Here at the CPD Standard Office, we have been getting a ton of questions on how to sell training courses. Having worked with hundreds of training providers, and seen best selling courses to complete flops, we have gotten to know a little bit about selling courses.
Would you like to sell more courses? Take part in our 2 minute member survey, and we will provide some market analysis for you next month.
Myth No 1: Colour and ‘pizazz’ are important.
Whilst having good looking, up-to-date design and branding is crucial, the actual colour of your logo, training materials and website is not critical to selling more courses. Potential buyers are more interested in the name of your course, and the perceived quality that you are going to offer them.
Myth No 2: Cheaper training sells quicker
Wrong! In our experience, the cheaper your training course, the more difficulty you will have in convincing buyers it is worth purchasing. Don’t be afraid to price at the premium end of your market, after all, if you have enough experience and offer learning that is going to make a real difference (and have the credentials to back that up) buyers will invest. Also don’t forget, the more pricey your course, the better profit margin you will receive on it.
Myth No 3: ‘Long’ courses are dead
In the YouTube and video age, there is a misconception that individuals only want short bite size training. Wrong! Longer “modulised” courses are still as popular, particularly if they have a social element that links the student to a new community of peers, enable complete mastery of a new skill set, or provide a form of qualification. As long as your prospective buyers have flexibility in how they undertake the course, and can log-in and out easily, there is no need to worry about creating a short course for the sake of it.
Myth No 4: Emails and websites are enough to provide the ‘written stuff’
Successful training courses are generally sold following an in depth conversation with the training company, and where appropriate a personalised proposal. Companies that simply rely on generic emails and their website often struggle to sell courses. Remember, first impressions count, and your prospective students want to being building a relationship with their course provider before they undertake any learning with you.
Myth No 5: Money back guarantees are worthless
In our experience, training courses that offer a money back guarantee tend to sell well. It seems that by providing a prospective buyer with a ‘comfort blanket’ that they can retrieve their investment if they felt that the course didn’t meet its objectives (or however you want to word it). Plus, we have found that buyers rarely request their money back, so it really is a no-brainer.
Interested in finding out more? The CPD Standards Office is conducting research on selling training courses during 2019. Click here to take the 2 minute survey, and we will be in touch soon with the results
