Traditionally, we use a sales approach to market a particular course, series of courses, or even our Training Departments to the organizations we serve. By this I mean we focus on communicating to our clients the features and characteristics of that course.

We then expect that all that information will secure the necessary buy-in from the organization’s managers and supervisors who will end up sending their employees to attend that course. And, more often than we’d like to admit, we end up with last-minute cancellations, participants who are suddenly asked to leave the course “just for five minutes” and never return, or we find out that learners are not encouraged to used their newly acquired skills as they return to their jobs. Why? Because in reality, we really do not have the necessary management buy-in.

This, to great extent, happens as a result of marketing efforts that don’t really provide our target clients with the information they truly require to:

1. See the post-attendance value to their department.
2. Schedule their team members to attend the right courses.
3. Identify how each course is geared to help that department achieve their objectives under their current strategic plan.

So Let’s Market - marketing goes deeper than selling. It focuses on what will be necessary to build, maintain, and grow the relationship with our clients, rather than on getting the seats filled in the training classroom. If we are to market effectively, it’s crucial that we understand several elements that need to be “mixed” in our marketing efforts: Product, People, Promotion, Relationships, and Planning.

Product

First we must define the value of our PRODUCT so that our clients can see not only the features, but also the benefits and long-term performance improvements that will result from our courses and services. In other words, we need to show our clients how our product will satisfy their needs.

People

Next we need to dig a little deeper and identify the needs of the PEOPLE to whom we will be targeting. This way we can target our marketing strategy to that specific group of people. We would not necessarily apply the same marketing strategy to the managers and supervisors that we would apply to the people that will be attending our courses.

Promotion

When PROMOTING our courses and services, we need to get creative and stretch beyond our comfort zones so we can appeal to the proper tier of the organization, using the most effective promotional techniques. Managers and Supervisors are not going to necessarily respond to a training marketing brochure the same way their employees will.

Relationships

The aim of any marketing program is to solidify the RELATIONSHIPS that exist between the Training Department and the organization it serves. How do we want our clients to talk about our courses, staff and services, and what are we doing to assure repeat business from them? These are questions we should ponder carefully. The answers to these questions should be at the forefront of all marketing efforts.

Planning

Finally, putting all these in perspective requires careful and strategic PLANNING so that our marketing efforts yield the results we hoped for.

One of the misunderstandings we in training tend to have about marketing is to believe that if we are constantly promoting our courses and services we will secure attendance and support from the organization. Unfortunately for us, training is not a “Field of Dreams” – just because we build the training does not mean they (the learners, etc.) will come. Having a well-thought-out marketing plan that we can put into action, however, can make the difference.

What marketing efforts are you engaging in? What processes do you have in place to secure the success of your department’s products and services? I look forward to your ideas and success stories.

José

I first discovered this little gem of a technique by accident. It was always a habit for me to stick the agendas of prior days on the wall during a multi-day course. I would also, occasionally, stick up some other key chart pages if I found myself turning back to them often. But one day, while the learners were out for lunch, I got quite bored waiting for their return. I had already reviewed my lesson plan for the afternoon. Searching for something to do, I decided to tape all the key chart pages to the wall, in the order they related to my learners’ jobs. The effect was dramatic. During the afternoon, learners were saying things like, “Wow, did we really cover all that?” and, “Is that ever handy!” or even, “Just look at the wall, the answer to your question is right there.”

Since that day, I always plaster the walls with key flipchart pages during my training. Even on a one-day course, I’ll end up with ten to twelve pages lining the room. Some types of content that end up there are:

• the agenda
• prioritized course objectives (based on their input)
• key words that convey the overall process (often some acronym)
• definitions of key terms
• illustrations of underlying structures of processes (flowcharts)
• the charts learners filled during brainstorming or other group exercises

I’ve found this idea really affecting my learners’ perceptions of the progress they’ve made. It also makes it easier for them to refer to key concepts in later exercises. And if you want to get technical, it helps people with varying learning styles assimilate the content. Auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners each use them in ways that match their preferred style.

There’s one downside here: It’s yet one more thing to stay on top of during the training session. But I’ve found it pretty easy to handle. Any time the learners are involved in an exercise or small group discussion, I have a minute to grab my tape and get wallpapering. Here’s a little tip to make cleaning up easier. Stick your tape vertically at each side of the flipchart’s top edge, rather than on a 45 degree angle over each corner. When it’s time to tear down, you just pull the flipchart paper away from the wall and it comes off easily.

As a testimonial to the effect of this little technique, I’ll share an occurrence I’ve seen a few times on my multi-day courses. At least half a dozen times so far, as the last day winds down, I’ve had learners line up in front of all the agendas on the wall and ask me to take a group picture. When people actually want the wallpaper in their group picture, it must be contributing something to the training.

Alan “The Tool Man” Magnan

Tip # 1

Allow learners to test out of the course if they already know the content or the skill. If we can develop a meaningful test that reflects the learners’ knowledge or skill, could the passing of this test satisfy the training requirement? I do want to stress that sometimes this is impossible. However, if we can arrange an acceptable testing option, we may be able to reduce the attendance of those who already have the required skill level. As I listen to clients talking about their tightening training budgets and looking to be as efficient as possible, this option is becoming more and more attractive.

Tip # 2

Reduce the course content to the absolute minimum. Get rid of the “nice to know” and cover the highest priority information only, making the course as short as possible. These learners don’t want to be in training, so the more efficient the class is, the quicker they can get back to the job. However, by shortening the session, be careful that we keep application exercises. Without meaningful practice of the skills taught, we cannot measure the learners’ skill improvement. Also, without application exercises, transferring skills back to the job can be minimized.

Tip # 3

Deal with the resistance at the beginning of the session. I have found that if I don’t discuss this resistance, it seems to remain an undercurrent that surfaces frequently during the session. By facilitating these concerns, learners are able to move beyond them and are open to learn. What I have found helpful is an exercise I call the “Elephant in the Room.” I request that each group discuss the Concerns and the Benefits of the course. During that 7 to 8 minute discussion, I ask them to record their thoughts on a flipchart. I find that this time is well spent as it allows the learners to voice their concerns in a systematic process. At the end of this time, we take an additional 5 minutes to debrief the activity. At the end of this activity, I inform them that we will come back and review this information at the end of the session. I post these flipcharts in the back of the classroom for the rest of the session. At the end of the session, I go back to these flipcharts and identify any remaining issues not resolved and ask the group for ideas how to work with them as they return to the jobs. We then close the session.

Mandatory training is a part of our training world. It can be difficult, because learners lose their right to make their own choices about training. It is up to us to do whatever we can to help them successfully navigate these required training courses so they can concentrate on learning.

Langevin Team