No Train, No Gain? You've invested a lot in training your employees, so see if you're getting what you paid for.

Like many entrepreneurs, Chris Stone has a training budget. Heoffers $1,500 plus five days of paid training per year to hisemployees, who have participated in training sessions ranging fromtechnical writing to sales.

But how does he know he's getting something back on hisinvestment? "The measurement is problematic," says Stone,54, founder and CEO of Stone Environmental, a Montpelier, Vermont, companythat analyzes water quality. "In some cases, it's hard toget a direct payback."

So how can companies tell whether the training has been worthit? U.S. companies want to see an ROI when they hire a consultantor send employees to a conference, especially when they'respending more than $60 billion annually on training, according tothe American Society of Training and Development.