By Jacki Hannon

This article was originally published in the Jan/Feb 2026 edition of The New Brewer

Training is a sales strategy. It’s not a one-and-done event; it’s the heartbeat of your brand’s success story. Whether it’s your taproom staff welcoming guests or field reps calling on chain buyers, the ability to communicate your brand’s story, values, and products with clarity and enthusiasm determines whether a casual customer becomes a loyal patron and then, in the best-case scenario, an enthusiastic fan.

Training often consists of a manual or computer program that is completed during onboarding. In a taproom, the new employee may shadow another beertender or server and that veteran follows the newbie for a night too. For sales reps in the market, there is usually a shadow day with a manager and then that manager does a ride-along once a quarter or so to see how things are going. The rest is assessed through CRM (customer relation management) tools and volume. But what if training didn’t stop there?

Common Training Pitfalls

Often, training fails when it is a checklist of items to be completed rather than a true assessment of the individual’s ability. There are many pitfalls to training, including:

1. Too much, too fast. We tend to overwhelm new employees with heaps of data and outdated materials, skipping the storytelling that helps connect it all. Add in HR policies and compliance checklists, and the real learning gets buried. Keep training focused on what matters most—brand, behaviors, and the guest experience—and handle HR housekeeping separately.
2. It’s not reinforced. According to German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus and his theory of the “forgetting curve,” we forget up to 70% of what we learn within 24 hours if we don’t revisit it, and that figure can climb to 90% after just one week without repetition.
3. It lacks connection. Trainees remember stories and experiences, not facts and figures, just like your guests and partners. Give context and get hands on!
4. It is missing mentors. New hires are often left on their own after a few shifts or weeks, with little follow-up or support. They need a cheerleader, a coach—someone who can celebrate with them and hold them to task.

Today’s workforce—especially Millennials and Gen Z—expects interactive, short, and meaningful learning that connects purpose (the “why”) to performance. To build a sales-ready team, we must teach with intention, engagement, and structure.

Structuring Training for Success

A great training plan has rhythm. It’s important to gauge the appropriate flow of information at the appropriate time. For example:

• Days 1–3 could consist of what must be learned right away (e.g., safety, guest experience, brand identity). Each day should have new information and skills tests of the previous days’ trainings.
• Weeks 1–4 could be the time to layer in deeper skills (e.g., upselling, sensory training, product knowledge, data use). Again, repeat assessments of previous learning. How can that prior knowledge be integrated with the new information? Remember, everyone is different. Take time to get to know your employees, how they learn, and their specific timeline.
• Ongoing. Keep it alive with reinforcement, refreshers, role playing, and gamified instruction. These activities must be scheduled! If it is not on the schedule and truly part of an ongoing development program, it will fall away. As the saying goes, “You play like you practice.” Continually set new goals, create pathways for advancement through additional acquired skill sets, and follow up

Engage All the Senses: Multi-Modal Learning

Read it. Write it. Hear it. Say it. Do it.

Every learner absorbs information differently. Using multiple senses activates more neural pathways and boosts memory retention.

• Visual learning can consist of storyboards, taproom visuals, shelf sets, point-of-sale (POS) photos, training videos, draft beer quality posters, example sell sheets or PowerPoint decks, and industry magazines.
• Auditory learning can be accomplished with team meetings, brand podcasts, Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) seminars, oral quizzing, and pre-shifts.
• Tactile learning can incorporate pouring, sampling, brewing, quality testing, line cleaning, keg changing, food and beer pairing, role playing, mock sales calls, and display building. (See the sidebar on page 42 for an example of sensory learning.)
• Written learning can involve checklists, quizzes, flashcards, tasting sheets, note-taking, and peer feedback.

When training touches multiple senses, the learning sticks, and so does your brand.

Tell The Story, And The Why

When you can paint a picture—whether you’re a server describing a beer tableside or a rep helping a buyer visualize success— you’re helping to tell your story more effectively. The same is true for training. Storytelling activates the brain, linking emotion to memory so lessons last. These lessons can include:

• Why clean, proper glassware matters.
• Why the variety of beer styles available on tap is important.
• Why asking which beer style a person usually orders leads to better conversation.
• Why knowing the history of the brewery will connect you to your guest or partner.
• Why it’s important to understand what a non-Duchenne (non-genuine but polite) smile is —and how smiling even over the phone can change the guest experience.
• How to use the Sullivan nod—that subtle, confident gesture—to close more sales.

When people know the why behind each behavior, they don’t just follow procedures— they believe in them.

Spaced Repetition

As mentioned previously, the forgetting curve shows that most people forget up to 70% of new information within 24 hours— unless it’s reinforced.

Spaced repetition is the solution: brief, repeated exposure to material over time. Spaced repetition can involve:

• Including short refreshers at pre-shift meetings.
• Having tools accessible for different learners and generations. Typically, flashcards on apps such as Quizlet or Anki work best for Gen Z and Millennials and physical flashcards are more effective for Gen X trainees. (For more on this, see the sidebar.)
• Using new tools such as StudyFetch to create interactive video games.
• Implementing “Beer of the Week” knowledge check-ins on time and attendance apps.
• Scheduling role playing into ongoing training and letting trainees practice in a safe space.Everyone hates the idea of role-playing—until they learn something new every single time they do it. Role playing builds that sales muscle.
• Incorporating incentives you may be using for sales with training and knowledge incentives, so you are creating the most well-rounded employees.

