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I’m sure many of you have heard the expression, “Without customers there is no business.” It’s no secret that customers are a company’s greatest asset and it costs a lot more to get a new customer than retain a current one. So what does that have to do with us trainers? Well, let’s face it, our learners are our customers and without them we wouldn’t be in business.
It’s also a well-known fact that strong customer relationships drive sales. Have you ever walked into a store to buy something but left because of the salesperson’s behavior? It’s happened to me numerous times. The salesperson was more interested in their phone than helping me out. Well, that’s a turn off. On the other hand, the stronger the relationship, the longer the customer will do business with you. So, my fellow trainers, what kind of relationship do you have with your learners? How can you improve the quality of that relationship?
When marketing your training, relationships are important. That’s right. Why would learners “buy” your service with their time (and money) if they don’t have a strong and meaningful relationship with you? Don’t fret! Here are some tips to build rapport before, during, and after the course:
Before the Course
- Publicize an easy-to-use registration system.
- Phone, email, or meet learners individually.
- Send out a pre-course survey to find out what issues learners wish to address.
- Send a welcome letter to each participant.
- Send a letter to each participant’s supervisor.
During the Course
- Create a safe and welcoming environment to reduce or eliminate the doubts, concerns, and fears learners might have at the start of the course.
- Invite learners to express their expectations for the course and the course leader.
- Give learners opportunities to express themselves, share their experience, and work in teams.
- Build in fun, breaks, activities, and games, as appropriate.
- Display enthusiasm for the course yourself (if you expect learners to be enthusiastic).
After the Course
- Phone, email, or meet learners to follow up.
- Send out an evaluation form to ask for learners’ opinions and suggestions.
- Send a thank you letter to each participant.
- Send a thank you letter to each participant’s supervisor and ask about the effectiveness of the training on a post-course survey.
- Send a certificate (for each participant) to be presented by the supervisor.
Amazing things happen when you’ve cultivated healthy relationships. Not only does it lead to more business, it also leads to less problems. Have you noticed when people like you, they won’t give you a hard time? Even if they don’t want to be in class, they’ll make the best of the situation.
This leads me to my favorite mantra of all time—a quote from Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” It’s even in my Langevin bio! So, what are you doing to build a strong relationship with your learners?
For a more in-depth look at building rapport in the classroom, bring our Advanced Instructional Techniques workshop on site for your team!