How much have you spent on training programmes over the past year?
Coaches, trainers and other personal development experts are very good at spending their money on learning new skills and techniques. Nutritional therapists, complementary therapists and hypnotherapists too. And NLP courses are a perfect example of how many consultants spend their money.
But why do you spend your money on these training courses? Is it because that by having another skill or technique (or even initials to put after your name on your business card) means that you will be able to attract more clients and customers to your business?
Well, I hate to break it to you, but investing in hundreds (and sometimes thousands!) of pounds on learning new skills and techniques will NOT cause the client flood gates to suddenly open.
If you want to learn a new skill because you are geniuenly interested in it, then go for it by all means.
But if you want to learn a new skill so that you can attract new clients, then stop before you hand over your credit card.
Offering new skills and techniques may just cause confusion as you end up with a huge menu of services, trying to be everything to everyone. Investing in your marketing strategies, techniques and systems could just have a far higher return on your investment.
So, next time you find yourself looking at a new training programme, just make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. You may find that investing that money in to market research, understanding your customer better and developing more effective and efficient marketing systems will go a lot further!
Tags: training
You’re so right Karen! I spent a lot of time and money learning new skills when I would have been much better off investing in learning how to get more business. It’s one of the mindshifts all business owners eventually have to make.
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There’s nevertheless a place for continuous professional development (CPD), especially if you need to demonstrate thought leadership in order to keep your business moving forward.
Staying ahead (or even just abreast) of new thinking, new developments and industry trends can be an essential part of one’s service offering, particularly if you’re in a fast-moving industry. I’ve found that being up to date can give you the edge over the (more static) competition, help attract bigger clients and improve reputation.
You do have to have a genuine interest in what it is you’re learning though. But I can’t imagine that not being the case if you’ve chosen to do it for a living (if you’re talking about business owners/entrepreneurs).
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Robin – yes, I great point. CPD is important, particularly in certain professions such as law and HR. Not keeping up to date could leave you lagging behind your competitors and being a diservice to your clients.
Just as long as one does not believe that adding more diplomas to the wall is guaranteed way of getting a steady flow of clients ;o)
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