sleeves and learn it can, oftentimes, be hard.
Time spent learning, after all, means you’re not working on other things.
How To Learn
Pausing to consider the long game helps. Yes, every minute spent studying something is a minute of lost productivity, but if this is an important thing to know, whether it be how to use a program, a technique or anything else that will make you better …
It’s kind of a no-brainer to take the time.
Ideally, then, once you’ve made the decision, you would be able to start getting some use out of what you’re learning right away. This is where gradients come in, and while learning on a gradient might seem logical, if you continue on past something you don’t yet totally understand, when you move on to the next thing you’re much more likely to quit. This compounds as you go. Comprehension, and therefore the ability to actually use what you’re learning, rests on this fundamental principle.
It’s worth repeating:
Don’t continue on past something you don’t understand. Grasp the thing you’re studying, the part, the section, the action, and only then move on. Ensure you understand what you’re studying before going to the next. It takes a little discipline, especially when you’re keen to keep up the pace, but observing this simple rule pays huge dividends.
So, how best to employ the principle of gradients?
Gradients
Some subjects you’re trying to learn will already provide training that follows the principle. For example, with ManageByStats we use the following, tiered sequence for training:
- Sign-Up Page (video and text)
- Onboarding Video
- “What Is” Badges
- On-hover “?”
- KB articles / videos
- Full User Guide
Each of these is laid out from simple to complex, starting with an overview and moving down to the details of how to use each tool. Like ManageByStats, many subjects will already have a path to learning, and so it becomes a matter of making sure you do the recommended training in sequence, and — important — (can we say this enough?) making sure you understand one area before going on to the next.
In cases where there is no training laid out, or in some cases where no real training exists at all, then it falls to you to find your own resources, or construct your own curriculum. If it’s up to you, find the thing you most need to understand, the tool you want to use or the understanding you need to have, and learn that first. Having a real purpose for learning makes all the difference in the world.
Pick the thing you need most, learn it, then apply it. Advanced training will then proceed easily.
Thinking Of Others
On the flip side of this, and knowing the importance of gradients, if you yourself have something on which you want to train others, use the same principles. Gradients work
Applying this principle helps you and your potential trainees.
Thanks for reading. This post perhaps veered into the philosophical, but sometimes cutting to the essence of things, even when they seem somewhat obvious, can shine new light and bring new realizations. We hope this has been true for you.
And as a parting word, if you’re new to ManageByStats, or even if you’re a seasoned user, take a look at the new overview video:
That should be a nice gradient to all the tools in the suite.
All the best,
The ManageByStats Team
#ManageByStats
#AmazonTraining
