A new management training resource - would you complete my survey?

Great idea

Hi Joan

I was a learning leader for a large MNC responsible for the L&D needs of 2000 staff across Europe so I will give you my feedback from that context. I think there is a lot of value in offering ready made training material on performance management.

I am a little confused as to who you are targeting. Are your videos aimed at individual managers who want to improve their performance management skills or training managers who want to run a short session on performance management?

If its aimed at managers

Your product will be competing with some heavy hitters – Harvard mentoring manager and Skillsoft have similar material in elearning form. Not quite the same as your video offering I know. My former MNC had contracts with both Harvard and Skillsoft so would need a lot of convincing to buy your product as well (or instead of). Also, Harvard and Skillsoft offered a suite of elearnings – not just Performance management (I am sure you will be expanding your offerings beyond Performance Management in the future)

If its aimed at trainers/HRMs

I can see a market for your product for busy HRMs/trainers who want to run a training session for their client groups but who do not want to spend big on hiring an external trainer and do not have time to come up with their own material. I would suggest you offer to run a ‘train-the-trainer’ briefing call for such buyers to help them understand how to deliver the session – although I am sure your material is user friendly.

General comments

I think you have the pricing correct for option 1 and 2 but I am not convinced you are priced correctly for options 3 & 4. Considering option 3, for a class of 10 it would cost me £2490 for you to come and run half day session. I can buy a full day session for less than that.

How are you going to overcome the issue of sharing? For example, I buy one complete set of the 3 DVDs and then share it amongst my HR colleagues/managers. You make one sale but lose the potential to make other sales. I know its harder but you may want to look into the option of providing each purchaser with a license code (similar to the Microsoft software) to stop them from sharing the material. The technology is beyond me so I will stop there.

Small point – I would consider changing from ‘option 1’ ‘option 2’ etc to ‘option A’, ‘option B’

Small point – why is your site called 10 minute manager toolkit when you say the session will be about 40 minutes long?

A new management training resource – would you complete my surve

Hi Ranjit

Firstly, many thanks for your feedback and your excellent questions. Let me clarify

Who are you targeting?

I’m targeting L&D, Training and HR Managers who can utilise the videos in a number of ways;

1. By giving the DVDs (and the accompanying workbooks) to managers to use as self managed learning

Each 40 minute video comprises a 5 minute introduction to the 10mmt, a 5 minute intro to the topic and three 10 minute sessions (including exercises). The idea is that the manager would complete one session at a time (hence the ’10 Minute Management Toolkit’). They can complete the sessions when they want and at the pace they want (and without having to leave their desk – unless they want to!)

An example is one of my clients who plans to give each of her newly appointed managers a pack of the DVDs as part of their induction pack. The managers will attend a training course but, as these are only delivered quarterly, she sees a benefit in these managers having access to management training from day one

2. By the L&D, Training or HR Manager in their in-house training, coaching or team meetings

An example would be a client who is planning to run 9 weekly breakfast meetings for her managers using one 10 minute session in each meeting. She will facilitate discussion around the outcomes of the exercises embedded in the videos, include an action planning session and, at the beginning of the next meeting, will facilitate a discussion about how the learning has been applied

Your idea of me delivering ‘train the trainer’ sessions is excellent – thanks

Another (HR) client has been using the DVD ‘Motivating your staff to improve their performance with positive criticism’ to coach a manager having some difficulty in this area. The manager firstly watched the video and she then coached them in applying the tools and models and reviewing the outcomes

(And of course the 10mmt can also be used by freelance trainers)

The Competition

I agree there are some ‘heavy hitters’ out there. Clients who have HBR type e-learning programmes could use the 10mmt to complement that programme (although I agree, I’m not sure they would) and I am currently talking to an existing client about how the 10mmt could be incorporated into their blended learning solution (which includes e-learning). I guess the key differentiator between my videos and the big hitters is the price!

Pricing

Re options 3 and 4. You may very well be right that this price needs some re-think and for these options I would expect to be engaged with the client in discussing costings – in short I’m always open to negotiation! Also, included in the price is a DVD for each delegate (10 x £99 =£999) which they watch before the workshop and which, importantly, they then keep for future reference

The issue of sharing

This is a very good point. We are currently looking at the option of providing the videos on line, for a license, and we can provide them in a format that can be integrated into a clients intranet system. In the meantime, I would hope that clients can see the benefits of managers or teams ‘owning’ copies of the DVDs so they can use them when they want and as many times as they want. However if clients do buy one copy and share it around – no problem

Why is it called the ’10 Minute Management Toolkit’

I think I may have already answered this but, in short (for a change!), each DVD comprises a three 10 minute sessions – plus introductions

Again, many thanks Ranjit for giving me the opportunity to clarify these points

Very best wishes

Joan

2 Responses

User deleted says:

December 10, 2009 at 3:33 am

Great idea

Hi Joan

I was a learning leader for a large MNC responsible for the L&D needs of 2000 staff across Europe so I will give you my feedback from that context. I think there is a lot of value in offering ready made training material on performance management.

