I’ve been working with training organisations since 2011 and during that time, I’ve found the OTrain Training Company Growth Model, helps to build a scalable, reliable, and predictable business.
Now I’m not talking about the legislated required obligations. It goes without saying that you need to do things right, including your compliance, reporting and hiring obligations. I’m talking more about the organisational model that underpins a great training business.
Whilst conditions will change based on economic and governmental priorities, a business with a sound strategic approach should be able to navigate these changes successfully. This is why some business’ seem to go from strength to strength, whilst others fluctuate depending on environmental conditions.
I’ve found over the years that the OTrain Training Company Growth Model, applies to all training organisations including internal training departments. This model can help build sustainability and predictability into your business, despite challenging external factors.
Each stage has it’s own strategy and tactics and when applied together real magic happens.
So what is this OTrain Training Company Growth Model, and how do they apply to your business?
Content:
You’ve got to have good content. This should go without saying. But how is your content presented? Is it in a logical order? Is it engaging enough to hold someones attention? Does it cover the right areas to address the assessment questions? Does your content create a change in behaviour?
Is your content really presented the best is could be for your audience?
Platform:
The Platform you select will have a big impact on the attractiveness of your training and ease of use for your students.
In an online sense is the platform you’ve selected stable? Is it intuitive to a “green” user? Is it responsive and available on most devices and browsers? How do you provide support for your users? Can your administrators successfully use it?
In an offline sense is the learning environment comfortable for the students and free of distraction? Are your training manuals easy to follow and reader friendly?
Is your platform really the best platform to leverage your training initiatives and opportunities?
Marketing:
This could be the single most important part of the whole equation. We all know of training organisations that have pretty ordinary content, but seem to have no trouble in filling a training room with students. In the online world things are no different.
Great marketing will beat great content most times. But if you can take great marketing and add it to great content, that’s a real formula for success.
Is your ongoing marketing strategy and tactics reaching your target market. Do you know your target market and have a clear strategy to reach them, using multiple methods and mechanisms? See our whitepaper on this topic here.
Feedback/Tribe:
Next to marketing, your feedback loop and tribe creation may be the most important thing for you to focus on. Your feedback loop is a great way to build a tribe or group of loyal followers that like your content and your delivery style. Leveraging this tribe to create evangelist and help drive you marketing initiatives will drive future students and enrolments. How do you currently encourage feedback and engagement with students, during and after the training?
How many of your students or users are true evangelist of your training products? By evangelist we don’t just mean someone who says your ok, but someone in the market actively saying you are the best, the only place to go, and proactively sending you referrals.
Are you doing enough to drive this? I’m not talking just happy students, but actual disciples of your business = think Amway sales people.
Up Sell and Value Add:
Once you have a loyal tribe of followers, you should be looking to leverage that opportunity to up sell and value add with other training and service offerings. Expand on key ideas or concepts. Build on the foundation. Help you students grow professionally by offering other professional development or career building courses. Leverage the relationship and trust you have established to grow your revenue.
Here more then ever, quality of content is critical. You don’t wan’t to burn a great relationship you have with your tribe by providing poor content.
Do you have other courses and offers for past students and their family and friends? Also, think outside of just courses. What else could you offer them or sell. First aid kits for first aid students for example.
Once you get here, the cycle starts all over again.
Review and modify your programs and strategies.
Remember we really only train for two reasons, compliance (we need someone to have a particular licence or qualification) or competence (we want them to be good/better at something), so if your material and process is not improving competence, or meeting compliance requirements, then its even more important to review and modify.
Yes, there are plenty of other pieces to making a successful RTO work, such as finance and staffing, but if you can get this company growth model correct in your business, you have foundations to grow, providing you with the financial resources and time needed to address these other areas.
Of course this model has been developed for Online training, but the same applies in the offline environment. Think about each step and how it applies to your business and current model and how you can leverage the concepts.
Whilst this model is aimed at Training Organisations that make money from training, it equally applies to organisations wanting to deliver internal training, and get increased stakeholder engagement. Building a tribe of advocates for your programs encourages managers to be more engaged, referring more of their employees and recognising the benefits to the organisation of your training initiatives.
Have more questions or wondering where to start? Give me a call on 07 3040 3310. I’m happy to chat.
Alternatively, you might even want to consider an OTrain Training Audit. For just $750, we’ll review your current training strategy against the 5 criteria above and provide you with a full written report including recommendations.
Call us today on 07 3040 3310 to learn more.
About OTrain
OTrain puts training online.
With OTrainU our cloud based Learning Management System and our creative Studi.O team; OTrain is on a mission to Save the World from Boring Training.
Plus with a catalogue of Ready to GO! online training content, and our Training Success Club to help make your training work, OTrain is your logical choice as an online training partner. OTrain is Simply put, a better way to train.
Learn more about OTrain by visiting www.otrain.com.au or calling us on 07 3040 3310
About the Author
Shane Ridley is the Founder and Managing Director of OTrain. With a background in Workforce Development, Shane has been involved in everything from staffing and developing workforces in Greenfield sites to working with 100 year old companies. 1 man operations to multinationals.
A serial entrepreneur, Shane has also successfully started and grown 5 businesses, on 3 occasions taking them from concept to $1M+ in revenue.