Building Academies

11/08/2009

An Academy platform allows our clients to: -
•    Provide a portal for up-skilling the knowledge and soft skills of all internal and external personnel
•    Reduce the costs of training through the provision of online learning assets e.g. elearning
•    Provide transparency and visability of training and development activity through management reporting
•    To reinforce classroom training on an on-going basis
(Huthwaite Research, 87% of what is learnt in a training session will be lost after 1 month upon completion of the training programme, the key reason behind this is due to ineffective post-training reinforcement and monitoring by managers.)
•    Implement a certification program that will enable the measurement of knowledge and skills and provide levels of knowledge and skills that staff aspire to achieve.
•    Have a portal for sharing knowledge between staff and the relevant subject matter experts
•    Management of HR and training administration e.g. inductions, reviews, development reports
•    Provide a vehicle to inform, develop and add value to key channel partners

Building Academies

11/08/2009

Why have an online academy?
Research shows that the difference between a non-graduate and graduate salary over a lifetime is £400k. Within the first year a graduate will earn between £6-24k more that a non graduate (depending on the field they are entering).

A recent report by the OEDC states that graduates who left university a decade ago, their average earning are 77% higher than non-graduates .
Education and training within a corporate training environment has a similar return on investment, if done correctly.  A companies training investment will deliver a payback when:-
a) It is held accountable i.e. can visibly report the results by individuals, departments and across the company of progress towards goals, and when those results are visible and transparent to all,
b) The training given is directly relevant to the persons role and responsibilities i.e. training is given as result of an assessment or detailed within a personal development plan
c) When the individuals are tracked, monitored and supported individually and when there is a system in place to ensure accountability for improvements.
So if the system is right – how does the company see the results on the bottom line ?
1.    Efficiency – training helps you do your job faster. For example a sales person takes a call from a customer about a new phone that they want. He has seen an elearning module on that phone, taken a test on that course and is certified in how to sell that phone. As a result he spends less time per call, he does not have to refer to people to get the answers and he can handle more calls.
2.    Effectiveness: Training and accreditation helps you do your job better. Because you know the subject you are better able to handle the call.
3.    Cost Avoidance: You’re not spending money on travel, hotels and time away from the job for classroom training.
4.    Customer Satisfaction:  Because the person is better able to handle the call, the relationship with the customer is better and which improves your brand reputation and standing in the market.

One large global IT company reports that for every £1 they spend they receive £4 back, On average employees see a 24 percent increase in efficiency as a result of training and even those who get no time saving see a 17% gain in effectiveness.  However they found the impact on channel partners was even more impressive.  Based on self assessments completed by 3,560 partners who used their Academy portal, 74% reported an improvement in the ability to sell or service clients and 76 percent said that customer satisfaction jumped by 50 percent or more going through the online Academy offering .
Typically our customers would expect to see a return on investment within 3 months of academy launch.  This would depend on the extent of the roll out, however our experience shows that the more wide spread the academy role out is and the wider the content the quicker the return on investment can be seen.  Typically an organisation spending £40,000 within in the first year can see a return on investment of £120,000 - £180,000.  The longer the academy runs for the better the return on investment.

eLearning

07/09/2009

Our eLearning Vision, and some thoughts...

eLearning and the Language of Business

We talk the language of business, and then build eLearning that is related to your business needs. Training should not be the end result of the eLearning, your business is, and this is missed by many learning companies. Our goal is to contribute to your business success.

• Don't plan to measure "x number of people took this course".
• Plan to measure increases in efficiency, revenue, margin, or awareness.
• Plan to measure decreases in cost, risk, or time to achieve a goal.

To have training success measured in this way is still quite unusual, but will elevate the visibility of training within your organisation, as the real value can now be seen. You can start to measure and monetise your contribution (and ours...), in £s and $s.