I am a little confused as to who you are targeting. Are your videos aimed at individual managers who want to improve their performance management skills or training managers who want to run a short session on performance management?

If its aimed at managers

Your product will be competing with some heavy hitters – Harvard mentoring manager and Skillsoft have similar material in elearning form. Not quite the same as your video offering I know. My former MNC had contracts with both Harvard and Skillsoft so would need a lot of convincing to buy your product as well (or instead of). Also, Harvard and Skillsoft offered a suite of elearnings – not just Performance management (I am sure you will be expanding your offerings beyond Performance Management in the future)

If its aimed at trainers/HRMs

I can see a market for your product for busy HRMs/trainers who want to run a training session for their client groups but who do not want to spend big on hiring an external trainer and do not have time to come up with their own material. I would suggest you offer to run a ‘train-the-trainer’ briefing call for such buyers to help them understand how to deliver the session – although I am sure your material is user friendly.

General comments

I think you have the pricing correct for option 1 and 2 but I am not convinced you are priced correctly for options 3 & 4. Considering option 3, for a class of 10 it would cost me £2490 for you to come and run half day session. I can buy a full day session for less than that.

How are you going to overcome the issue of sharing? For example, I buy one complete set of the 3 DVDs and then share it amongst my HR colleagues/managers. You make one sale but lose the potential to make other sales. I know its harder but you may want to look into the option of providing each purchaser with a license code (similar to the Microsoft software) to stop them from sharing the material. The technology is beyond me so I will stop there.

Small point – I would consider changing from ‘option 1’ ‘option 2’ etc to ‘option A’, ‘option B’

Small point – why is your site called 10 minute manager toolkit when you say the session will be about 40 minutes long?
User deleted says:

December 10, 2009 at 5:35 pm

A new management training resource – would you complete my surve

Hi Ranjit

Firstly, many thanks for your feedback and your excellent questions. Let me clarify

Who are you targeting?

I’m targeting L&D, Training and HR Managers who can utilise the videos in a number of ways;

1. By giving the DVDs (and the accompanying workbooks) to managers to use as self managed learning

Each 40 minute video comprises a 5 minute introduction to the 10mmt, a 5 minute intro to the topic and three 10 minute sessions (including exercises). The idea is that the manager would complete one session at a time (hence the ’10 Minute Management Toolkit’). They can complete the sessions when they want and at the pace they want (and without having to leave their desk – unless they want to!)

An example is one of my clients who plans to give each of her newly appointed managers a pack of the DVDs as part of their induction pack. The managers will attend a training course but, as these are only delivered quarterly, she sees a benefit in these managers having access to management training from day one

2. By the L&D, Training or HR Manager in their in-house training, coaching or team meetings

An example would be a client who is planning to run 9 weekly breakfast meetings for her managers using one 10 minute session in each meeting. She will facilitate discussion around the outcomes of the exercises embedded in the videos, include an action planning session and, at the beginning of the next meeting, will facilitate a discussion about how the learning has been applied

Your idea of me delivering ‘train the trainer’ sessions is excellent – thanks

Another (HR) client has been using the DVD ‘Motivating your staff to improve their performance with positive criticism’ to coach a manager having some difficulty in this area. The manager firstly watched the video and she then coached them in applying the tools and models and reviewing the outcomes

(And of course the 10mmt can also be used by freelance trainers)

The Competition

I agree there are some ‘heavy hitters’ out there. Clients who have HBR type e-learning programmes could use the 10mmt to complement that programme (although I agree, I’m not sure they would) and I am currently talking to an existing client about how the 10mmt could be incorporated into their blended learning solution (which includes e-learning). I guess the key differentiator between my videos and the big hitters is the price!

Pricing

Re options 3 and 4. You may very well be right that this price needs some re-think and for these options I would expect to be engaged with the client in discussing costings – in short I’m always open to negotiation! Also, included in the price is a DVD for each delegate (10 x £99 =£999) which they watch before the workshop and which, importantly, they then keep for future reference

The issue of sharing

This is a very good point. We are currently looking at the option of providing the videos on line, for a license, and we can provide them in a format that can be integrated into a clients intranet system. In the meantime, I would hope that clients can see the benefits of managers or teams ‘owning’ copies of the DVDs so they can use them when they want and as many times as they want. However if clients do buy one copy and share it around – no problem

Why is it called the ’10 Minute Management Toolkit’

I think I may have already answered this but, in short (for a change!), each DVD comprises a three 10 minute sessions – plus introductions

Again, many thanks Ranjit for giving me the opportunity to clarify these points

Very best wishes

Joan