7 Sales & Marketing Features You Need When Evaluating A Training Management System

7 Sales & Marketing Features You Need When Evaluating A Training Management System
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Summary: Increasing course bookings and promoting your training is vital in today’s competitive landscape. By investing in a feature-rich training management system, you can turn technology to your advantage with dedicated sales and marketing functionality. These are the features you'll want to consider.

Evaluating A Training Management System: Sales & Marketing Features To Check

The competitive nature of the global job market, a renewed interest in skills development, and a nationwide discussion over the value of apprenticeships means the training and L&D world is rapidly becoming one of the most competitive industries out there.

That’s what training providers just like you told us in our Training Industry Survey. And effective course promotion and sales journey form a core part of meeting the challenges presented in today’s industry. As such, when selecting and investing in the ideal training management system for your training business, you’ll want to be sure that your chosen software offers the following 7 sales & marketing features.

Online Course Booking And Payment

One of the biggest sales barrier for training companies today is the lack of online course booking. These days, we can purchase everything from canned dog food to supercars from the comfort of our couch—why should training courses be any different?

But despite the internet’s omnipresence, plenty of organizations out there still rely on telephone, email or face-to-face bookings. Which, in the 21st century, is the equivalent of opening up a shop without a front door.

When you choose your training software, make sure that it offers easy online booking that integrates with your existing finance system. This means course availability appears on your website in real time, so delegates can see up-to-date info and Google makes you a top choice in search engines. And then buying online becomes a straightforward, familiar process for your delegates, old and new.

Easy And Effective Workflows

Workflows are the hidden gem of automated technologies, and can be characters as ‘if X, then Y’. In other words, set a trigger and your training management system will perform actions based on your rules.

A good example would be to create an email workflow that automatically sends a course booking confirmation to delegates—but that’s just the beginning. The general principle of the workflow allows you to manage courses, resources, trainers, and delegates every step of the way. And with minimal fuss.

You might not think it at first, but properly managed workflows also help further improve your overall company reputation. After all, it’s important for professional training companies to present themselves as capable, trustworthy, and a safe pair of hands.

So, for instance, you might set up certificates and awards that are sent when a delegate passes a course, or send updates via SMS and email that keep everyone from delegates to trainers fully informed. And who wouldn’t want to book courses with a company that offers that sort of smooth customer experience?

eMail Marketing Tool

A great way that training management software enables further sales is with the email marketing tool. You might not know it, but email remains one of the most effective and cost-effective marketing channels available to training providers. That’s because it allows mass communications to be sent to a wide cross-section for a very little cost. And it’s the preferred method for customers to receive comms from companies, regardless of industry.

But an email marketing tool is more than just an integrated Outlook app. With the right tool, you’ll be able to precisely target delegates with carefully crafted copy that engages delegates, new and old.

First of all, you’ll want to ensure you can personalize your communications. You know, ‘Hi John’ rather than ‘Dear Delegate #233482’. Because learners don’t want to feel like just another number, right? They want to feel like they’ve developed a genuine connection with your company, that you know and recognize them.

Your email tool should also feature a template that can be fully branded in your company colors, keeping your training business at the forefront of your communications. With the right training software, you can also monitor shopping baskets that allow you to contact those with unfulfilled bookings and encourage them to check out.

Rewards And Discounts For Loyalty

Remarketing to existing delegates shouldn’t stop at similar courses they may be interested in booking. By choosing training software with an array of finance options, you can start showcasing irresistible offers to all your delegates.

For instance, you might want to reward loyal delegates with early bird discounts and special offers. Or perhaps you’re looking to entice former delegates with discount codes they just can’t say no to.

Creating bespoke vouchers and promotional codes should be simple, generating more inquiries and bookings—because everyone loves a bargain, right?

Feedback And Surveys

Gathering feedback from delegates is a great way to understand how your courses measure up to a delegate’s expectations. Automatic collection of feedback enables you to easily focus on evaluating your current course offerings, and also see where improvements can be made or where key courses need expanding.

But think of all those collected surveys as a sales and marketing resource. Obtain permission from your delegates and you can then use those testimonials as social proof on your website, social media, emails and other marketing channels. This means you can highlight to new delegates what previous delegates thought of your training. Real-world reviews, after all, are the number one way that we judge whether or not to engage with a business.

Google Analytics Integration

Google Analytics is a major tool in the marketer’s toolkit and, regardless of the size of your training company, it can be yours too. Essentially, Google Analytics enables you to see how delegates are finding your site, how long they stay there, and what pages they visit (and a hundred other things, too).

You’re seeing the possibilities already, right?

Furnished with that sort of information, you can start looking at your top converting pages, effective call-to-action, and what pages need more work to attract the right delegates. All with a view to boosting those sales. If you’re keen to measure your online performance, it’s paramount that your training software seamlessly integrates with Google Analytics.

Powerful Sales Pipeline

Real-time course updates are great for delegates and enhancing your online presence. But it’s also an effective way to maintain a full business overview. This has two benefits:

  • Your sales team can identify opportunities, see where leads need nurturing, or plan for future sales with leads that aren’t at the ‘book now’ stage

And

  • You can see which courses are popular, what training is most profitable, and where improvements are needed.

So, instead of using guesswork, you can rely on data-driven insights to effectively target leads and enhance your course offerings to drive more sales.

eBook Release: accessplanit
accessplanit
accessplanit training management software centralises training operations, gets your entire business rowing in the same direction and allows you to delight and retain your customers. Suitable for training teams that deliver 100s or 1000s of courses.