Instructional Design

You will hear this term used a lot in eLearning! Whilst the theory of good course design is important, it's very often just a way for production companies to justify more work and larger fees. We try not to get caught up in too many technicalities. We focus on the organisation, the business needs, what is the desired learning outcome, and how success is going to be measured. Once we know those things, we are in a good position to work with you and start to build your course. We'll suggest some ways that you might want to design your course, but in the end, it's up to you.

Effective eLearning

A lot of eLearning in the past has been dull, "Death by PowerPoint, on a PC" training. The output here is often that people just start to do read email.

• If people just passively look at slides, effective learning will not take place.
• If people listen to dull, poorly recorded voiceovers, learning will not happen.

The voice is a powerful tool if used correctly, and well-delivered audio on top of slides can make the slides and content "come alive". We would recommend you consider interactivity, (a standard feature of our production platform), to increase the likelihood of effective learning, (see below).

The addition of Exercises, (either before, during or after learning) makes a critical link between the learning, and the "real work-life" of the course-taker. You may want to consider this in your courses.

Rapid Authoring

This term is used to describe the latest generation of eLearning tools, such as ours. They allow producers operate without needing teams of programmers. Using a number of templates that can be customised, existing content can be converted, or new content created. This is what allows us to be fast, responsive to your needs, and deploy at costs that may surprise you!

Interactivity, Quizzes, tests and Knowledge Checks

We can create Interactions, where your course-takers come out of "passive" mode and interact with the course. This may be clicking on different areas of a Timeline, or clicking on areas of a screenshot or product photo to learn more. We can attach FAQs, Glossaries, and Slides to courses.

If this is what you want, we'll work with you to produce these, adding audio, graphic and video multimedia elements if you request them.

"Branching" within a course allows you to set questions for your users, and have the course behave in various ways depending on the answers they take. Could this be useful to you?

Current eLearning technology makes it possible to easily add Quizzes, Learning Games and Tests into a course. These reinforce learning. You might also want to create a Quiz to check understanding before a course is taken; or a Survey to check how the course was received - these are also possible.

We know that your core aim is to focus on the success of your business, and training is only part of that business. We do not design our eLearning to have all the latest features and functionality, according to latest learning theory - we design effective eLearning, using features and functionality that ultimately affects your bottom line.

Many eLearning companies try and make the courses fit their aspirations, they want to use you as a Reference site before they have actually created anything! We have no preconceptions about your eLearning requirements - we design according to your needs, and what you want to achieve for your business, and your users. It's because of our client success that they let us use them as References.

Making it Real

Many companies already have a brand that staff members recognise - a corporate PowerPoint template. We will try and use this, and your corporate colours to create a professional "Look and Feel" for your courses. Using your logo and corporate graphics/music (if you have them) adds to an end-product that your staff will recognise. This helps with uptake. We can provide any of these elements for the learning if you do not have them available already. Of course, you may want a new Look and Feel for your eLearning deployment; we can help with this if required.

If you do not have existing collateral to turn into eLearning, we can work with you to rapidly create the content. We will go through a couple of QA/checking cycles with you, and some users if necessary, to check that the content fully meets your needs.

Measurement

When we start to work with you on eLearning, we will start by understanding what "success" means to you. We want to measure success in business terms, in business results, not consumption. Agreement on this makes the production process even more rapid than it already is. A lot of eLearning makes no connection between what the course has taught, and what the consumer needs to do after finishing the course. You may want to consider ending courses with a "Behaviours for Success" section, i.e. a section that explains, easily and clearly to course-takers how they can now implement this learning in the workplace.

Lifespan of courses

When you start to produce a course, you should consider the lifespan of the course - when will the content need to be reviewed, and when should it be updated. This needs formal ownership and formal processes in most cases, or else you run the risk of just having a server full of useless content.

eLearning

07/09/2009

Courses - September 7^th 2009

6 Groupings, some courses duplicated in different groupings. Suggested only.

I NEED HELP TO...

