Can I pick someone's brains about offering training and e-learning?

[FriendlyLadybird]

I have developed a couple of short training courses in my area of expertise (strategic communications). I have delivered these courses in a couple of client organisations and they have gone down very well indeed.

Now, the reason I delivered these courses is because I was providing communications advice to the organisations concerned. But I think they could be 'sold' as a product to other organisations. Or indeed, could be 'sold' as an open enrolment course and get lots of individuals from different organisations. Any ideas about how I would go about marketing/selling the courses in this way?

In addition, one of them in particular could make a good e-learning course. As above, does anyone know how I would go about publishing and selling once of those?

If you sell an online product (ie e-learning courses, ebooks etc) you need to be registered for VAT, with no minimum earning threshold. You need to be sure you can turn enough profit to cover all the fees associated with that, plus the relevant VAT for whichever country you're selling to.

Thanks, InMySpareTime. I'm already VAT-registered as it happens; I'm less concerned about that than the publishing and marketing aspects of an e-learning course. Can I/should I self-publish or pitch to an e-learning publishing company?

If you have the customer demand and contacts, just sell directly as it's better for your profit margins.
If you want to bridge the gap between your business and your customers, then go through an agency, but be careful that they don't steal your idea or prevent you using it elsewhere.

There's a lot of open training about for comms people (although most of it is badged as seminar/networking events with maybe less online) - have you had a really good look at the market? I think it's fairly crowded, so you would need a lot of marketing spend to stand out.

I think there's much more of a gap pitching comms for non-comms people, which you could offer as an add-on to your existing clients, then build out from there?

Yeah, the training is for non-comms people -- one is specifically for project communications (designed to tie in with Prince 2, for which the communications advice is WOEFUL). The problem is that I have now exhausted my existing clients but do know that this training has much more potential.
I would probably have to work very hard for it to make more than my day-rate, but it might be a nice alternative income stream -- as well as act as a marketing material itself. It's why I was wondering if I could persuade someone else to publish it. Or perhaps I could team up with a Prince 2 training organisation?

I don't know much about it at all, but a professional membership organisation I'm part of was recently offering courses via udemy www.udemy.com - I'm not entirely sure how it works, but you can create and market your own online courses. Might be worth taking a look? The course I saw was being promoted as a benefit to a membership organisation, so if you had some organisation to partner or help you spread the word that might be even better...

It might be worth talking to the CIPR and/or PRCA about being one of their trainers. You'd get a set fee to deliver the training, but all the marketing would be down to them so you wouldn't need to worry about it.

Ooh, I totally agree with you re PRINCE 2 and think that's a great angle. However, I suspect the trouble is that an organisation would think 'great, that's PRINCE 2 done' (and as you know, it isn't cheap) so would be unwilling to invest further. And as most people on P2 aren't comms people, they may not be aware of how poor the training is, so wouldn't necessarily seek it out themselves.

But there's definitely a gap there... oh that's a tricky one OP!

Pressed post too soon, obviously excited

I think the key has to be working with a P2 organisation to then offer it as an add-on?

What was the process your other clients went through to recognise they had a skills gap?

Thanks Lonny -- good to have some corroboration there!

My other clients only knew they had a skills gap because I told them! The way I did it with a big client was to offer a half-day course as part of a company-wide 'training day' that they introduced. I got quite a few people along, no doubt only because I looked a slightly more appealing prospect than time-management or 50 Shades of Excel. One of them was the Group Finance Director and (brag alert) it blew his socks off. He then insisted that everyone in the company who was P2 trained should also go through my training. I've had people say, "If only I knew about this before X project, I would have done everything differently". So I absolutely know it works and that there is a market for it.

I suppose I'll just have a go at cold-calling some P2 companies.