Wondering how to choose a learning management system (LMS) for your learning business and actually get it right? We have done a lot of technology selection work over the years and have delivered many Webinars and workshops related to our 7-step selection methodology (which, while often aimed at learning management system (LMS) selection, really applies to selection of … [Read more...]
The Catalog and the Conversation
Chances are the catalog your customers and members are using is not your catalog. Or, at best, it is only partially your catalog. Really, The Catalog is the first page or two of the search results in Google. If you aren't showing up there, then there is a decent chance your prospective customers never see your catalog. At the very least, you won't attract many customers who … [Read more...]
Do you treat learning like an event or a process?
I see this as a "beautiful question" that can spark some very productive discussion when asked of the right stakeholders in your learning business. It's a question that can fundamentally impact both your education business strategy and your ongoing operations. If you treat learning like an event, then you probably place a great deal of emphasis on logistics. You focus on … [Read more...]
Balancing Points in the Business of Lifelong Learning
As part of my ongoing writing, speaking, and consulting, I spend a lot of time thinking about lifelong learning, the market for lifelong learning, and the business of lifelong learning. Clearly, we are at a point where there is tremendous opportunity. The need and demand have never been larger. At the same time, there is a lot more competition. The dynamics of the market are a … [Read more...]
The Career Retention Business
A colleague on a board I serve on commented that he's not sure how to keep millennials in their job for 18 months, much less get them involved in an association. It's a concern I've heard echoed by numerous association executives and board members, but I think it is one that is largely misplaced. Certainly, employers need to worry about retaining their employees - millennials … [Read more...]
The 4 Ps of Marketing Your Learning Business
Here’s a question: how would you say most people define marketing? Our suspicion - based on a lot of experience - is that when most people think of marketing, they think of advertising, or other forms of promotion. But there's much more to marketing than promotion - and even promotion has more to it than many appreciate. In this episode, we cover the 4 Ps of marketing - … [Read more...]
How to Price Online Learning
Knowing how to price online learning effectively is more important in the current competitive landscape for adult lifelong learning than ever before. This article covers the four major elements that must be addressed as part of pricing online learning or - for that matter - just about anything else. The article draws on a framework laid out years ago in just two sentences by … [Read more...]
Are your offerings an expense or an investment?
It's an essential question to ask both about how you perceive your own participation in professional development activities as well as about how your prospective customers perceive participation in your organization's offerings. When we view something as an expense, our expectations are relatively low. An expense is simply a transaction in which we give something - usually … [Read more...]
6 Paths for Leading Your Learning Business to Blue Ocean
Are you looking for ways to separate your business from the pack and stop competing on price? Would you welcome innovations that help you raise the value you deliver while also lowering your cost structure? In this article we’ll explore some "Blue Ocean" strategy tools that can help you achieve these very goals. Specifically, we’ll discuss the Blue Ocean strategy six … [Read more...]
An Informal Learning Business Curriculum
We've been publishing the Leading Learning podcast for many years now. While the majority of episodes have featured interviews with thought leaders, practitioners, and influencers in the world of lifelong learning, nearly a third have been discussion between hosts Jeff Cobb and Celisa Steele about a range of topics related to the learning business. Over time, these have … [Read more...]
Transactions vs. Relationships
"One and done. That's the approach most of our education directors take." This was the view shared with me by the vice president of a national nonprofit organization recently. Even more recently, a trade association called me in to talk with its network of education managers about moving away from a "transactional" (my contact's words) approach to selling training to more … [Read more...]