• Learn Foundation Selling Skills
• Shorten Sales Cycles
• Sell More over the Telephone
• Close More Business
• Give Great Presentations
• Create More New Business

  Courses

  1 Buying Decision Making Unit (18 minutes)

  In a sale, there may be many people involved, and they may have different "roles". This eSeminar investigates the roles that exist in a Buying Process, and demonstrates that each role player has different needs - which you must be aware of, and meet. Through a series of audio-enabled slides, an interactive section, and an exercise, 4 main roles are explored. We discuss their traits, what's important to them, how to identify them, and we end with a short discussion on influence levels.

  2 Closing Skills (23 minutes)

  In order to get a sale, you need to close it. This eSeminar will help you understand that Closing starts at the beginning of the sales process and continues through it by using Qualification techniques. You will learn the 3-stage Model of sales (Prospect, Suspect, and Lead). The eSeminar will propose some closing "techniques", suggesting that these should always be part of the much larger proposition that Closing starts early on.

  3 Cold Calling for Appointments (25 minutes)

  Cold Calling is something that is often feared by Salespeople, yet a necessary function of their role. In this 25-minute eSeminar, we will look at the things that are necessary to be successful, including an understanding of your own personal metrics and activity levels. You will also cover the subjects of Business Reasons, Compelling Reasons, and Getting the Appointment, all essential to a successful Cold Call. The eSeminar contains Interactive elements, and a cumulative Exercise that helps you build an effective Cold-Calling "Script".

  4 Creating Value (31 minutes)

  Features, Functionality and Price are all important in a sale, but they are not the most important thing. The most important thing in a sales is to create Value for your client or potential client. This module will Clarify the importance of adding Value during a sales process, explain the Journey that a Buyer typically goes on during a sales process, and explain how you can identify, and/or add Value at each of these stages. Using slides, interactions and exercises, the module works through a typical sales process, explaining the behaviours you need to exhibit, and the questions you need to ask at each of the stages. You will understand how to assess what value "looks like" for each person in a sales process, and how to create value for them.

  5 Objection Handling (28 minutes)

  No matter how long you prepare your pitch or sales campaign, people will always raise Objections. After completing this 28-minute eSeminar, which includes exercises and interactive portions, you will have learned how to recognise standard Buyer Objections, and some techniques for overcoming them. You will learn the differences between Features, Advantages and Benefits, and how to use to use these appropriately to overcome Objections.

  6 Pipeline Creation (30 minutes)

  In sales, your Pipeline ultimately controls how successful you are. In this 30-minute eSeminar, we will introduce the component parts of a Pipeline, explain their importance, and what you need to do to ensure that you really understand what is currently guiding your understanding of Suspects, Prospects and Sales Leads.

  7 Presentation Skills: Module 1 (35 minutes)

  Presenting is a fundamental skill for Salespeople. In this eSeminar, delivered by a mixture of slides, audio, and interactive elements, we will guide you through the principles of good presenting. You will explore the components the things that make a presentation "great", and how to apply the principles to your work. You will learn the importance of, and scope of, planning your presentation and how to structure the Opening, Middle and Closing sections. Different styles for each section will be suggested. Modules 2 and 3 will build on Module 1, however it can be used as a standalone course.

  8 Presentation Skills: Module 2 (33 minutes)

  This 33-minute module builds on Module 1, however it can be used as a standalone course. In this eSeminar, delivered by a mixture of slides, audio, and interactive elements, we will guide you through the principles of good presenting. You will explore different ways to deliver your message, and how to use your voice as a presentation "instrument". You will learn the importance of audience interaction/attention, non-verbal communication, and will learn some basic skills you can use when planning for, and handling audience questions.

  9 Presentation Skills: Module 3 (22 minute)

  This 22-minute module builds on Modules 1 and 2 but can be used as a standalone course. We will guide you through the principles of good presenting, and some of the risks involved when technology is introduced. You'll examine common mistakes in presentation design, and look at some of considerations that need to be made when using graphics in slides. Style modifications for Technical presentations, Team presentations, and presentations involving multinational delivery groups/audiences are also discussed.

