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Weak Link in Training Marketing
Question:
In the U.S., by the way, you can legally impose a non-compete agreement as long as it is well-defined in both terms and duration. Six months is a piece of cake; a year is harder; five years, no dice. Royalty arrangements can be easier. You would need to make sure your outside expert signed on the dotted line before being introduced to the client. :> what is more likely is that I may miss repeat business which the :> training organisation sets up directly with my client. :> Does any one know of a water tight system that can help please? : I live in The Netherlands, so I don’t know whether you can make our system : legally water tight in your country. But I can tell you how we work.
Response:
> I am setting up a training brokerage and wish to market it as a free > service to businesses however I lack confidence in a weak link.
However > what is more likely is that I may miss repeat business which the > training organisation sets up directly with my client. > Does any one know of a water tight system that can help please?
I live in The Netherlands, so I don’t know whether you can make our system legally water tight in your country. But I can tell you how we work. We are consultants, specialized in marketing of services. Our organisation is small and we like to keep it that way. We only do what we are really good at, so for a lot of projects we hire external specialists, like trainers and researchers. With most of our trainers we have the following agreement: – it is not a secret that they have their own businesses, but they work under our name (and responsability) – we introduce the trainer in the organisation and evaluate the training in the presence of the trainer – all formal agreements with the client are signed by us – our clients pay us and we pay the trainer – we charge our clients the same amount of money the trainer would do if he acted on his own – we get a discount of ..% – all training sessions that you could consider as ‘follow up’, are given under our name – of all other agreements about training sessions within one year after the last training we get a percentage. It took us some time to discover this was the best way to work, so unfortunately our appointments with trainers are not always the same. But we are getting there! Of course you don’t have to take full responsability for the training, as we do. But evaluating with the client might be a way to keep the relationship going and make it less attractive for the trainer to try to ‘take over’. Marjolein Visser MarketWise marketingconsultancy and -support, specialized in marketing of services
Response:
> This resistance may surface as trainers trying to bypass me in the > first instance by talking to my client and agreeing a different > training (in name) then claiming this was not the training agreed > through me. This is a little contrived and probably unlikely. However > what is more likely is that I may miss repeat business which the > training organisation sets up directly with my client. > Does any one know of a water tight system that can help please?
Having trainers pay you a finder’s fee is tricky, especially if there’s a bad match. You might have an opening, though, working with independent trainers who do not have the resources to market themselves aggressively. They might be willing to let you take a commission in return for getting them work. The clients would pay you directly, and then you’d pass the money along to the trainer. Again, this would only work with individuals, as larger firms could bypass you too easily. Have you completely ruled out charging the client for your services? You could position yourself as a consultant who can match the client with the best training program, just as an independent insurance agent can match a customer with the best policy. — Brian Pomeroy – Web Developer, Instructor & Writer http://www.slackinc.com/yoursite/ * http://www.ison.com/pomeroy/ Author, "BeginnerNet: A Beginner’s Guide to the Internet and WWW" http://www.slackinc.com/books/33225hom.htm
Response:
:I am setting up a training brokerage and wish to market it as a free :service to businesses however I lack confidence in a weak link. 
lease try to strengthen it for me. :The business idea is that I will assess a business’s training needs :and then locate the most suitable training provider from my extensive :training network. It is not intended to charge the business for this :service and the revenue will come from a commission from the training 
rganisation. :Business will benefit in saving time, will have indirect access to a :bigger pool of training and will benefit from my selection :experience. I expect an enthusiastic response from businesses as it :is simple to use and costs nothing. This means training managers :without authority to spend beyond their limited training budget can :sign up immediately without seeking higher permission. :Training organisations will benefit from my sending work their way, :if they fit the bill, without any marketing effort or cost. There may :be some resistance to the commission (20%) but if they do not agree, :through a legal contract, they will not get the work. :This resistance may surface as trainers trying to bypass me in the :first instance by talking to my client and agreeing a different :training (in name) then claiming this was not the training agreed :through me. This is a little contrived and probably unlikely. However :what is more likely is that I may miss repeat business which the :training organisation sets up directly with my client. 
oes any one know of a water tight system that can help please? There have been occassions when we’ve had more work than we could handle, or wanted to handle. At such times we’ve subcontracted with other trainers to provide our clients with our course materials. Our standard contract contains a clause that prevents the subcontractor from working in a training capacity for the client, without our prior written consent, for a period of six months. Our clients are made aware of this clause. If the subcontractor & the client choose to ignore this clause we can bring legal actions against either party for damages. We’ve not yet had to enforce this clause and hopefully we never will. If such a clause would apply in your case is something your lawyer can tell you. Robert Harmon — CHRIS HARMON & ASSOCIATES Management & Training Consultants PO BOX 2756 Kirkland, WA 98083 206/814-3204 FAX 206/820-4807 Check out Seattle’s Hottest Spots – http://www.halcyon.com/harmonr/index.htm
Response:
I am setting up a training brokerage and wish to market it as a free service to businesses however I lack confidence in a weak link. Please try to strengthen it for me. The business idea is that I will assess a business’s training needs and then locate the most suitable training provider from my extensive training network. It is not intended to charge the business for this service and the revenue will come from a commission from the training organisation. Business will benefit in saving time, will have indirect access to a bigger pool of training and will benefit from my selection experience. I expect an enthusiastic response from businesses as it is simple to use and costs nothing. This means training managers without authority to spend beyond their limited training budget can sign up immediately without seeking higher permission. Training organisations will benefit from my sending work their way, if they fit the bill, without any marketing effort or cost. There may be some resistance to the commission (20%) but if they do not agree, through a legal contract, they will not get the work. This resistance may surface as trainers trying to bypass me in the first instance by talking to my client and agreeing a different training (in name) then claiming this was not the training agreed through me. This is a little contrived and probably unlikely. However what is more likely is that I may miss repeat business which the training organisation sets up directly with my client. Does any one know of a water tight system that can help please? — Supporting UK Trainers’ Needs Marketing, training advice, grants information, legislation, employment, news/gossip and trainers’ networking.