Good Employee Training Doesn’t Have to Break Your Budget
(Editor’s Note: Today’s post is sponsored by ITM Group, Inc., a provider of leadership and management training programs that help companies engage and retain their best talent. ITM Group has been recognized as one of the Top 100 small businesses in South Florida. And yes, it’s also my company. I wanted to share with you in an open, honest way what I do and thought this was a direct means of doing so while still providing some very useful information. Enjoy the post!)
A few weeks ago, I received a training brochure in the mail. It was for a one-day management training program and it listed the cost of the program – $250 per person. As I was looking at the agenda, I was saying to myself…”Hey, this is almost like one of my programs.”
The brochure bothered me for a couple of reasons.
- The company that produces this training was marketing a program that was very similar at a much higher cost. Yes, my fee for a training program is less than $250 per person.
- Nobody knew #1.
So, I decided to do a little research. Lots of training companies publish their fees on their website. And while I’m sure they’re good, they’re ridiculously expensive.
Honestly, I have no clue why we haven’t done this sooner…but we’re joining the ranks of other major training companies and publishing training fees on our company website. Obviously, custom work is … well, custom and has to be bid accordingly. But for organizations that want our Coaching for Performance program as-is right off the shelf, it can be found on our website. Same goes for our Strategic Leadership program or Developing Individual and Group Effectiveness and even our Corporate University in Leadership Development.
In my consulting career, I’ve run into many situations where companies automatically think consultants are out of reach because of their fees. But there are plenty of consultants, like us, who do quality work and are very affordable.
It’s sad to say but I also know consultants who change their prices based upon a company’s balance sheet. If you’re a highly-profitable business, you get charged more. IMHO that’s just not how it’s supposed to work. Our goal is to share our experience and expertise with our client companies. That’s another reason to publish prices. Once you know the price and it’s not gonna change, companies can budget for training and make it an ongoing investment instead of just a one-time activity.
As we become a more tech savvy world, consumers want more information at their fingertips. They want to pre-shop on the Internet. Mr. Bartender does this all the time. Whether it’s affordable airfares for business travel, the gas grill we just bought or the best price on rotisserie chicken, we surf the net for information and then make an informed decision. And if pricing isn’t there…well, we have to leave it up to our imagination.
That being said, publishing pricing is still a bit risky. Will prospective clients think less of the work because our affordable price is out there? I certainly hope not. What I do hope is that it breaks down barriers when selecting a leadership training company. Because good training is not only necessary – it’s affordable.
Is it possible that companies can find cheaper training? Sure. Even though we’re publishing our pricing, at some point, value needs to enter into the equation. Our programs are built upon behavioral science. I firmly believe:
1) Once a person learns a theory then,
2) They can discuss how that theory is applied and,
3) Practice applying the theory in a safe environment (aka training),
4) Participants will always know the theory.
That’s the key to becoming a successful leader and manager.
I hope you will take a moment to check out the ITM Group company website to view our training workshops. These programs have proven success in organizations of all sizes, various industries, both in the public and private sector. Thanks as always for supporting HR Bartender!
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