Is it possible to win over a client who needs an eLearning course?
You need to know what are the learning objectives of the buyer of the elearning course. Then, you need to prove that you are an expert on the same.
Apart from selling the course, your objective might also be to get more expenditure from the client for the same course.
Conduct some research
Before you are going into a meeting with a client, its common to check out their website. But since you are an instructor, you need to give a lot of information at the meeting with the client. So, it’s better to have complete knowledge of their industry and where they are lacking. Then, get an outline prepared for an elearning course that can improve the business model. The client needs to know what kind of training can improve the employee’s performance and how you can deliver that training.
For example, if you are going to sell your elearning model to a non-profit organisation, there are many complexities involved. It might need training for its volunteers. It’s better to get information about what are the regulatory requirements from volunteers.
But the requirements are different for a corporation. In that case, you need to have information about what kind of employees they want to retain through training. You should hence focus on elearning training programs for such employees.
Recognise the need, but offer a solution too
Although you have identified the need of a client, it’s also important to provide them with a solution. It’s better that your solution solves their many problems, instead of solving just one.
For example, if your client organisation has a high employee attrition rate, then it can be a problem. In that case, such employees need to be trained into leaders to retain them, and hence a leadership elearning program is required. Having better leaders also improves the management of lower-level employees. But the elearning needs of a non-profit organisation are completely different. For example, if a non-profit organisation can’t get enough volunteers, then pitch a training program for the volunteers. This training program would make sure that the volunteers will get better placements in companies after working for the non-profit organisation. Your training program will also improve the return on investment for the organisation’s donors because they can get trained volunteers to work for them.
Market your product to an audience
Your elearning client must know that they are dealing with the best. Hence, it’s important that they know you have a complete grasp over instructional design. Instructional designing is not about including knowledge in a video, but its format also matters. You can tell the client, about the elearning tools you are going to use such as Articulate or Captivate, but also what your storyboard will look like. They will know about characters, branching scenarios and camera angles. If you plan to use some advanced technologies such as augmented reality, then the client needs to know about them.
Show your success
You must have a case study for all your successfully executed projects. You can discuss these case studies with elearning clients to successfully influence them. But you have to discuss with your previous clients whether you can write about them and show the written material to every prospective client. Although you have marketed your skill well, to make sales, you must prove that you have developed a similar elearning course. If you cant show this course, the next step is to show some materials that are like a work portfolio. This work portfolio must keep the names of the previous clients anonymous.