Repetition doesn’t have to be boring; when it’s built into culture, it feels natural. Think of it as muscle memory for your brand.

Make Training Part of Your SOP

The best training doesn’t sit on a shelf; it lives in daily practice as a standard operating procedure (SOP). There are several ways in which this can be accomplished, such as:

• Starting every shift or sales call with a two-minute tidbit. This could include one minute of new information and one minute of review.
• Spotlighting great service or sales wins. Share what worked and connect it back to training principles.
• Updating materials quarterly and rotating topics to keep interest high.
• Encouraging cross-training. Employees who walk in each other’s shoes gain empathy,reducing silos and strengthening teamwork.
• Emphasizing learning from each other, including highlighting and showcasing team members’ strengths.

Training the Trainers

Repetition and continual knowledge checks are important for veterans too, especially your trainers. Explain the “why” behind how the development program is structured.

Explain learning theories, such as behaviorism (learning through repetition), constructivism (building new knowledge by connecting it to prior experience) and experiential learning (learning by doing, reflecting, and applying) so that trainers can fully understand that how they train is as important as what they train.

Offer trainers opportunities to hone their craft with techniques such as supplying a library of leadership and training books and incorporating role playing into their “train the trainer” program. Incentivize your trainers to take their training knowledge and skills to the next level.

Develop leaders by giving them the opportunity to guide and grow less-experienced team members. A structured mentorship program strengthens culture, increases engagement, and builds a pipeline of future leaders.

• Empower experienced employees to share their knowledge, insights, and career lessons in a way that makes a tangible impact.
• Design the program for mutual benefit, with guardrails, not walls, allowing room for authentic connection and individual strengths to shine.
• Keep the cycle going. Mentorship deepens involvement, boosts retention, and ensures your team always has the next generation ready to step up.

Training Taproom Teams

The goal of a successful taproom team is to turn every server, bartender, and host into a brand ambassador. These team members are the face of your brewery. The way they describe your beer, share your brand values, and handle guest questions is your live marketing. Turn them into storytellers.

What to teach first:

• Core beers and how to describe them in guest-friendly language.
• Brand story and values—the “why” behind your brewery.
• Proper glassware, pouring technique, and presentation standards.
• Sales skills—upselling and anticipating guest needs, and reading and responding to their behavior.
• A little extra—teach the Sullivan nod. Have the server practice making eye contact with a gentle nod while talking.

Ongoing learning ideas can include:

• Story of the Month. Feature a brand origin, a collaboration, or an employee.
• Sensory Saturdays. Implement quick tasting exercises before shift start.
• Team Competitions. Create trivia nights or a leader-board for sales or knowledge.
• Shadow Shifts. Pair newer employees with veterans to learn tone and rhythm.

Keep lessons short, lively, and visual.

Training Field Sales Reps

The goal here is to build confident storytellers who sell with insight and influence.

Sales reps are the bridge between production and the consumer. Their success depends on product expertise, relationship building, and the ability to blend data and storytelling.

What to teach first:

• Brand portfolio and differentiators (the “why us”).
• Key account priorities and buying cycles.
• The sales process—discovery, storytelling, closing, and follow-up.
• Route mapping and CRM tools.
• How to uncover “golden cases.” When you’re already in the area for a sales call or followup, take a few extra minutes to connect with nearby accounts and expand your reach, or sell in additional SKUs at your existing accounts.
• A little extra—build mutual value propositions by showing genuine curiosity, caring about your customer’s business, and acting as a problem solver and partner. Look for opportunities that benefit both sides to create long-term partnerships rather than quick, transactional sales.

How to measure return on investment (ROI):

• Track retention rates before and after implementation of the upgraded training program.
• Include surveys and feedback from trainees and trainers.
• Track check average or bartender ring, route sales totals, customer comments, or partner feedback.
• Create key performance indicators (KPIs) and incentivize based on success in attaining them.

Putting It All Together

Sales development is your ultimate success tool. It is not just a checklist of SOPs, but a system that builds skills, reflects local trends, considers the new person’s skill sets, and fosters curiosity. Keep it bite-sized, story- driven, sensory-focused, and ongoing. It should include activities such as role-playing and should always have a consistent feedback loop with an open two-way flow of information.

These practices spur increased confidence. Increased confidence leads to increased performance, which of course facilitates increased revenue. It can also lead to positive energy for the salesperson, creating an environment where they can test out new techniques, have the space to develop relationships, and search out mutual value propositions with the customer. When this happens, you have an opportunity to win loyal guests and fans for life.

Jacki Hannon is national accounts manager for New Belgium Brewing and Bell’s Brewery.

Additional Resources

• Beer and Food Pairing Worksheet
• Craft Beer and Food Pairing Guide