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In-person training sessions are effective at educating sales agents and preparing them to work for an independent sales organization, but the high cost of travel and organizing sessions has become cost prohibitive for some ISOs, agree industry professionals. To save on training costs, many companies have turned to online sales training, such as Webinars. A Webinar is an Internet-based seminar that typically allows attendees to call in to a conference phone line and follow along with presentations using their personal computers. "In this economy, no one wants to travel," says Rori Ferensic, director of education and professional development for the Electronic Transactions Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group. "A Webinar is an hour, and you never have to leave your desk. You are saving money and time and travel dollars." In-person seminars are great but "very expensive," agrees Henry Helgeson, president and co-CEO of Merchant Warehouse Inc., a Boston-based ISO. With technology-based training, such as Webinars or conference calls, "you have a smaller success rate per [sales agent], but you are able to get to a lot more reps," he says.
