How to Grow Your Training Business

If you’re the founder of a training business, then you likely have a passion for solving problems for organizations. However, if you do your job too well and gain an enormous amount of loyal clients, then you’ll find your training business will be in need of some serious expansion.

We used our most recent webinar to cover the best ways to grow your training business.

With the expertise of our guests Jessica Hicks (Sandler Training), Jerry Kappil (Gamma Compliance Solutions), and Lauren Powers (Barnes & Conti), you’ll see the different ways you can expand your training reach and improve your program consistency.

Let’s take a look at a few right now.

Establishing the Right Training Model

The right training model helps you stay flexible, allowing you to better engage with clients.

Barnes & Conti Head of Development, Lauren Powers says they stay flexible by providing blended learning solutions. By finding the right mix of training delivery methods and technologies, you can offer more solutions for custom client work. This ultimately creates the best learning experience and allows Barnes & Conti to maximize the right applications in the classroom.

As a Client Services Manager of Corporate Training at Sandler Training, Jessica Hicks emphasizes that in-person training is most effective for Sandler clients. They then use microlearning to reinforce what has been learned in-person.

However, not all models include in-person training.

For example, Gamma Compliance Solutions’s model for training is entirely virtual. Using their learning management service (LMS), CDs, and downloads, Gamma Compliance Solutions can engage with healthcare systems by providing licensing on their training.

Finding Contract Trainers and Partners

A network of contract trainers enables a global expansion at scale. But how do you form this kind of network? Lauren Powers says it’s all about your connections.

“It all comes down to relationships. It’s about identifying where you need resources and working with people you know that can make referrals,” said Powers on how Barnes & Conti forms its network. “It’s a pretty long dance. It takes a while if you want to work with people you can trust.”

Forming long-term relationships with independent trainers is what Barnes & Conti gets out of this dance. They currently work with a network of these independent trainers to implement training programs globally and support these programs as needed.

Their established trust in their independent trainers has helped form a larger network of trainers for Barnes & Conti.

 

Ensure High-Quality Training within Your Network

Your customers expect the highest quality training. Whether you deliver it or contract trainers to deliver it, you have to make sure your partners are setup for success.

Every year, Sandler brings its network of trainers together to “sharpen the saw.” This annual conference gives Sandler the opportunity to:

• Share best practices
• Give each other peer reviews 
• Reinforce Sandler training standards.

A great way to apply consistent training techniques across your training business is to implement a “Train the Trainer” process. This operation allows experienced trainers to coach others within an organization or network of contract trainers to ensure that the training program is being run efficiently and successfully.

Barnes & Conti offers time with a certified representative from their organization to “Train the Trainer.” Through this method, Barnes & Conti licenses their content to customers and enables in-house trainers to properly conduct training programs.

Should You Invest in that New Technology?

With clients focusing on shiny new technology over proven processes, should you try to keep up with trends or stick to what you know?

Lauren Powers believes that you will be forced to decide which new technologies have staying power and which do not. She emphasizes, “There is no ‘one way’ clients want to engage. It requires flexibility and options on your end.” 

Since trends come and go, you have to make a judgement call on what you’re going to invest in. Knowing what your clients are going to need is key to your business growth and your training process overall. Above all else, try to be nimble and flexible with your new technologies.

Jessica Hicks agrees with this need to be nimble and flexible when it comes to dealing with technology. 

One of Sandler’s goals is to make sure their content is consistent when getting rolled out on a global scale. When they introduce a new technology, it is made available to everyone. This way, regardless of where the customer is, Sandler is able to provide the same experience as another customer in another region of the world.

When expanding your training business, there are many different techniques to consider when getting started. Using the tips provided by our panel of experts, you won’t have to worry about stretching your training staff too thin. Instead, you’ll look to leverage a network of contract trainers to deliver high-quality training to your clients around the globe.

Want to learn more? Listen to the entire Getting Started: Different Models for Contracting, Licensing, or Otherwise Growing Your Training Business webinar.