This occurred to me the other day while I was doing some Christmas Shopping. Sometimes the decision maker for products isn't the only beneficiary of the product. The most obvious example of this is Victorias Secret. Even though women will wear (or not) the lacy thing with feathers that they get for Christmas, the gift is really for the person that gave it to them. But Vic's takes it one step further than the obvious- they know HOW to treat men when they come into their store, they make them feel comfortable, and they understand how to market to their decision maker. So what does this have to do with you?
Most of my clients deliver certification trainings that can last anywhere between 7-21 days. I don't know how it works in your world, but being away from home and kids, including the canine type may make it difficult for some people to attend the training. If you do trainings like that, you may want to consider how you can satisfy the needs of the REAL decision makers, who are most likely the family members of the person who wants to enroll. When planning your training and deciding on your venue think about:
1. What hours are the most beneficial for allowing people to have a life even while attending your training. We typically do trainings from 1-8pm, which allows most people to get work done or do other things during the morning hours.
2. If the majority of your participants are local, consider splitting the training up over several weekends and doing the training over a 3 or 4 month period instead of 8 straight days.
3. If you know people will be traveling for the sole purpose of attending your 7- 21 day training, consider having it in a nice location that would be a fun place for family members to hang out. Go the extra mile by arranging cool things for them to do while they are there.
3. Likewise for pets. If you are booking a hotel for your participants to stay in, check out options in the dog friendly category. More and more hotels allow dogs, and believe me, people will feel better having their dogs with them than leaving them at a kennel.
Even if you don't do trainings like this, think for a moment about who may play a role in the buying process of your typical client. How can you educate them on the benefits of the work that you do?
Take a moment and step into the shoes of the people who surround your client. What can you do to get them on your side. You just may find that by doing that, you have smoked out some of those 'hidden objections' that you never really hear about. After all, how many times will a prospect admit they can't work with you because their wife, husband or significant other won't let them?
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