Biz Buzz

Trends in Contract Training 2010

It's the end of the year, so let's get talking trends that you should prepare for in 2010.

What will the 'new employee' of the upcoming decade need by way of skills?

The new employee needs to be tech-savvy; to have great interpersonal skills; to adapt to change quickly; to able think entrepreneurially; to be innovative; to be able to identify efficiency; and to be able to work responsibly in a virtual environment.

Do you offer skill building courses in these areas? Got other ideas for what the 'new employee' needs?

How to Be Seen

Seth Godin, my favorite marketing guru ever, wrote this week about the launch of the iPad, which I have followed deeply, since I am interested in how to get the word out about new products and also in the way that Apple courts and serves customers in general. The things that Seth says Apple did could be used to make your CT unit more known, too.

Here's the list. But read the full text here.

1. Earn a permission asset.
2. Don't try to please everyone.
3. Make a product worth talking about.
4. Make it easy for people to talk about you.
5. Build a platform for others to play in.
6. Create a culture of wonder.
7. Be willing to fail.
8. Give the tribe a badge.
9. Don't give up so easy.
10. Don't worry so much about conventional wisdom.

To Text or Not to Text

What do you think? Best Buy's CEO uses blogs, Facebook and Twitter to communicate with customers. Here's the most recent tweet from Twitter, regarding how to opt in to a rewards program.

RT @RZGamersClub Text GAMER to 332211 to opt into SMS alerts & pretty cool Bioshock 2 offer that will be sent out via SMS tomorrow

Would you use this? Would it work?

Radical Marketing Idea

OK, Seth Godin never surprises me anymore--because I have come to expect brilliance at least once a week. Check out his version of a great marketing idea:

One way to think about running a successful business is to figure out what the least you can do is, and do that. That's actually what they spent most of my time at business school teaching me.

No sense putting more on that pizza, sending more staff to that event, answering the phone in fewer rings... what's the point? No sense being kind, looking people in the eye, being open or welcoming or grateful. Doing the least acceptable amount is the way to maximize short term profit.

Of course, there's a different strategy, a crazy alternative that seems to work: do the most you can do instead of the least.

Radically overdeliver.

Turns out that this is a cheap and effective marketing technique

Contract Training Sales Kit from Kirkwood

Tom Leaverton, Marketing Director from Continuing Education & Training Services at Kirkwood Community College--a long-time LERN client--has agreed to share his newly designed set of CT sales materials.

Download KTOS insert_two sided-1 CT Sales Materials

Download KTOS insert CT sales materials

This is a great example of how we can help each other. Do you have a sales kit, blog or e-newsletter we can see? I'd love to have your story of how it was created, what you hope to accomplish and what you learned in the process. Contact me at kingtamang@LERN.org

Stay tuned for more examples and remember--one of the benefits of your LERN membership is a free annual critique of your sales kit.

Huh?

Dissonant sales and marketing. What do I mean? Green products packaged in non-recyclable plastic packages. User-friendly software with no help menus. "Good-for-you" food that says, "WARNING:" on the label. LED billboards that advertise highway safety. You get it?

If your sales kit says you are a "customized training center," and then lists a few pages of Ed2Go classes, what's the message? Check your website, sales pitch and sales kit to see if there are any "two-faced" messages sending confused signals to would-be customers.