  10 ** Presentation Skills Bundled Version with all three presentations and respective .pdfs of each presentation

  11 Qualifying a Sale (14 minutes)

  How do you objectively measure the quality of your Sales Pipeline? One simple measure or "rating" of your Opportunities can be achieved using a simple model known as the SCOTSMAN Model. In this eSeminar, (which includes interactive elements, an "offline" exercise, and a Quiz), you will learn about why Qualification is so important in the sales process. You will see, and understand the 8 areas of the SCOTSMAN model, and then perform an exercise to quickly "rate" one of your current sales opportunities using the model.

  12 Questioning Skills (28 minutes)

  This module deals with how to question effectively, with the aim of moving the client closer to a buying decision. We'll introduce the "4R's" model; (Reality, Reasons for Change, Repercussions of Inaction, Return on Investment); used to guide the client through the Questioning Process. You will learn the importance of Open and Closed questions at each stage, which will help you gain a better understanding of the Buyer's situation, and then to focus on their needs. Using slides, audio, Exercises, Interactive elements and a Quiz, you will learn how to use Questioning to take the Buyer on a "journey", helping them reach a successful conclusion in the Sales Process.

  13 Sales Prospecting (19 minutes):

  In this 19 minute module, we tackle sales prospecting, i.e. the process of uncovering potential customers. By the end, you will understand the importance of prospecting, have the skills allowing you to create a focused list of good quality prospects, and you will be able to determine the best means of reaching your prospects, once you have identified them. The module includes exercises based on your "real world", in order to underpin the theory, and the module will assist you in understanding one of the most important skills in a salesperson's skill set. **NOTE - this is a "How To" model. Please only purchase this module if your sales process allows for you to Prospect flexibly. If you have an established or mandatory process, this module will not be appropriate**.

  14 Successful Sales Meeting and Call Agendas (21 minutes)

  Sales Meetings and Calls need to move the sales process forward - yet often they are wasted opportunities. In this eSeminar you will learn how to recognize a successful meeting or call, and how to set an Agenda that ensures it is successful. You will learn how an Agenda needs to vary depending on where you are in the Sales Cycle, and you will explore the Goals, Outcomes, and Benefits for Buyers that you should set and expect at for each type.

  15 Telephone Based Selling (39 minutes)

  Selling over the phone (Telesales) has always been important, and is the lowest-cost way to make direct contact with potential clients. This 38-minute eSeminar will help you make better use of the telephone as a "selling-tool"

  Utilising slides + audio, interactions and exercises you will learn the benefits of the phone as a selling medium. You will be introduced to the importance of phone/calling metrics, and how they should guide your calling behaviour, and you will understand the concept of, and importance of data accuracy in Prospect Lists.

  We will introduce the concept of Questions, Statements and Tools that need to be used at each stage of the Sales process, and how you should measure success. Techniques for working with "Gatekeepers" are explored, as well as an introduction to Closing techniques that may be useful in a telephone-calling situation.
  Vocal and "presentational"" techniques are out of scope.

  NOTE - this course is appropriate for Telesales and selling staff that have flexibility within the sales cycle. It does not cover Telemarketing, where formal scripts are used, and where there is little opportunity for personal creativity in the selling process.

  16 Writing Powerful Sales Proposals (40 minutes)

  A potential customer has asked you to submit a written Proposal; great news; however, how can you maximise the impact of the Proposal ? This 40-minute eSeminar, (containing Slides, Audio, Interactions, Exercises and a Quiz), clarifies exactly what a Proposal is, (and is not...). You will understand the Pre-Requisites for writing a Proposal, and learn about the major content areas within the document. You will learn about the importance of the Review stage, the all important Submission stage, and appreciate that the post-Submission stage can also be important.

eLearning

08/09/2009

Building Academies

02/03/2011

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